Chapter 0334

"He is?" I ask, my eyes going wide. I pass my drink back to Jesse for a moment and slip my jacket from my shoulders, suddenly feeling warmer, probably from the anxiety his words produced.

"Yup," Jesse says, nodding to me seriously. "The Alalaxians have apparently brought one hell of a fighter."

I don't really know what that means, but it can't be good. I take my drink back from Jesse and squeeze it between my palms. "Don't let that rattle you, Ari," Rafe says, and I turn to see him on Daphne's other side, looking at me seriously. "Luca's one hell of a fighter - he's the champ for a reason, nobody in Moon Valley can touch him in the boxing ring -"

"Although Rafe can beat him at wrestling and other forms of hand-to-hand stuff," Jesse says, gesturing to my brother and then pressing his hand delicately to his chest, "and I, obviously, beat him in all trials of wit."

Daphne and I burst out laughing at this, but Rafe just ignores him. "And despite what Luca's uncle thinks," Rafe continues, drawing my gaze back to him, "being at the Academy all semester only made Luca better. He's strong as hell now, and faster than he's ever been. I think his odds are good."

I bite my lip with anxiety, glancing back towards Jesse, wondering if Rafe is just saying that to me to make me feel better. But Jesse gives me a serious nod, letting me know that it's true and he agrees with Rafe.

I open my mouth to ask more questions, to try to learn how the scoring works, but suddenly I hear my dad call my name, and we all turn to him.

Dad stands against the low wall at the edge of the box about ten feet away, his arms crossed, glaring at me. My mom is pressed innocently to his side, smiling prettily like butter can't melt in her mouth. I grin too, taking up mom's patented defense, as dad's eyes deliberately move over me, up and down, and he cocks a clearly displeased eyebrow at my dress. Then he snaps his fingers once and points to the ground in front of him, his command clear.

"Come on, Rafe!" I say cheerfully, grabbing my brother's arm and tugging him over.

"No way!" he hisses, digging his heels in. "He wants you, Ariel - he's probably wondering where the other half of your dress is -" "Daphne made this dress," I inform my brother sharply, raising my eyebrows at him, trying to make him feel guilty.

It works, and Rafe's mouth drops open, and he glances back towards Daphne, who is laughing, watching us with a bit of glee as Jesse steps closer to her side. "It's a beautiful dress," Rafe says, shaking his head like he didn't mean it like that. "Dad's just not going to "

"Ariel!" Dad barks, pulling both of our attention to him. "Rafe! Over here! Now!"

"Seeee," I say, tugging on my brother's arm again. "He wants you too!"

Rafe sighs, and hangs his head, and accompanies me to have a quick chat with our glowering father and beaming mother.

As we step away, Jesse steps closer to Daphne, taking a sip of his whiskey. "What do you think, will Dominic Sinclair just make Ariel wear his suit coat all night to cover her up? Or will he banish you for dressing the Princess as the brazen hussy she is inside?"

Daphne laughs and turns towards him, smacking him on the arm. "Ariel looks beautiful, and I don't think Mr. Sinclair really cares," she says, grinning up into Jesse's smirking face. "I think he just likes to keep his kids on their toes."

"Look at you," Jesse murmurs, one corner of his lips turning up, "calling the King mister, calling the Crown Prince and the Princess kids. Getting awfully comfortable with the royals, are we?"noveldrama

Daphne just huffs a laugh and leans closer, narrowing her eyes. "Getting a little jealous, are we? I mean, even Luca's Gran probably knows who I am at this point," she grins and tosses her hair back over her shoulder. "Can't say the same for you."

Jesse bursts out laughing at this, his head tilting back, and Daphne laughs too, delighting a bit to see him do it. It's always very satisfying to break Jesse Sinclair out of his playful, sarcastic persona - to surprise him, and see him genuinely laugh, to get more than a wry quip or a joke on top of a joke.

Yes, stopping Jesse Sinclair in his tracks....it's more satisfying than Daphne knew it would be.

When he brings his head back up, Jesse gives Daphne a sunny smile and shakes his head. "It's a shame you have to go home after the fight," he says, and the happiness with which he says makes Daphne realize that it's not just conversation, or a compliment. That he really means it. "Anything we can do to make you stay? You could bring your mom to the palace for Midwinter."

"Not to your house?" Daphen asks, tilting her head.

Jesse gives her a slow smile. "You want to come spend Midwinter at my house, Daphne?"