Obsidian Ridge - Jess Lebow [10]
"I have many facets. Most of them not discernible from a first glance."
"Tall, dark, mysterious… and amusing. What else could a woman ask for?"
The Claw chuckled. "If only it were that easy."
The princess stepped closer, placing her hand on his chest. "This seems pretty easy." She reached up and pulled back the dark mask. Lifting herself onto her tiptoes, she pressed her lips against his. The Claw returned her kiss, leaning into her body.
They stood in the moonlit courtyard for a long moment, her arms wrapped around his chest.
Moments like this, moments where he enjoyed the simple, human pleasures and felt just like a regular citizen-felt free of obligations, free of danger, free to make choices that affected nobody but himself-were few, and they never lasted long. The obligations of being the king's assassin always returned.
So he learned to draw from these moments every second of enjoyment, knowing that every one could be his last.
The princess loosened her grip and stepped back to look into his eyes. She smiled at him. It was that smile that had done him in. He couldn't resist from the first moment he'd seen it, and he couldn't resist now.
"I have a gift for you," he said. Reaching into a pouch on his belt, the Claw retrieved a thin silver necklace with a simple round locket, a pair of interlocking circles with a clasp on one side, dangling from it. The moon reflected off its polished surface, directing a ray of light, shaped like two tiny clasped hands, onto the princess's chest.
She gasped as she took it from his hands. "It's beautiful," she said.
Lifting it over her head, she let it drape from her neck. It caught the moonlight and cast it onto the Claw's face. "I will never take it off."
"I hope that's true," he said, admiring it around her neck. "The locket holds inside it an enchantment. If you are ever in trouble, just open the clasp, and I will be able to find you-no matter where or how far away you are."
The princess wrinkled her nose. "How romantic," she said, sarcasm echoing in her words. Its-
Mariko laughed. "I love it," she assured him. "Besides, I'm not going to need it." She put her hand on her hip. "I'm able to take care of myself."
"Of that I'm sure." The Claw looked down. "It's for my peace of mind."
The princess put her finger under his chin and lifted his face until he was looking into her eyes.
"Then I will wear it forever and ever." Taking his hand, Mariko turned it over so his palm faced the sky. "But you must let me do something for you-for my peace of mind."
Unfastening the straps along his wrist, the princess removed the gauntlet on his left hand. Placing it on the ground, she took hold of him, examining his palm. His hands were twice the size of hers.
The Claw looked down on her, watching as she ran her fingers over his, her smooth skin caressing the calluses and bruises. He took a deep breath and let the moment wash over him.
The princess traced a figure on his palm, making the same lines over and over again. As she did, she spoke a few soft words, and the shape on his palm lit up brightly.
He recognized the symbol she had drawn. Her personal rune.
The Claw pulled away. "Did you just brand me?" he asked, rather incredulous.
"Of course," she said, hardly able to contain her laughter. "I do this to all my men."
"Very funny." The Claw shook his hand, hoping it was an illusion. But the light remained.
The princess gave him a fake scowl. "Hold still. I'm not finished yet."
Pulling him forward, she took another firm grip on his hand. Waving her palm over his, she spoke words that made no sense to him. When she finished, the light went out.
The Claw examined his hand. It looked the same as it always had. "What… what did you do?"
"Repeat after me," she said. "As you wish, Princess Mariko."
The Claw tilted his head. "As you wish, Princess Mariko."
The rune on his palm came back to life, glowing like a mage-lit stone.
"Now