“Just that bonds can be hard to break without consequence,” she said. She rubbed her arms. “But ask Alaryk. I’m sure he’d know more than I do.”
Chapter 16
ALARYK
The sharp rap of knuckles on the door sounded just as I was pulling on my boots. I heard a quick retreat of steps down the stairs to my dwelling, and my lips twitched in knowing.
When I pulled open the door and stepped down to meet Amaia, my brow was raised.
Her temper was spiked. That much was easy enough to discern from a mere glance.
“What have I done now,mariss?” I asked.Marissmeantemberin the Hartan language. In Karag,emberwasmarisha, reminding me that once, our people had been one.
She frowned at the word, and I wondered for a brief moment if she thought I’d forgotten her name. I didn’t correct her assumption, watching with slight amusement as her shoulders tightened even more.
Amaia glanced around the quiet village. Even though the moon had long risen and there wasn’t a soul in sight, she was nervous people might see her, standing at my dwelling, alone with me, in the dead of night.
I wondered if I should be offended or not. But I ended up settling on intrigued.
“You sent someone to come retrieve me at the hatchery,” she whispered. “To come to yourhome. I don’t want more rumors circulating.”
I descended the final step, my boots thumping against the stone road. “And what rumors are these, I wonder?”
I knew. But I wanted to see what she would say.
Her cheeks darkened. Even still, she gave me a tiny glare that made interest burn in my belly. She was even more beautiful when she was angry…and truthfully, I was more relieved to see that she’d regained her strength enough to exhibit her temper.
Amaia said, “You know exactly what I’m speaking of. I willnotbe made into some Dakkari concubine with the only desire to join…your…your…your harem!”
“My…harem,” I repeated slowly. Why did I get such a strange thrill watching her bristle? “A shame. I’ve always loved variety.”
The words nearly made her eyes bug out of her head. I chided myself, however. It wouldn’t benefit either of us if she decided she disliked me. While it was entertaining to push and prod and tease, it was a passing amusement when there was something much bigger at stake.
Samryn had had more energy these last two days than I’d seen in months. And it only made me realize how much pain he’d been shielding from me. I didn’t darehope. Not yet.
But Amaia was a blessing to both of us. I needed to remember that so I didn’t fuck it up with my glib tongue.
“For the record, I don’t have a harem,” I murmured, stepping closer.
“That’s not what I’ve heard,” she grumbled under her breath.
I ignored that. “Come with me.”
Her brows lowered slightly, and for a brief moment, her expression turned stricken, her face losing a bit of its color. Sudden enough to make me still.
“So soon?” she asked. “I just woke this afternoon.”
Even the realization of what she feared didn’t make me feel any better. I knew how much I asked of her. And for a price so little that it was laughable.
“I know,” I said. I’d had Tarkosh sending me missives. I knew she’d woken today. But when I’d visited her last night in her sleeping quarters, she’d still been…dead to the world. I didn’t know how long I’d stayed at her bedside, watching the rise and fall of her breath. But it had been the only thing to keep me grounded. “Not tonight. When you are ready.”
The bright relief in her eyes made discontent roil in my chest.
“I wanted to try something tonight,” I informed her. “But I’m not sure if you’ll like it. Or if you’ll think that it’s breaking our agreement.”
Her expression turned suspicious. She was silent for a long moment before she surprised me by simply saying, “Lead the way,Karath.”
I made a sound in the back of my throat but turned toward Ny’am Mountain, situated toward the back of Grymia’s village. My own dwelling was nearer to it than the hatchery.
