Maddox snatched up his sleek black cat companion that had started to venture out into the hall, and slammed the door in our faces.
“Ignore him,” Lexie said. “He’ll get over it.”
I wasn’t so sure.
We took the stairs down to the main floor and strode toward the dining hall. Lexie cradled Levar against her collarbone. Derren’s Dare flitted ahead, gobbling up insects he snagged from the air. Bryson jogged to catch Beau, who darted under a decorative pedestal near the wall.
Even Kerralyn’s mole nuzzled her ear.
I walked alone.
My borrowed shoes didn’t make a sound on the polished floor. My clothing barely rustled. My blade rode light on my hip.
But I felt exposed.
I told myself I didn’t need a companion. I’d bonded, so I could remain here, and that was all that mattered.
The dining hall glowed like a festival. Floating chandeliers drifted lazily overhead, highlighting the long tables bursting with platters heaped with food and carafes full of various beverages. Servants weaved between them, fingers flicking out to refill a trencher here or a cup there. Laughter and excited chatter rang like bells through the big open room.
Companions darted underfoot or fluttered above us, small and as varied as the prettiest stars.
We stopped inside the archway, five points of stillness in a moving world.
My gaze sought Trew.
He sat at the high table, somehow shining brighter than anyone else. His onyx-black tunic with silver ornaments on the shoulders gave him a regal appearance, though no more regal than the simple silver crown adorning his head.
His eyes caught mine, and I forgot how to breathe.
The possession in his gaze seared through me, causing heat to bloom in my belly and glide downward. He slid his gaze along my body, and I couldn’t hold back my shiver.
This was the same look he’d given me when I stood wet and naked in front of him, my chin lifted and a dare in my eyes.
My pulse surged, a traitorous drum in my chest. I wanted to look away, to deny him any satisfaction.
I squared my shoulders, raised my chin, and followed my friends to a partly empty table.
Let him look.
I would not look back.
23
TREW
The scent of roasted meats and wild herbs curled through the high-vaulted dining hall, layered over the warm tang of perfume, wine, and magic. Golden orbs of light floated lazily above the long tables, making the polished stone floors gleam and highlighting my people enjoying the celebration. Cutlery clinked, laughter bounced off the walls, and the air vibrated with a strange, post-trial euphoria that made even the stone walls hum with life.
Magical platters drifted between the tables, laden with delicacies that would make even kings weep. Honey-glazed fowl that fell apart at the touch of a fork. Fruits that sparkled with their own inner light. And breads of every grain imaginable.
Carafes dipped here and there, topping off glasses with wines that had aged in caves touched by dragon flame or ale brewed deep beneath the Southern Sea. Everyone gorged themselves as if they’d never eat again. The freshly elevated warriors had been starving for days, and the rest of us easily remembered that feeling when we’d made it through the trials and achieved a bond. The trials hollowed aperson out, leaving them desperate for anything that proved they were still alive.
We mourned. Each loss of one of my people fractured my bones. But tonight was for celebrating those who’d lived.
I ate, but I didn’t taste a thing. Becauseshehad walked in.
Isi.
I was pleased to see she wore everything I’d chosen for her.
