“Later,” I replied, shoving another carrot in my mouth.
The smile on his face faded. “What is it?” I asked.
He brushed back one of the curls Tansy had put in my hair and tucked it behind my ear. “I’m just trying to memorize this moment. Exactly as it is. I never want to forget how beautiful you look right now.”
It was the kind of declaration that warmed me from the inside out better than magick ever could. The only thing absent was his emotions. Ever since Marius doled out Bastien’s punishment, he’d been keeping a guard around his feelings.
I finished my meal in relative peace. It was good to be out of the carriage. But every time Shreesa bustled by, I couldn’t help but feel the tiniest bit disappointed. As time passed, Bastien and I entertained members of his guard. Soon, the crowd began to thin.
“I’m ready for bed,” I admitted, stifling a yawn. Full. Warm. And ready to spend a night with my husband in a real bed.
“Should we give Shreesa our gift now? Or wait until the morning?” Bastien asked.
I stuck my hand in my pocket and fished out the shell Gorrath had given me. Shreesa might not remember who I am, but I didn’t want to make her wait a night to receive this relic just because I was disappointed.
“I think I’d like to give it to her now.”
Bastien lifted my hand to his cold lips and pressed a kiss against my knuckles. “As my lady wishes.”
He waved down the elderly witch, and she took the seat across from us. “How was the meal?”
“Wonderful,” I offered. “Truly delicious.”
She beamed. “And the wine?”
Bastien eyed his tin cup, which was just as full as when she poured it. “Excellent, as always, Shreesa.”
“Then what can I do for you?”
Bastien deferred to me. I drew in a breath and stuck out my hand, offering her the shell. “We brought this back for you. A gift.”
Her watery eyes widened as she graciously took the little shell in her hands. Stroking it as if relishing the power. “Your Grace. You remembered us?”
“Actually,” Bastien said, “It was my wife who procured this relic for you. From Gorrath himself.”
Shreesa’s attention shifted back to me. “You got this from Gorrath?”
I nodded, a dim smile forming. “Yes. I remember that you had lost your last relic in an attack by the Witches of the Light.”
Shreesa leaned forward, as if seeing me for the first time. Her eyes bounced from mine to the thick scars around my neck, then to my hair. “Wait a moment. You-you’re not the girl with the cursed choker, are you? The one who came as His Grace’s sanguine partner, are you?”
I nodded, so relieved and grateful that she did remember me. “Yes. That was me.”
“Well, I’ll be,” Shreesa said. “Look at you now. I didn’t recognize you.”
Heat collected in my cheeks. “My hair is different.”
She shook her head. Her bun lolling from side to side as shedid. “No. Not just the hair. It’s everything. Your aura. Your voice, even. You’re a completely different person.”
I knew by the way she smiled at me that she believed the change was for the better. A sense of relief washed over me, knowing that I had been memorable to her.
“I understand now,” I told her. “What you were trying to tell me. What I was too afraid to see.” I set my hand on my chest. “It’s the heart of the witch that matters, not the source of her magick.” A lesson I learned the hard way. “I’m very sorry for the way I behaved last time I was here. For threatening you with?—”
Shreesa’s face softened. “There’s nothing to forgive. I’m very, very proud of you.”
A tear slipped down my cheek, and I quickly swiped it away. These stupid hormones were to blame.
Bastien was watching us, a small smile playing on his lips. “So am I.”
