You’ll regret it when he grows. When you see inside his soul like I have. When you learn what he is!
What did that make me? Was I a monster, too? How long until my vor—no. No. I couldn’t finish the thought. Couldn’teven think of the word. Because it couldn’t be true. I’d had my Revelation Ceremony. Proved myself in the temple that I was worthy of my stave. I’d been the one hunting down the monsters for years. I didn’t belong in Lethea. I was the one whosentvorakh to Lethea. I ran my fingers through my hair, shaking off the thoughts. Even if it were true, it would be fine. I just had to keep it under control until I knew what was happening. Keep it hidden.
“Just stay,” Naria said. “We’re all going to the capital soon enough. It’s going to look strange if you’re not traveling with us.”
“Haven’t we dry-fucked in front of enough people for them to believe our engagement?”
“We don’t need anyone to believe a thing. Weareengaged, Tristan. That’s the point. But people will still talk about other less pleasant things. Things we don’t want discussed. You know how unsettled everything is here.”
She was right. There’d been even more arrests after the trials. The soturi of Ka Kormac were everywhere last night, arresting anyone who even looked displeased with the announcement of our new Arkturion. Every time I looked up, some other mage or soturion was being dragged away, bound by mages working alongside our soturi. I’d never seen anything like it. I’d thought there’d been a lot of arrests after Harren’s assassination. But those numbers were nothing next to what I expected had been brought into the Shadow Stronghold the last few days.
And even worse, so many soturi of Ka Kormac had arrived, that they were reporting we’d run out of housing. Bamarians were now being asked to take in the soturi, to offer them rooms in their homes. A request that would surely lead to more revolts.
But we weren’t supposed to mention that. I shrugged at Naria. “Well, you do have the ear of our High Lady. She’s theone with final say over my travel plans. Isn’t she? Go ahead. Make your wishes known to her.”
“The fuck does that mean?” Naria asked.
I whirled around. “You know Godsdamned well what it means.” Black seraphim were being painted all over the city. Alongside wolves. And no one was doing a fucking thing about it. Instead, everyone was being arrested.
“No,” Naria said. “I don’t know.”
“Really? Really! Who’s policing the country, Naria? Who’s making the decisions for Bamaria? Your mother? Or is it our new Arkturion? Or maybe it’s Imperator Kormac?”
Naria flushed. “Of course it’s my mother.”
“Great.” I folded my arms across my chest. “Then go to her. Tell her I should stay. Tell her I should travel in your litter, and wave to the commoners as we go north to the Valabellum. We can stage a performance in every major city we enter, so no one talks about the Emartis, or the protests, or how many fucking soldiers are currently armed inside our borders. Maybe we should put our bed inside of a room made of glass—let them all watch me fuck you. Would that drive the conversation where you want it?” I pulled back the curtains, and gestured at her naked body. “We could start right now with Cresthaven’s sentries. I’m sure a few wolves will also catch the show.”
There was no response. Naria only bit her lip, her eyes shifting quickly back and forth across the room. Then she slammed the curtains closed, and wrapped her arms around herself. “Never mind. You fucking asshole.”
I took a deep breath, and tentatively reached for her shoulder, feeling exactly like what she’d called me. “I’m sorry.”
She rolled her eyes.
“I am,” I said. But she didn’t bite. She was still closing in on herself. “I didn’t mean … Forget what I said. I’m not upset with you. Are you all right?”
Her eyes shot up, her lip curling with anger. “Really? My betrothed acts like he can’t stand me half the time, and then he says the cruelest things. He’s leaving me alone so he can go hunt down his ex-girlfriend. My cousin. And now I have to cross the Empire alone, with my mother. Of course I’m not all right.”
“I’m sorry,” I said.
“Please,” she said. “I’m not stupid. I know what I’m doing here. And I know how you actually feel. But I—” She swallowed roughly.
“You what?”
“I guess I’ll just have to go by myself to the capital. Maybe I’ll get one of those glass rooms and fuck myself in it. I can do a better job on my own anyway. See you there.”
“Naria,” I said, but she’d turned away, reaching for a silk robe. “Naria?” I rushed in front of her, reaching for both of her shoulders, and stared into her eyes. But she stared down, shaking her head.
We’d had a genuine flirtation years ago. I was well aware that she’d had a longstanding crush on me but I’d never taken it seriously. She’d openly courted Viktor Kormac, amongst others of the nobility. This was the first real show of emotion I’d seen from her. The first time I’d felt any level of vulnerability or intimacy, despite the number of nights I’d spent in her bed.
Naria shrugged out of my hold. “You don’t get to judge me for how I choose to navigate my golden chains. I’ve never judged you for yours.”
“You’re right.” I took a tentative step forward, as Naria’s eyes narrowed. “Can you answer one question for me?” I asked. “Truthfully?”
She remained still, watching me carefully, something dark in her aura pulsing. “That depends,” she said.
I folded my arms across my chest. “On?”
“If I want to be truthful.”
