Her chest squeezed around her heart, her eyes dipping to her half-empty flute. “Wehavehugged before. But, Papa was right. Aziel doesn’t particularly like being touched.”
The aura of the room shifted when Aziel and Trio walked into it. Every guest that was in attendance turned to watch them, their faces filled with looks of awe. Nymiria’s eyes focused on the white flower still tucked into Aziel’s pocket, but as soon as their gazes met, her cheeks flushed and she turned away.
Perhaps she’d been too careless in terms of showing kindness to him. She’d extended the olive branch a little too far, stretching into something she didn’t think either of them were quite ready for. She’d kissed him. She’d hugged him. She’d grown that ridiculous little flower and tucked it into his pocket.
There were boundaries she couldn’t cross, but it was hard to determine the lines of those boundaries when she, herself, seemingly had no sight of them.
“I’ve been betrayed.” Aziel said as he moved into the seat across from Raven. “What happened to our alliance, Prince Raven?” He teased.
Raven rolled his eyes. “My father has stated that relations with family takespor-decantsover all political affiliations.”
“You mean,precedence?” Aziel hummed, smirking.
The young boy scowled angrily, his cheeks tinting the same shade of pink as Nymiria’s. She narrowed her eyes at Aziel from across the table, a warm hum spreading through her chest and to the tips of her fingers when he looked back at her. “Are you jealous?” She asked.
Aziel’s tongue wet his lips, eyes dragging over her decolletage before settling on her face again. “It depends on the day.”
“What about today?” She turned her drink up, finishing it off in one swallow.
“If I were jealous, that would imply that someone has something I don’t. So…no.”
Good gods.
Nymiria fanned herself with her hand, eyes roaming helplessly in search of her father. As much as she appreciated this dinner, she needed to get as far away from the man adjacent to her as quickly as possible. She was certain that he could already tell what she was feeling, that it wasn’t mortification that was making her blush so horribly, but something else.
She should have been able to control herself more. She’d been sleeping in his bed for weeks now and there was very little of their bodies that hadn’t already been explored. She couldn’t understand this seemingly gravitational pull she felt when looking at him.
Their bond was undeniable. Neither of them could go very long without searching for one another, but this was different. There was something so powerful growing inside of her shefelt as if even submerging herself in the frigid waters that ran through the kingdom could not relinquish her of such a swelter.
“I think he’s just jealous that you’remysister and not his.” Raven grumbled.
Trio, who previously had a mouth full of drink, was now choking and sputtering, pounding himself on the chest. Aziel’s eyes glimmered, a small smile toying at his lips. Nymiria blanched, quickly taking a large gulp from her freshly filled drink. She already finished off the last one.
“I don’t—I don’t think he wants her to be his sister.” Trio managed, eyes watering.
Raven merely shrugged, thankfully oblivious.
Please let this evening end soon.
The moment Thorn took his place at the head of the table, Nymiria’s body relaxed. She breathed a sigh of relief, pressing her fingers against her temple as her father raised his glass. The other guests had already taken their seats, eager eyes fixed upon him as he cleared his throat.
“Twenty six years ago, the palace of Nym went silent. The only sounds that could be heard were those of rigorous labor. It was the most beautiful thing I’d ever experienced—watching my first child come into this world.” Nymiria’s eyes began to burn the moment he looked at her. “The Fates do not always give us the life that we plan. We can try our damndest to make sure that we achieve everything that we set out to do, but the gods usually have their own plans. These plans may not always make sense to us, but they eventually lead us to the places where we are destined to be. I was blessed to help raise my daughter for fifteen years and during those fifteen years, there was not a single birthday that I missed. Unfortunately, the dark forces in this world took her away from my care. I gathered you all here not just in celebration of Nymiria’s birthday, but to celebrate herfirst birthday athomeafter a decade of being held captive by Dorid Yaarborough.”
She couldn’t breathe. She could feel their eyes on her, could hear their whispers. Nymiria loved Thorn immensely and she was grateful towards him, but in that moment, she wished that she could hide herself away.
“I want to thank you all for being in attendance and for welcoming someone dear to my heart back home.”
With those final words, there was an arousal of applause. Nymiria stared up at Thorn, tears streaking her face. She rose from her chair, doing her best to hold in her sob as she threw her arms around him. She stayed there, nestled in his embrace until the crowd settled.
The rest of the evening was a whirlwind. The meal had been prepared perfectly, served to them in three separate courses. Raven was ushered back to his rooms for the night before the social hour began, Nymiria having been passed around from person to person, each of them expressing their condolences and welcoming her back to Eadyn.
She took it in stride, using the bubbling liquid in her glass to numb her fears. There was no logical reason for her to be fearful, as everyone seemed rather accepting of her. Everyone except for the woman that entered the room last.
Nan’s granddaughter.
Their eyes met almost instantly, the woman’s deep anger like its own gravitational force. She wore an emerald green gown that shifted colors in the light. Her strawberry blond curls fell down around her shoulders, the swell of her stomach more than noticeable. They stared at one another for a long moment before the woman turned swiftly and vanished.
Ilona.
