The corridor narrowed here, flanked by tall windows streaked with twilight.
She turned to face me, her expression unreadable. “I stopped your council from eating you alive.”
“My council has sharper teeth than you think.”
“Then they’ll need to get in line.”
Quandary, who’d left her shoulder to investigate a suit of armor, sneezed. A tiny flame shot out, hitting a sconce on the wall and causing it to flare up. The creature leapt back and tumbled into the top of a decorative vase. Only his tail and back legs remained visible, kicking in the air.
Cyrene moved to rescue him, but I got there first, carefully extracting the creature. He blinked up at me, looking dazed, then shook himself and huffed, as if he wanted to imply it had been intentional.
“Even your companion lacks decorum,” I said, setting him down on her shoulder.
She stroked his spine. “He’s my friend. There’s a difference.”
Quandary nodded, then hiccupped another small flame that formed a perfect heart shape before dissipating.
He looked as surprised by this as we were.
I returned to our conversation. “You’re playing a dangerous game, wife.”
“I’ve always been good at those.”
The admission landed between us like a confession.
I remembered her laughter years ago at the fair, the feel of her hand in mine, the way she’d trusted me when I hadn’t earned it. That memory had kept me alivethrough the past years. And now she stood in front of me again, the same and entirely different.
“I shouldn’t have kissed you,” she said.
“No. You shouldn’t have.”
Her gaze flicked up. “You kissed me back.”
“I didn’t?—”
She raised a brow. “Don’t lie. You did.”
And it hadn’t been out of politics or pretense. It had been pure, selfish need.
I took a step closer to her, my voice dropping. “You forget yourself.”
“No,” she said softly. “I remember you.”
Before I could respond, I caught one of the younger guards standing at the end of the hall, trying very hard not to listen to our conversation.
“Leave,” I said.
He pivoted and bolted.
Cyrene’s chin tilted. “You can’t banish everyone who hears me talk.”
“Watch me.”
Her lips curved up, but the smile didn’t reach her eyes. “You’re impossible.”
“You’re reckless.”
“You didn’t stop me.”
