[TAKES PLACE DURING POWERLESS]

• • •

"If my father knew you were outside the palace at this time of night," a deep, all-too-familiar voice says, nearly startling the bow out of my hands, "he would have your head on a silver platter."

I direct my bow and arrow towards the dark-haired prince, his tanned skin looking lighter against the black canvas of sky behind him. Notching my arrow, I say, "And the same doesn't apply to you?"

"Of course not," he scoffs. "I'm his enforcer."

I notice, and perhaps Kai does too, that he used the word enforcer instead of son.

I don't allow myself to feel bad for him.

Instead, I send an arrow flying just above his head. "What a shame."

Kai ducks, saving a lock of his hair from being sliced off.

"And why," he murmurs, returning to his normal stance, "is that?"

"I'd have one less competitor to worry about."

"And one less sweet-talker to dream about at night." He clutches his heart as though this should pain me.

I can't help my laugh. "Believe me, Prince, the only dreams I have of you are ones where I plunge a knife through your chest."

"Not my throat? How very unlike you, Gray."

"You know nothing of the likes of me."

Kai closes the distance between us and lifts my chin with a warm, firmly calloused hand. "I know much more than you want to believe."

I scoff. "And what makes you think that?" As my fingers reach for an arrow at my side, they find nothing.

A moment later, Kai is holding my quiver above my head, just out of my reach. "Because," he says, flashing his too-perfect teeth, "I knew you'd try to shoot me again."

"That much is obvious." I try to grab for it, but he holds it out of my reach.

"Yes," he agrees. "But I've also gathered that you were going to shoot me in the foot."

I ignore the fact that he's utterly right. "And you came to that conclusion because?"

"It would injure me just enough to require attention. But not enough to cost me my life."

I click my tongue. "You're clever, Prince."

What I don't say is that with observant skills like that, he could pass for a psychic himself. But that would easily give away my false power.

He grins at my acknowledgment. "Among other things."

"This will be good," I mutter beneath my breath before he can start listing them off.

He doesn't waste a moment. "I'm also charming, irresistible, handsome . . ." When I fix him with a glare, he murmurs, "Care to add anything, Gray?"

"Aggravating, for starters." I huff out a breath.

"A classic enemies to lovers story." He sighs pleasantly and leans back against a tree, folding his arms with a smirk. My quiver is tucked between his forearms. "Although, for the record, I never wanted to be enemies in the first place."

"And I," I say, making an unsuccessful grab for my quiver, "never want to be lovers."

Kai smirks at me, the perfect picture of innocence.

What a lie.

"You're in denial, darling." Our eyes meet. "And it looks rather lovely on you."

I approach him, trying to gauge the best way to sneak my quiver out from his arms. "Please," I mutter, "shut up."

His eyebrows lift. "Make me."

Gritting my teeth, I bury my bow into the soft dirt beneath my feet.

Then, I pounce.

Practically feral, I pepper him with punches, kicks, and uppercuts, bringing my knee up to intercept his lazy defenses.

It's a futile effort. Despite my perfectly executed blows, he's twice as strong as me, and twice as large.

But all I need is a distraction.

So, when he delivers a punch to my ribs, I deflect with one arm and snatch my quiver from his belt with my other.

Triumphant, I smirk, reaching back for my bow . . .

That isn't there anymore.

Glowering, I twist back around and find that the prince is leaning against a tree once again, although this time, he's holding my bow.

"Missing something, Gray?"

Although half of my fighting mechanism is absent, I reach for an arrow and send it flying at his arm. When it punctures his shirt, pining one side of his body to the tree, I grin.

"I'm impressed," Kai murmurs, pulling it out of the bark and examining his arm. "You didn't even draw blood."

"Bummer. I'll have to try again."

Before he can respond, I've flung three new arrows at him. Kai ducks as the first two fly over his head, but the third punctures his left shoulder.

He winces as he pulls it out, a light trail of blood staining his cotton shirt. "Careful, little psychic. You might poke out one of those gray eyes you love so much."

I scoff. He must be delirious. "You've mistaken loathing for love."

"And you've mistaken love for loathing."

"I hate you."

"Liar."

"I didn't tap my left foot."

Kai only grins. "You forced yourself not to. That's why," he murmurs, gaze traveling downward, "your knees are locked."

"Give me my bow, Azer."

"You're a terrible liar."

"My bow, Azer."

"Are you going to shoot me?"

"Most likely."

He slings the bow over his shoulder. "In that case, I'll hold onto it for a while."

I glower. "Until when?"

"Until you stop lying to me," he murmurs, leaning in so close that his lips nearly brush mine, "and to yourself."