“My bow is yours, always.You know that, Deidre.But you will accept me in your home tomorrow for a talk.”
Hoo boy.The punishment.
“Fine.”She sounded nonchalant, but her restless fingers betrayed her.
“Do not invite Tisvali.He will be here keeping Jasmine company, so that the two of us can clear things up between us onceand for all.”
Deidre nodded, head still down–the vision of submission.“Should I wear my sparring dress?”
“If you wish.It makes no difference.”
“Sabinem.”Deidre sounded resigned now.After some hesitation, she spoke again.“I just want to say that–”
“Tomorrow, Deidre.The topic is closed for tonight.”
“But it’s about the apples!”She wrung her hands.“I will have three ready for you tomorrow.That’s all I wanted to say.”
Karim’s brows knitted together.“Apples?”
Deidre’s eyes widened in understanding as she exchanged a quick look with me.That’s right, my friend, I haven’t told him about your grave fruit crime.“It’s nothing, Karim!I’ll take my leave now to get some sleep, if that’s all right with you.”She was halfway to the exit before she had finished speaking.
“Deidre.”
“Yes?”She turned on her bare heels, a nervous smile on her lips.
“No sleep for you yet.You’re on guard duty during tonight’s negotiations.”
“I’ll be guarding the Great Cavern?”Deidre sounded excited at the prospect.
Karim shook his head.“The Queen and aristocracy will have their personal guards down here.You’re needed on the surface.”
“But I don’t see that well in the dark.”She sulked.“This is the Queen’s idea, ain’t it?A little payback aimed at pleasing Katsia somehow, given the lack of an execution to satisfy the skank?”
Karim sighed.“Perhaps.But worry not.You will be paired with a gargoyle in one of the joint guard teams.He’ll watch your back in the forest as if you were one of his own.”
Deidre’s expression turned even gloomier.“I thought my punishment was to wait until tomorrow!Being paired with a winged idiot?Curses.”
Karim’s lips twitched.“You should be excited.You will finally meet a real-life gargoyle, not an illustration in our history books.”
Deidre snorted.“Can I leave now?I need to bathe with the strongest-smelling soap possible.That way I can at least have fun when my scent hits the extra sensitive nose of my partner.”
Karim shook his head with a slight smile but warned just as she was about to exit, “Fragrance-free soap, Deidre.”
I thought I heard a huff from outside before she called out, “Fine, fine.”
I snickered, but once Karim turned to face me, the serious question slipped from my lips.“How will Deidre be punished?”
– 21 –
My Flower
Karim came to stand in front of me.“As necessary.”
“How?”I persisted, feeling bolder than usual.I didn’t know what to expect from tonight’s hostage exchange.I didn’t know what to expect from Karimlater tonight, as much as I anticipated his toe-curling kisses.My friend’s punishment tomorrow made the unknowns one too many.“You won’t use force, will you?She mentioned sparring clothes?”
He pulled away just enough to gesture for me to sit on the sofa.Once I did, he went down on one knee in front of me, his hair pooling at his bare foot.
My throat went dry at the sight–him looking up at me, putting himself in a vulnerable position so as not to intimidate me… I realized I didn’t know him well enough, but having seenhis tenderness toward a flower, the risk he took to save it, and his willingness to do anything for his friends and to protect us humans here… As dominantly as he’d acted twice already, I believed he wasn’t someone to cross the line.Even if using force was how issues were solved in his world.
