Sonah had only a split second to put her hands up as Terena flung a pillow at her. When it fell, Sonah giggled. A few seconds later, she threw her head back and laughed harder, then looked across at Terena’s red face as she struggled to look mad.
“Stop!”
Sonah made a face and laughed even more, earning her another pillow to the face.
“Oh! Daris!”
“I’m going to kill you!” Terena growled as she launched across atSonah, who shrieked as Terena landed on top of her, shoving her face into the pillows at her back.
The two women erupted into fresh peels of laughter, Sonah laughing so hard she had to wipe away tears. Terena’s face was red. Sonah wasn’t sure if it was the laughter or embarrassment.
When they finally calmed down, Sonah reached out to push back a lock of Terena’s dark hair from her face. “I was mortified there for a second,” she said, looking down at the bed. “I was like, oh, she’s having one ofthosedreams and I swear—” she grunted as Terena slapped at her hands, “I swear I was going to leave the room, but then the dream changed, I think.”
Sonah watched as Terena’s face fell, her eyes downcast. She worried she may have pushed too far.
“He tried to kill me. I think hedid,or he was close to it when you woke me,” Terena said at last, her voice soft.
“Was it… was it that Daris person?”
Terena nodded, still not looking up.
Sonah had no response ready. She had no idea who he was, and she certainly wasn’t worldly enough to be giving out relationship advice, especially to someone as well-travelled—and beautiful, let’s face it—as Terena Luca. But if sitting here and listening while Terena talked helped her, Sonah was here for it.
“Maybe it was just seeing him today. I don’t know,” Terena said, mumbling more to herself than to Sonah.
Sonah tilted her head. “You saw him? When?”
Terena lifted her head, looking at Sonah as if she’d forgotten she was there. She puffed out a breath before setting her lips in a thin line. “He—well, he was with those soldiers coming through the city when we first arrived. I saw him again at the tavern where Rydon and I had dinner.”
Sonah perked up. “Really? They were going fast, but I did manage to get a look at a couple and—oh my goodness, Terena! Those were…men.”
Terena’s lip curled up as she looked at Sonah fanning herself and nodding knowingly.
“Men?”
“Men,” Sonah agreed as she tilted her head. “I’ve been around boys enough to know the difference.”
“So the male nobles you’ve been around for the past seven years at the White Palace are not what you consider men?”
Sonah gave her a look. “Those are boys.”
Terena laughed.
“Aye, well. Daris Antonius isn’t only a… man. He’s the commander of that group of warriors.”
“Fancy,” Sonah said with a nod, earning her another grin and a slap on the hand from Terena.
“You have to set a high bar,” Sonah went on and Terena swore. “You’re a god, after all, you can’t have just any man in your b?—”
Whack.
Sonah grunted when the pillow hit her.
“I’m sorry I woke you,” Terena said after a while, her smile fading.
Sonah shrugged. “I’m sorry he tried to kill you.”
Terena groaned as she sat up, pushing herself off the bed to stand and stretch. “Well, there had to be a flaw, right?”
