I try my best to appear calm, fighting to keep all the panic concealed inside. Oh this isbad.
‘You fancy a lie-in today?’ Kyor says lightly as he moves from the end table towards me. Once he’s close enough to have a perfectly civil conversation, he continues even further, encroaching on my personal space. It’s enough to draw the air from my lungs. ‘I can picture you, Thorn, tangled up in your sheets.’
‘I … I just don’t normally see you at breakfast, that’s all,’ I stutter out.Smooth, Rose. So smooth.
‘Perhaps I just don’t like being seen,’ he says.
He turns around and strides back to the Rowell table, where he picks up his empty glass, ready to pour himself some more water. Shit. I can’t let him drinkmore.
‘The second trial,’ I blurt out hastily.
‘What of it?’ His hand moves away from the jug and I try to hide the relief I feel.
‘Are you doing it?’ I ask. ‘Benny told me the priestess gave you a choice in whether you wanted to participate. You’re going to, aren’t you?’
His eyes glint. ‘Why? Worried about facing me out there?’
‘No. Just wondering why you need to prove yourself so much. Daddy issues, I guess, right?’
Amusement flashes in his eyes, and his lips twitch into a smirk. I realise that this timeI’vemoved closer tohim.And he didn’t miss it.
He’s so close I can smell the fresh sweat and vanilla musk rising from his hot skin.
‘You lack common sense, you know that? Maybe I should find a way to pound some into you.’
My throat instantly dries as I open my mouth, wishing I could think of some sort of witty retort, but literally nothing comes.
That’s part of the problem, I guess. Sharing a dorm has made my sexual frustration way worse, and I swear that’s the only reason why this encounter is making me so unfeasibly wet.
Kyor reaches out and traces a finger around the outside of my lips. ‘That’s a good look for you,’ he says huskily. ‘An open mouth.’
I snap my mouth closed sharply, and he chuckles.
Our moment comes to a close as a voice interrupts us. ‘Great workout this morning, Your Royal Highness.’
My eyes swivel away from Kyor to find Holden standing behind him. Unlike Kyor, who’s glistening with sweat, Holden is dripping. His face is bright pink and from the way his chest is heaving I struggle to believe he was ever an active knight. His wolf must be embarrassed by him. ‘You’ve got excellent technique. And power.’
‘It was a good warm-up for me, too,’ Kyor replies drily.
Holden’s lips purse as he shifts his attention to me. ‘Kultavaris,’ he snarls. ‘Your family always did have a cockroach-like tenacity. Well, they got what they deserved in the end, as I’m sure you shall too.’
Anger flashes through me, which surges even hotter as he shoots an oily, sycophantic grin to Kyor.
‘You look hot, Commander,’ I say, taking a glass and filling it to the brim with the laced water. ‘You should drink. I’d hate for it to appear that you weren’t able to keep up with one of the Rettlings so early in the morning. What was it the prince called it? A warm-up?’
His nostrils twitch, and his sneer exposes the slightest sliver of yellow teeth. I don’t wait to see if he drinks the glass. I can’t. I’m too afraid my expression will give away what I’ve done. So I turn and stride casually back to my normal table. When I finally muster the courage to look back, both Kyor and Holden are gone, and both glasses are empty.
Seconds later, I look up to see Llinos coming down the stairs. She gives me a questioning look, and I nod, implying I got the job done.
‘It was getting weird, just standing at the top of the stairs,’ she explains.
‘Thanks for that. We’ve already got our first victim. Maybe two.’ I wince a little.
Her eyes bug. ‘You have?’ She looks up but frowns when she sees Zara’s group are only now walking down the stairs. ‘Who?’
‘Kyor,’ I say. ‘He grabbed himself a drink after training. Picked the wrong jug.’
Llinos’s mouth forms an ‘O’ of shock. ‘You just poisoned the prince and heir to the throne of Morathka?’
