Property of a Gordon

Chapter Sixteen (Kendall)

Chapter Sixteen

Kendall's POV

To say she was beautiful was equivalent to that of an understatement.

What I expected was not like that of what I was met with. A brazen, wolf-like girl in a petite, fragile dress was what my mind had conjured up. But she had taken me by surprise yet again.

In the dress, I might compare her to a prickly rose standing proudly, dew drops glistening as she moved and swayed. Just as a rose, she enchanted me, and I had to restrain myself from leaning closely to catch a drop of her scent.

"Did the wolf catch your tongue?"

I blinked slowly, brought out of my momentary daze. She had noticed my lingering stare, but only the smirk on her face gave her away. With the exception of her smirk, the entirety of her body remained neutral.

"Shall we?" I asked calmly, ignoring her rhetorical question with much ease. She preferred teasing me over treating me as if I were her Master, which I was. Fortunately, her behavior was not yet deemed inappropriate or unsuitable, meaning she was allowed to stay as she was.

She took the arm I offered after a moment's hesitation, linking her slender, bare one through my own. The pressure of her arm felt relatively calming and gave me the appearance that I was less alone than my thoughts portrayed and envisioned me to be.

I nodded my head in a quick movement, receiving the bow of heads from guards nearby. Some walked ahead while other kept a distance behind, both giving us space.

"Did you enjoy my present?" I asked lightly in an attempt to engage in conversation. I might have started by telling her that her beauty compared to that of a rose, but it seemed much too forthcoming. I also suspected she was the type a compliment would not sit well with.

She merely shrugged, her arm brushing against my suit. I glanced at her from the corner of my eyes, reading her expression. "I didn't see the need for it all when you've already supplied me with a wardrobe of dresses," she answered, allowing me to see she was not impressed by me.

"Ah, but the one you currently wear was made exclusively for you. No one else will wear a similar dress," I tried, yet her eyes still did not spark with the light I expected. She showed no interest towards the dress.

"That's great," she said, the thinly veiled sarcasm revealing it was anything but. Unusual for her, maybe, but not great.

I cleared my throat, deciding it was for the best to change the course of the conversation. "During this event, you are to remain by my side as you would if you were a wolf," I instructed as we neared the room the ball would be held in for the evening.

"Yes, as you please, Prince Gordon," she remarked, openly voicing her distaste towards my instructions. I visibly tensed, her satisfaction towards the movement equally visible.

My mouth opened to produce a response but closed itself as quickly when none came forward. Calling her by Snowflake might encourage her belief that it was meant as a teasing name when in fact, it was not. When I used the name, I meant it as term of endearment, nothing more. It was to have her mind register the nickname with my own and come to the realization that she was mine, my very own Snowflake.

We arrived at the room, walking in unison towards the grand, elaborate doors. They did not hold the modern look most palaces were built with, but I had come to prefer them over time. They were integrated into the palace and slowly into my preferences.

"Are you prepared?" I asked my Protector, turning so my eyes directly met her own.

"As ready as I'll ever be," she muttered, but her eyes did not meet mine. They shifted, focusing on the doors behind me.