Giving her a quickgoodbye, I rushed out of her office, almost running into Samian in the process.
Chapter 31
Sybil
The entire way back, I grew sicker, each step feeling more nauseating than the last. My stomach cramped, a sheen of sweat collected on my brow, and my body was sluggish. I felt like Aster had poisoned me instead of giving me a contraceptive tonic.
Daelan and Samian both laughed as they watched me struggle, each earning a glare—and a promise of my wrath once the queasiness passed. Samian eventually slung me onto his back when I started dry heaving against the wall, his body shaking as he tried—and failed—to hold back his laughter. I might have bitten his shoulder to vent some of my frustration, though unfortunately, it didn’t help.
When we reached the door to my room, we said goodbye to Daelan. Samian gave up his room for Ivara after she refused to stay in the wing where the other lords resided, though the word around the palace was that she was staying in Daelan’s chambers. Not that Samian minded, though; he was content with sleeping with me in my room each night.
Once we walked into my bedroom, Samian gently laid me on the plush bed, then stepped back so I could curl into a ball. Myhand gripped my stomach while I tried to take deep, calming breaths.
“She’s killing me, right?” I groaned, swallowing down the lump in my throat. “That was actually poison she gave me, and she’s killing me off?”
Samian chuckled and disappeared for a moment, returning with a glass of cold water. “No, but the tonic is usually given with peppermint tea, so it doesn’t upset your stomach like this. It makes it milder and dilutes it enough not to cause any issues.”
I sat up enough to choke down the water, gulping it down in one go. “This is because I told Daelan about Bryony, isn’t it? This was her way of getting back at me.” Handing the glass back to Samian, he smiled down at me in pity.
“Yes, but luckily, once she dishes out her payback, she gets over it fast. The next time you see her, she will be her usual cranky self.” Setting the glass on the table beside me, Samian sat on the bed, taking my feet into his lap. His fingers dug into my skin, wonderfully massaging away the stiffness.
I sighed at his touch, contentment washing over me as my body slid lower and relaxed into the warmth of the blankets. I closed my eyes, euphoria clouding my mind, moaning when Samian hit a spot that sent me all the way to paradise.
“You keep making sounds like that, and I’ll give you a different reason to moan about,” Samian said, his tone deepening.
I peeked open an eye, my lids feeling heavy from exhaustion. “You keep teasing me, yet I see no action, only words.” I closed my eyes again, biting back a smile when his hand stopped moving, tightening around my foot. “Who knew the great Samian was all words and growls, with nothing to back it up?”
One second, I was releasing a quick, dramatic sigh; the next, my legs were in the air, pulled apart as I was dragged down the bed. I yelped, my eyes flying open when Samian twisted betweenmy legs to hover over me. His muscular arms rested on either side of my head, his eyes burning into mine.
“I’ll show you what—” Samian’s words cut off, his face pinching. He swallowed thickly and moved away from me. “Ambrose is calling me. Rest for now. When I come back, I’ll show you justhowI’ll put my words to use.”
My brows furrowed, worry worming its way into my chest. With Ambrose becoming deranged, I didn’t like the idea of Samian being near him without me. “How can he call you like that? Is it the soul-bond?”
Samian nodded, his hands curling into tight fists. “I have to keep the bond open with him in case he ever needs me, and I’m not at the palace.” Samian exhaled and returned to my side, cupping the side of my face. “Rest, I’ll return as soon as I can.” Stepping back, his hand slowly slid off my cheek and disappeared, leaving me utterly alone.
I stared at the space he once occupied, the silence feeling loud in his absence. It’s been a while since I had time alone like this. It felt odd and empty. Yet, before I knew it, exhaustion swept over me, taking me into a deep sleep.
The soundof something sliding under my door jolted me awake. The sun was rising, turning the sky into a mix of dark blue, yellow, and pink. Blinking the sleep from my eyes, I nervously looked around my room, searching for whoever was there. My heart pounded hard against my chest, but the space was empty. The other half of the bed was still neatly made, a quiet reminder that Samian was gone—and hadn’t come back.
Just like I practiced last night, I cupped my hands in front of me, concentrating solely on the feel of my magic. Letting itsteadily pour out, I shaped the warm glow into a smaller version of the sword I had made. Curling my fingers around the hilt of the dagger, I looked around the room once more before I moved.
Taking a shaky breath, I pulled the blanket off and stood from the bed. I held my dagger in front of me as I padded to the French doors on silent feet. Peering around them, I found Salem sitting across the room in front of the main door, his tail twitching restlessly. He was staring down at an envelope with messy words written across it.
I cautiously walked across the room, keeping my body loose, but alert. With one last look around, I bent down, my hand hesitant to touch the creamy paper.
“Is it safe?” I whispered to Salem. Salem looked at me for a moment before looking down at the envelope, his ears twitching. Finally, he stood and made his way back to the bedroom. “I assume that means it’s fine?” I murmured after him, though it was mostly to myself.
Picking up the envelope, I flipped it over, finding a smudged wax seal of a phoenix. It looked different from the symbol the rebellion used, though it was similar enough that I quickly turned it back around to study the writing. My name was scribbled across the top, but the lettering looked sloppy, as if the writer had to write the note quickly before being found. It wasn’t Ambrose’s handwriting, though, nor Samian, or Kieran, or any of the others—not that I’ve seen their handwriting enough to know, but it didn’t feel like them.
I flipped the envelope around, opening it carefully. The room's silence felt loud, and every sound made me cringe. Pulling out the letter, my eyes widened, a curse leaving my lips.
I know you’re working with the rebellion. Meet me in the field outside of Volmire. Come alone.
—H
Swallowing, I looked toward the entrance of the passageway, contemplating whether I should wait for Samian to return or throw away the letter and ignore its sender. I knew Samian would want me to wait for him—or at least anyone instead of going alone—but I wasn’t sure if I could risk it.
Crumpling the letter in my hand, I rushed over to the wastebasket, ready to get rid of it. I could ignore it and pretend I never received it. Yet I couldn’t help but hesitate. I ran through the list of everyone I met in my mind, but I couldn’t recall anyone whose name started with an H—at least not anyone who could have been that close to me or seen me leave. But they somehow knew something dangerous about me, and not only about me, but the others, as well. If they told Ambrose, whether or not this H knew it was true, Ambrose would send me back to the dungeons, and this time, I don’t think he would stop before killing me.
