Read Promising Hope for Free Online Page B

hardly thought of Amina and
Vin. Odd.
    Amina crossed the length of the bathroom to stand in
front of Grace, her eyes shining with tears. Grace felt a trickle
of alarm, knowing she shouldn’t be speaking with the Avialie.
    “How—what are you doing here?” Amina asked.
    “I’ve come back home,” Grace said. She hesitated,
dropping her voice to a whisper. “Sierra and I did it, Amina. The
curse is broken.”
    Amina put her hands over her mouth, slowly shaking
her head.
    Grace nodded. “Yes, we did. You and Vin could have a
child.”
    Tears trickled down Amina’s face.
    Grace touched her shoulder lightly. “Don’t cry.”
    “Oh, m’lady…” Amina said. A sob escaped her lips.
“I’m sorry. But how do you know? What did you do?”
    “I shouldn’t talk about that, but you trust me,
right? I wouldn’t lie about this.”
    Amina tried to hide another sob, and she wiped her
face as she cried. “Oh, my… we shouldn’t be talking about this
here. There are… they are everywhere.”
    Grace squeezed Amina’s shoulder and dropped her hand.
“They already know.”
    “What—but—Grace, they could… they’re not…”
    “Don’t worry. It’s over.”
    Amina’s brow furrowed. “It’s not over. They’re not
going to leave us alone.” She sniffled and started to move around
the bathroom, picking up dirty towel. “I still don’t understand
what you’re doing here.”
    “Lady Grace?” William’s voice came from her
bedroom.
    Grace’s breath caught in her throat. She hurried to
the door and opened it a crack, craning her head to see William
standing next to her desk.
    His face colored when he saw her, and he cleared his
throat. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize…”
    “It’s all right. What did you want?”
    “Excuse me, m’lady,” Amina said. She came out of the
bathroom with a basket of clothes. “Your Highness.”
    “You shouldn’t be speaking with her,” William told
Grace.
    Grace glanced at Amina, who shuffled her feet,
staring at her basket. “I had to tell her.”
    “You shouldn’t encourage her.” William turned to
Amina and motioned for her to leave. “You won’t be waiting on her
again.”
    “Yes, your Highness,” Amina said, walking past him
quickly.
    After the door shut behind Amina, Grace asked, “Why
is she still being held here?”
    “They assisted in your kidnapping,” William said in a
steady voice.
    “I was not kidnapped.” Grace stepped into her
bedroom, disregarding the fact that she wore only a bathrobe.
William backed away from her, but she saw his gaze flit over her
body, and she had to hold back a smile. “Just let her and Vin go;
they’re harmless.”
    “They’re Avialies; that’s enough to make them
dangerous.” William’s jaw twitched as Grace took a step closer.
    “You don’t even know them or what they’ve done.” Her
heart wasn’t in the argument, though. She wanted to see how close
she could get before he backed away again. He stood still as she
took another step towards him.
    “You shouldn’t have come back if you were so worried
about them.”
    Grace frowned, taken aback by his words. She stopped
where she stood, a foot between them. “I came back for you.”
    William studied her face. “I still don’t know if I
believe you.”
    “Do you think I’d lie to you?”
    He laughed mirthlessly. “I have no doubt of it, if it
got you what you want.”
    Part of her felt indignant, and another part was sure
she’d do anything to dispel his doubts. She closed the distance
between them, looking up at him. “It’s you that I want.”
    William didn’t respond at first. He touched her chin,
running his finger down her neck, and the simple gesture caused an
explosion of emotion. A chill ran up her spine; she wanted to pull
him closer and kiss him.
    Dar’s face and his whispered “I love you” in the
Mumbar Jungle flashed through her mind. An ache of emptiness and
longing spread through her heart. She sucked in a gasp. Why did she
think