“Rynthea says she saved your life,” I say when he passes the stick to me.
“Dear Orvena.” He rubs his forehead. “She’ll never let me live that down, will she?”
“Probably not.” I stare at the stick, and Thane’s words run through my head.Not wise.
Yeah, well, neither is hanging out with an assassin.
I raise the talmoon to my lips and take a tentative pull. Smoke instantly fills my mouth and lungs, tasting as hot as pepper. I blow it out just as quickly, coughing and sputtering.
Chuckling, Kelrean gives me a pat on the back. “You all right?”
I nod, despite the fact I’m still coughing.
He smiles. “You get used to it.”
I raise it to my lips again, but Kelrean slips it from my fingers before I can take another pull. “That’s probably enough. Talmoon is powerful and takes effect quickly.” He takes a draw from the stick again and exhales in the opposite direction from me, then reclines back on an elbow. “First, you’ll feel your heart racing a bit, but that’s normal, I promise you. Your body is getting acclimated to the relaxing properties of the plant. Then your body will feel like it’s melting—but in a good way. Your mind will soften around the edges, and everything will feel both heavy and weightless. With a soft mind and soothed body, all your worries and anxieties are allowed to drift away. Seems like you need it after the journey you’ve had so far.”
He’s right.
My heartisracing, but I’m sure it’s due to the rush of the fete and this moment.
Alone.
In a luxurious tent.
With a handsomeprince.
But just as quickly, the beating settles, and my limbs feel loose as relaxation takes over. The worries are melting away.
I study my palms.
Then I giggle for absolutely no reason at all.
“About Rynthea,” he goes on, ignoring my silliness. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful she saved my life. But it’s an embarrassing story for me because I’m a shifter, for fuck’s sake, and I couldn’t even shift to save myself because I was quite literallyscared for my life.”
Wait. What?
“You’re ashifter? What are you talking about?” My words come out much too slowly. Even my mouth is relaxed.
“Oh, you didn’t know?” He smiles as he places the talmoon down on the table. “My father is a full-blooded shifter. I’m his son, so his genetics are passed down to me, obviously.”
That explains why they have minor lion features but look mortal otherwise.
“So, you choose to look like…this?”
His teeth glisten in the candlelight. “Like a sexy lion heir?”
I burst out laughing. “Sure. That.”
“It’s my father’s choice. Lions are the strongest of the land beastials, and shifters are rare, so we have to display our dominance. He insists I keep this form a majority of the time unless he needs me to leave the kingdom to do some spying.”
“You’re a spy, too?”
“I am, and I make an impressive mouse. Would you like to see?”
My eyes expand as I wait for him to magically shapeshift into a rodent.
“Oh, please! I’m joking.” He chuckles. “We don’t shift often. It hurts too much. Feels like every bone in the body is breaking. We only do so when necessary.”
