Grins spread across Zahira’s and Yaz’s faces. “Does this mean I get to take your lady friends shopping tomorrow?” Yaz says.
I almost spit out my tea. “Shopping? How is shopping healing?”
“They need clothing. You all do.” She feigns innocence, laced with a little mischief. “And I promise, I’ll make certain there’s something in it for you too.”
“You are one devious little woman,” I say with mirth as I push off the desk and head toward the door. I stop and take a book from a stack—Curses of the Lorian Age—something to read while trapped here, and glance back at Yaz, lifting my teacup. “Just remember. I like red. And very little of it.”
Yaz laughs as Zahira cocks her head and gives me her infamous once-over, the surprised ghost of a smile on her face. “Alexus Thibault. You really care for this woman.”
Using my mind, I open the door and step into the hall. With one last glance at my friends, I give in to a little openness and say, “Yes. I do. I really do.”
23
RAINA
I wake to the smell of seawater and winter jasmine.
A breeze drifts over me, and I squint at the open window where sunlight filters into the room. The soft crash of the ocean’s waves reminds me where I am. A smile tugs at my mouth as images of last night flit through my mind. I stretch and turn over, only to find that Alexus’s side of the bed is empty.
The surge of panic that thrums through me is accompanied by a wave of breathlessness. Thinking the worst, I toss the blanket aside to get out of bed, but I spot a folded piece of parchment on the bedside table, my name elegantly scrolled across the front in midnight-black ink. Standing next to the note is an ornate vial made from dark purple glass and a lone white flower from the garden that I can’t name.
Rubbing my eyes, I prop up on my pillow and gather the note and flower.
Good morning…
* * *
You looked beautiful enough to ravish, yet too peaceful to wake. Nephele and I need to build a shielding construct around the house before dawn as there are sentries from the Watch arriving come sunrise. You and all within will be guarded from view, so please don’t worry.
* * *
Passage to Itunnan likely can’t happen for several days. Rhonin and I still have business in the city, so I won’t see you until dinner. Yaz has a formal meal planned. She says that she and Zahira are taking you, Nephele, and Hel shopping today anyway, and I know better than to argue. Have fun but be careful, keep your eyes open, and glamour yourself. Yaz and Zahira are excellent protection, and no one knows that we’re here. Though should you need me, remember that I am but a thought away.
* * *
Also, the vial is birthbane tonic, courtesy of Yaz—if you want it. I took a vial myself, so either way, in two nights’ time, you are mine.
Always,
Alexus
We’re going to be here, beneath the Watch’s nose, for a while. I’m thankful we’re not traveling for a change, but I dread the constant worry ahead. I just want this to be over.
And shopping? I’ve only ever shopped at the valley markets, mostly for food. Are new clothes worth the risk of watchful eyes? One glance at my threadbare, filthy attire piled on the floor and my worn-out mud-covered boots, I realize the answer is probably yes.
I read the last part of Alexus’s letter again. Two nights to let the birthbane take effect. Two long nights. I’m excited, but I’ve never been more impatient.
Like the desperate lover that I am, I drop my hands to my sides and exhale a frustrated breath, staring at the wood-planked ceiling. My body tingles with relentless desire, my skin so sensitive that even the slightest shift of the blanket reminds me of Alexus’s calloused hands caressing me last night.
The temptation to satisfy that burning need is almost irresistible, but I clutch the note and vial to stay my hands. I can suffer for two more days. Like he said, we can still be together in other ways. Like last night. Resisting relief now will make it that much sweeter later.
I pop the cork from the vial. A sniff identifies the familiar remedy. It’s always awful, but I gulp down the bitter contents and pray there’s more for the rest of our journey.
The wind off the ocean calls to me. I grab Alexus’s robe from the bench at the foot of the bed, slip it on, and stroll to the catwalk door. Surely a look won’t hurt. Cautiously, I open the door and pause with my toes just over the threshold, taking in my first unencumbered view of the Malorian Sea. The sky is filled with fluffy, white clouds and flapping seagulls, and a gentle, cool wind rolls in from the west. It’s later than I thought. The sun sits high, sparkling along the sea’s white crests.
The ocean stretches and glitters for what seems like forever. I’ve never imagined anything so expansive. It’s a little terrifying to think that, soon, we’ll be out there floating on that endlessness for days.
Several fishing boats dot the shallower waters while ships belonging to the Northland Watch’s fleet guard the blue waves further south. The green and indigo flags of the broken empire are visible even from here, the North’s sign of a desire to return to peace and a united land.
