My shadows crept from my hands and wound along the railing of the quarterdeck. Last night, I woke up from a nightmare and found them hovering across my chest, like they were trying to protect me in my sleep. I saw Scarven every time I closed my eyes. Whenever a hand reached out to touch me, I thought it was him. The muscles in my arms were still sore from being bent back and strung up on a wall, a constant reminder of where I’d been mere days ago.
I didn’t know if I could trust my own emotions or instincts. But if there was one thing I was certain of, if there wasonething keeping me from falling down that dark pit of fear, it was that I could trusthim.
“Ready, Devora?” Nox asked, waiting several feet away with our bags in his grip.
“As I’ll ever be.”
I followed him down the gangway and to a carriage just beyond the docks. I was used to the fur cloaks, thick sweaters, andoccasional training leathers of Tenebra and Drakorum. But the capital city was far less icy, even in the heart of winter. As we rolled through small villages to get to the palace, I saw citizens dressed in loose linen pants and long-sleeved blouses, barely a cloak in sight. My own heavy sweater was starting to make me sweat. There was a pleasant chill in the air, the kind that turned your nose and cheeks pink without freezing you.
“Tonight’s a smaller gathering, just friends and family before they start greeting guests,” Nox said across from me in the carriage. I kept my elbow propped up on the window as I listened, watching the tall, broad-leaved trees and shrubbery pass by. “Tomorrow night is the welcome feast, and the day after is the wedding. I’m hoping we can catch Rose tonight to talk before she gets too busy.”
I squirmed in my seat, and my foot tapped against the carriage floor.Rose Wolff. The Alchemist who had experience with this blood magic Nox wanted to try. And, incidentally, one of Clarissa’s closest friends.
I met Rose when their group of Veridians was in Mysthelm. Very briefly, but still. I liked the sharp-tongued Alchemist. She and Leo, her partner and Clarissa’s twin brother, all had history with Nox as well.
Yetanotherreason I was nervous about this visit. Another person whose trust I’d lost.
“Devora.” Nox put his hand on the edge of my knee to stop it from tapping.
My eyes flashed up to his. He’d been so careful not to touch me, besides holding me through my mental breakdown and subsequent sobbing.
“It’ll be fine,” he said. “They’re good people. They know everyone makes mistakes, and they’ll be able to see past that.”
I tried to smile, but it probably looked more like a wince. “I know. I’m fine.”
He snorted. “I thought you were supposed to be a good liar. Do we need one of Arowyn’s ridiculous code words?”
Iraised an eyebrow. “For what?”
“For if it gets too overwhelming, and you want to be alone.”
My tight muscles loosened slightly. “What did you have in mind?”
His eyes flitted to my lips before meeting my gaze again. “Pomegranates.”
A chuckle slipped free. “Pomegranates? That’s the best you can do? Arowyn would be disappointed.”
He shrugged. “What can I say? I’ve grown fond of them.”
“Okay,” I said, still smiling. “So if I say ‘pomegranates,’ you’ll…what, shift and fly me out of there? Bust down the doors of the palace?”
His grin faded as his thumb rubbed circles into the side of my knee. “I’ll do whatever you want, Devora, darling.”
The heat of his fingers on my leggings suddenly felt searing. I held his gaze, the air shifting around us like a storm. My lips parted when I took a breath, and his eyes drifted down to them again. His thumb slid higher when the carriage jostled, his fingers digging into the space above my knee.
My heart was a drum inside my chest. The desire to be near him was always right there, like lightning in my veins, uncontrollable and dangerous.
The idea of anyone having power over me ever again was dangerous, and this man…he could ruin me.
The frightening part was that I would let him.
The carriage came to an abrupt halt, breaking the spell between us. I blinked and pulled away as the driver opened the door. Before us stood the palace, with rows of gilded spires stretching into the sky and a beautiful garden surrounding the entrance. Two guards in silver uniforms were stationed beside wide double doors at the top of a staircase, but before they could open them, two figures came bursting out.
Blonde waves fluttered around a freckled, heart-shaped face. Her loose pants billowed behind her as she skipped down the steps, with a blue sweater that hung off one shoulder and adazzling diamond ring on her left hand. Close on the woman’s heels was a huge brown dog with a lolling tongue and the sweetest eyes I’d ever seen. Mia, Clarissa’s shepherding dog, had gotten close to me when I was her lady’s maid in Mysthelm. The last time I’d seen the pup, she could still fit in my lap. Not so much anymore.
Mia instantly bounded over to me, wagging her large tail fast enough to leave a bruise. I laughed and scratched the back of her ears as she assaulted me with kisses.
“Hi there, sweet girl,” I cooed. “I missed you too.”
