I gave up moving. It wasn’t happening. Instead, I called, “Help!”
Ari turned around, the expression on his face entirely unfriendly. He raised his sword.
Crap, I definitely did not think this through. “Wait!” I screamed. “Please, it’s me, Bora! Antonia swapped us back! She can tell you …” Oh, no, based on my personal experience, the shield blocked sound, and I’d ordered Antonia not to lower it. How was I going to prove myself? “Just give me a second to think of something to say that only I would know.” That sounded lame. Ari would probably be smart to kill me.
Yet Ari hesitated, his gaze angry. He did not quite seem able to bring the sword down.
Duchess Hedri ran forward, looking far less injured than me, her lovely blonde hair wild about her face. She cried, “My love, she’s lying!How could we possibly swap back? Kill her, quickly, before she pulls out more tricks.”
Why, that shameless … I groped for the right words to convince Ari. Something no one else would know. My mind was blanking. Of all the moments for my tongue to freeze up.
The duchess clasped her hands together. “Please, love. Remember how you saved me from the poisoned bracelet and even fought your own comrade to protect me.”
Ari’s gaze cleared. “We never told anyone else about that, after Ma’qas became our ally.” He turned toward me, raising his sword.
“Wait!” I yelped. “I’m Bora! I don’t know how she found out!” I thought fast. “Ma’qas must have told her, when she spilled everything to the Living Shadow.” That was probably how the duchess knew about our romantic relationship, too.
Duchess Hedri cried, “Your favorite fruit is oranges! You get easily carriage-sick! You can’t sleep during thunderstorms!”
Dammit, I didn’t know all those facts. The Blood Duchess had lived with Ari longer than me. What if she knew him better?
“You promised to run away with me if the trial went wrong,” I said.
At the same time, the duchess said, “You promised to stay with me forever.”
Sadly, she’d gotten it right. That had been a predictably romantic guess. “Please—” I started to say.
“Please,” Duchess Hedri said at the same time, clasping her hands together and looking innocent and adorable.
Ari hesitated. He looked between us. He bit his lip and twirled a lock of his hair.
I had no choice but my last resort—embarrassingly sexual details. “Ari, remember when—” I stopped. I looked at his hand playing with his—no,her—hair. Yes, biting the lip, too. I recognized that gesture. I’d seen it several times before. “You’re not Ari right now. You’re Araceli.”
Araceli startled. “You know?”
I smiled. “I’m starting to get the hang of telling the difference. I’m right, aren’t I? If not, I’m sorry.”
“Huh?” escaped from the duchess’s lips.
Araceli whirled around. A green blade shot from her ring. It slashed open the duchess’s throat. Our enemy fell in a spray of blood. I jerked my eyes away, because I didn’t want to see. But I still heard the sound when the body hit the ground.
“Oh dear, I wasn’t even completely sure about my guess …” What if I’d gotten the difference between Ari and Araceli wrong this time?
Araceli met my gaze. “I knew beyond any doubt.” The emotion burning in those eyes took my breath away. “Do you think the duchess ever apologized? Only you would pick a moment like that to say sorry.”
“Hey!” I cried, feeling mocked.
Araceli dropped to her knees before me and took my hand. “I love you.”
A creak came from the rubble trapping my legs. Araceli leapt to her feet. “And I’m going to get this off you right now.” She readied a ring, blasting the wall off. Then she dragged me to my feet.
“Thank you,” I gasped, choking on the dust.
Araceli brushed dirt off my face. “You’re even more beautiful than I imagined.” She tucked a curl behind my ear. “You wear this body better than the duchess, too. She lacks your cuteness.” She tweaked my nose.
I blushed. “Oh, I, uh, you’re even more—that is to say—it’s not as though you’ve had a body swap, but if you had, then I’m certain you’d be devastatingly attractive—sorry, that sounds stupid. I love you, too.”
Araceli pulled me into a crushing hug. “You’re still the same, no matter the body,” she murmured.
