“You look like you’re thinking too hard about something,” Jahlee teases, poking my arm. I send her a glare, which just makes her laugh again as she successfully loops an arm around mine and squeezes tightly.
“What are you—”
“Weare going shopping,” she interrupts, tugging at my arm. My feet stay rooted to the ground making her huff out in annoyance.
“No, we aren’t.” With my interest in the rebels once more renewed, all I want to do is ask Kai his thoughts. Or Tua even—if Kai finds that he doesn’t want to be in my presence anymore after what happened between us.
“Okay, look. It has been a while since I left the palace grounds during the day. Kai prefers that I go with guards, but it makes me stand out when I do that. He won’t get mad, however, if he finds out you are with me.”
I level a flat look at her. “Jahlee, I sincerely doubt that he can keep you confined here.”
“He can’t. Which is why I emphasized that it’s been a while since I left the palace during theday.” Her eyebrows wiggle suggestively at me, and the corners of my mouth can’t help but quirk up in response.
“Sneaking out at night? Should I be offended you’ve never offered to bring me along?”
Jahlee laughs, tugging on my arm and making me relent my stance in staying put. “I thought about it, but I didn’t want to interrupt if you and my brother were fucking.”
I swing my head in her direction as we climb the steps back into the palace and walk over the black and white checkered floors towards the front entrance. “You don’t have to worry about that.”
She merely hums in response and then changes the subject to palace gossip. I half listen as we make our way towards Molsi,the other half of my brain pondering the rebels. By the time the city comes into view, I’ve heard enough about who is fucking who out in the open and who Jahlee believes to be fucking in private. She guides us down different rows of vendors, her confident gait familiar with wherever it is we are going. She doesn’t garner as many stares as her brother does, but those who do look seem to share the same animosity about her. Their judgment of her, of Kai, begins to eat at me like an exposed nerve being repeatedly prodded at. Jahlee doesn’t seem at all affected by it, her steps light as she keeps her arm linked with my own.
“What can you tell me about Tua?” I ask out of the blue, interrupting her ramblings after the third clothing shop we stop in.
Her eyes dart to mine briefly before she turns them back out to the crowd ahead of us. “What do you want to know?”
“Do you think he is a good advisor? Does Kai listen to him?”
“I think he enjoys running the kingdomforKai. I think he likes striking doubt into my brother’s confidence,” she answers, her voice low as her fingers curl in towards my arm. “And this isn’t a good time to talk about it.”
I follow her focus, my gaze meeting the brown eyes of Kane. His eyes flare wide before they relax, and he gives us a stiff wave. Jahlee scoffs, lifting a hand and flipping her middle finger at him before tugging me between two vendor carts.
“Come on, let’s finish our shopping and get home.”
Standing in front of a large mirror, I admire the way I look. After returning from our shopping trip, Jahlee had informed me that we would be having dinner together. I went to protest, but her eyes sparkled with a defiance that told me that trying to deny her would be useless. She had also insisted that wematchinsome way with our outfits and pulled out the clothing she bought today for us to try on.
Jahlee chose a plum-colored shirt and skirt set, her top barely cinching in beneath her breasts and her skirt sitting low on her hips and flowing down to her ankles. I opted to wear the style of pants she had donned during the dinner party honoring Kai’s father. They are maroon in color and sheer from the ankle up, gradually shifting to more opaque the closer they get to my upper thigh. Long slits from my hip to where they cinch in at my ankles split the rich fabric on the outside of my legs, making it so that a large expanse of my skin shows with each step. My top is slightly longer than Jahlee’s, with thin straps that go over my shoulders. The entire ensemble has gold accents laced around the edges and chains that droop over my exposed stomach in a scallop pattern.
I have never done anything like this with Haylee, shopping and getting ready together.Matchingour outfits. I consider her my best friend, one that I told nearly everything to. Yet, reflecting back, we only ever spent time together during training or on a random trip to the tavern for drinks. Rarely had she ever initiated our outings either.
“We are ready, and we lookincredible,” Jahlee sings from behind me.
Smirking, I turn and grab my sandals, slipping them on before we leave. The entire second floor is noisy and filled with people dressed in fine clothing attending to whatever engagements they have. I’m surprised when Jahlee leads us past the stairs and farther into the fray of nobility in the west wing.
“We’re eating dinner here?”
“There is something I want you to see,” she answers, narrowly avoiding a male with broad shoulders who looks like he purposefully stepped into her path.
A flicker of anger sparks within me at the disrespect. I blow out a steady breath and lengthen my stride so that I’m walking beside her, a feat hard to do with how many people fill the hallway.
“Bastard’s sister.” This hissed insult comes from a passing female with short onyx hair and a black tattoo that crawls up her neck.
Jahlee’s steps halt before she twists around, a frightening smile plastered on her face. “How incredibly original. Did it take you long to come up with that?”
The female bares her teeth, her fingers flexing like claws as she takes a step towards Jahlee—a male and female flanking her sides. Her muscles are firm beneath the chiffon fabric of her silver sleeves, the delicate finery completely at odds with her aggressive stance. I brace myself, my gaze traveling over the trio as I assess them.
“Enjoy your freedom while you can, you pathetic stray. The gods can only hopeyou and yourmongrelbrother get what’s coming to you.”
Jahlee goes preternaturally still as her eyes bore into the female. Goosebumps sprinkle the skin on her arms, and I hold my breath as I wait for her to shift. Tension warms the air, the atmosphere so charged that I worry one more anxious second will set it ablaze.
