Almost running, she downed her second drink and almost dropped it when she bumped into Rhay. The one person she wasn’t supposed to talk to. Her brother’s threat echoed in her head. But another voice whispered in her ear,Maybe he knows where Karwyn is.
“Hey there, be careful with that,” he said as he steadied her cup. “You wouldn’t want to bring us bad luck. Or worse, damage my ravishing outfit.” Amira’s laugh sounded fake to her ears, but Rhay didn’t seem to notice.
“I’m sorry, Rhay,” she whispered as she lowered her head.
Rhay grabbed her chin in his hand and raised her head gently. “No worries, princess. Let’s get you a new drink.” He took her arm and led her to the bar. Gesturing the bartender, he winked at her.
Amira was still torn between stress and excitement, but the amount of alcohol in her veins favoured excitement. When she saw Rhay furrow his brows, she understood that he was trying to read her emotions. So she forced her mind to load up on happy memories, letting herself go into the ecstatic mood of the crowd. Rhay smiled as he picked up a shimmering blue drink.
Amira extended her hand but Rhay didn’t let go. “Promise me one thing.” Amira lost herself in the sea of his eyes. She nodded. “Promise me, you won’t spill it on my clothes.”
They shared a freeing laugh. Rhay let go of the drink and Amira was able to taste it. It was surprisingly sour, but in a pleasant way. The subtle sweetness came after a few sips. A drink as confusing as Rhay. “You created this, right?”
Rhay beamed with pride. “Yes. You like it?”
“It’s definitely better than your cooking.”
He punched her arm with little strength. “Come on, don’t be rude or I won’t give you my secret recipe.”
Amira raised her hands. “Sorry, sorry, I’m listening. What’s the secret?”
Rhay leaned in, his lips almost touching Amira’s ear. “The secret is…a secret.” He moved back.
This time Amira was the one doing the punching. “That’s not fair, you can’t tease me like that.”
“But teasing is my specialty,” he answered, voice low and inviting. Before Amira had a chance to react, he continued, “I’m sorry, princess, but this recipe may be my key to freedom.”
“How so?”
“Well, if Karwyn and my father grow tired of my antics and decide to throw me out of the palace, I’ll make my fortune as a bartender.”
Amira took another sip of the drink and let it sit on her tongue. A pleasant tingle flowed through her. She was suddenly in the mood to tease too. She feigned disdain. “I mean, it’s not that great. I’m not sure how much you’d make with it.”
Rhay brought a hand to his heart. “How dare you?” He tried to take back her drink but she downed it and smiled. “Downing it? That’s bold, given the strength of this drink. I like it.”
She couldn’t think straight. The three drinks she’d had were working hard on making Amira lose her focus. Drinking with Rhay was the wrong decision, she knew it, but at the same time, it was the only one that brought her joy. Didn’t she deserve some joy after all the years spent under Wryen’s control? And maybe she could learn a thing or two about seducing Karwyn by talking to his best friend.
The drinks kept coming. Nothing really made sense anymore, one minute they were laughing about someone’s overeager kissing, the next they were crying over their lost parent.
In a dark corner of her mind, Amira couldn’t completely forget about her brother's threat.
They were lounging on a couch when she thought of Karwyn again. Half joking, half serious, she asked Rhay, “How do you seduce a man?” Hearing the question, Rhay seemed to immediately sober up. A shy blush even flushed his cheeks.
“I’m sure this man doesn’t need any seducing from you. You’re just too…perfect to need any effort.”
Amira sighed. “Sadly, I think you’re wrong.”
“Well, maybe pay him a compliment. You have to make him feel special. Some physical contact is also good. You could touch his shoulder while you’re talking to him.” As he spoke, Rhay moved closer to her, but Amira was too drunk to properly process it. “Try to banter with him. Everyone loves a good laugh.”
Amira stared at him in surprise. “Really?”
“Yeah, he’ll love your sassy comebacks.”
She didn’t quite believe him, but the alcohol made her agree. “If you say so. I’ll try.”
Seeing a tray of food passing by, Amira stood up and left him wondering on the couch. After all that drinking on an empty stomach, she was famished. She followed the tray around and managed to grab a tiny vegetable sandwich. It wasn’t much, but it made her want to drink again.
Stumbling back to the bar, she was going to order a drink when a young man approached her with a cheeky smile. His sleek black hair covered one of his dark green eyes. He felt strangely familiar. Amira smiled at him, unsure of his intentions.
