Fire And Ice

Chapter 69 - Meetings

Natalia's P. O. V

I jumped to my feet, my heart pounding in my chest.

How hadn't I noticed him?

"Well, this is a surprise." His voice was deep as he spoke, still having to look down to regard me, even though I was standing.

I slipped out from between him and the bookshelf and rounded on him with a glare, "Who are you?"

He turned to me, cocking his head as if my fleeing from his proximity puzzled him, "That's a bit rude, don't you think?"

"So is sneaking up on someone and towering over them."

His lip quirked in the echo of a smile, "Touché."

My eyes narrowed, and I was going to demand he tell me who he was again, when his scent hit me.

He smelled like citrus cologne, smoke-like musk and a mild foreign element that left me feeling... pleased...?

The overwhelming feeling that I'd perceived this scent before gnawed at me.

I looked at him, really taking him in. He was tall, almost annoyingly so, with pale skin and hair as dark as a moonless night. His clothing was simple, a pair of black pants with an almost-tight white shirt and a lightweight black jacket that remained open. He was wearing shades inside, which surprisingly didn't seem obnoxious to me. They did little to detract from his face, with his sculpted jaw and a shadow of a beard.

Even though his eyes were obscured, I could feel them taking me in too.

"Who are you...?" I asked, lacking most of my earlier bite.

"Just a stranger killing some time."

"Sneaking up on people must be such a fulfilling pastime." I quipped, earning a chuckle that I wanted to hear more of.

What?

"It can be quite fun." He said, with a mischievous tilt to his lips, "Especially when you find yourself a belle buried in a book on the library floor. Were there no free chairs?"

Since Uncovering, I'd been told time and again how attractive I was by friends and strangers alike. By now, I was used to being called beautiful and all its synonyms. But for some reason, I felt my cheeks warm.

I raised my chin, "I guess I just didn't bother to look. Besides, I was comfortable."

"Ah yes, there's nowhere quite like the floor when it comes to comfort."

"Exactly."

He opened his mouth to say something when a palace servant ran up to us.

"There you are!" The man sighed, visibly relieved, "Please do well not to wander off, you don't want to be late for your audience."

"Apologies, Carl." The stranger said, all earlier playfulness shoved aside in the wake of his air of grace, becoming so sombre that he was almost regal, "Let's get going, shall we? It was a pleasure to make your acquaintance Miss...?"

"Ember." I replied, without a thought.

"Ember." He repeated with a whisp of a smile, rolling the name that I hadn't heard from anyone since my mother disappeared on his tongue as if it belonged there.

"I hope I will be fortunate enough to meet you again." He said, taking my crested hand and planting a kiss on it, right where the planets aligned. Then he followed Carl out of the library.

I didn't exhale till he was gone.

....................

Two fifteen rolled around and I was in my room, fidgeting in my outfit and wondering if it was appropriate. I'd read an article on the WolfNet from someone who frequented the palace, and she'd ranked the outfits of each visitor, from best to worst. Taking inspiration from her best list, I decided to go in a black skirt with tights, a tucked in button down and a deep red fitted blazer, with a pair of heels to match. I'd piled my hair on my head in a calculatedly messy bun with locks of hair framing my face and applied some red lipstick and mascara.