Asking him outright what was wrong would likely get me a “nothing,” so I was silent and just sat with him.
“I can hear you thinking,” he complained.
“That’s what you get for us being so close. Mind reading.” I rolled my eyes to the ceiling and shook my head. He fiddled with his cup and when he didn’t say anything more, I couldn’t help myself. “Nothing bad happened to you, right?”
“It wasn’t bad,” he said after a long moment of silence. “It was really good, actually. Just…confusing, I suppose.” Almost to himself, he muttered, “never thought I’d consider this type of thing confusing.”
My mind raced over what he could be saying. “Thyra?” He nodded once, and I looked away to hide my wide eyes from him. “You spent the night with her?”
“This is an uncomfortable conversation,” he muttered, gaze firmly set out the window. I agreed wholeheartedly.
“I’m here if you need me.” The words were a cop out, but the situation was awkward, and they were the best I had.
“Thanks.”
Later Tatiana came out and suggested we do some yoga to get our blood flowing, which Jaron and I, still sitting in the same spots she’d left us, sluggishly agreed to. It was when we got up that I noticed nip marks on Jaron’s neck. Ok then. I saw Tatiana looking at him, but if she noticed, she didn’t say anything.
The festival was still in full swing and would be for another three days, so Junyv came to get us closer to the evening. She carried a small, elaborate box covered in what looked to me like it could be velvet and gave it to Jaron. “Thyra thought you might like this, given that you have a piercing in your ear from when you were younger. She said her brother Luuciyn also wears earrings, and she hopes you like it.”
Jaron looked downright flustered at the gift. “I can’t accept this.”
Junyv’s eyes widened. “It is very personal to have a gift rejected. It is the same as rejecting that vorpyr.”
His hand flashed out and he gently took the gift. “Tell her...never mind. I’ll tell her thank you myself.”
Junyv nodded, seemingly satisfied.
Hours later, in the early morning, when we finally all went back to bed—this time withmyhead pounding thanks to being tricked by a group of mischievous young adult vorpyr into drinking something that had me tottering from the first sip—Jaron disappeared again.
After all the activity of the past week, I wouldn’t have thought the last day of the festival would be the most exciting and active, but it was. There was an excitement in the air that was the same as there had been leading up to the first day of the festival.
During the week I’d gotten to see Arrazyl speaking with vorpyr that Thyra told me were his council. Members of the community that represented the larger masses and brought pertinent issues to the Vorazyr. I’d noticed that they’d cast disgruntled, if not downright hostile, gazes toward me and the other two when they saw us.
I’d also noticed that Thyra was even friendlier with Jaron, touching her wing to his back as they walked together and pressing close as she asked his opinion on things she was showing him. He still seemed perturbed, though it couldn’t be because he didn’t like her—I saw the way he gazed at her when she wasn’t looking.
The whole thing had me concerned. The vendor who Arrazyl had bought jewelry from that first day was named Hyketh, and I’d been able to converse with him a few times. He had toldme that vorpyr are extremely possessive creatures. The predator drive he said, was the reason, and it was especially strong when they decided on a mate, which was why I’d seen such aggressive pursuit of some females during the events and that they weren’t being coerced and were perfectly capable of getting the male to back off if they didn’t like him. His words made me even more concerned about the development with my brother. Not that I thought Thyra had decided on my brother as a mate, but she certainly seemed more possessive of him.
“Being deep in thought isn’t going to get you ready for the gala.” Jaron’s voice dragged me from my musing.
“They say the last evening of the festival is the most grand.” Tatiana added. She was already dressed. Her gown was stunning, satiny and made with thicker fabric than usual vorpyr clothes.
“Arrazyl said not to get ready until he came.” I said, and though I’d considered blatantly ignoring his bossy order, I didn’t have a gown to change into. Junyv had come and done both my and Tatiana’s hair, though. “Tatiana, you look gorgeous. Be careful of all the boys out there.” I winked and smiled as she beamed.
It wasn’t long before Kyvar came, smiling and murmuring gently to Tatiana as soon as he saw her. She offered him a cautious smile.
Jaron was the next to leave, and if I didn’t know before how he felt, I did the moment his face lit up on seeing her.
I gazed around the house, which had slowly become a home to us in the weeks since we’d arrived. Still, I was restless, like something was missing.
The door slid aside, and I turned to see someone I didn’t recognize. He said something in vorikaan and held up what seemed like it could be a garment bag.
“I’m sorry I don’t—” I paused when Arrazyl landed on the platform outside the door.
He spoke in vorikaan to the stranger and then turned to me. “Can the courier come in and show you what he’s brought?”
“Of course.” I got to my feet and faced them.
He slid the bag open and held up what was inside. Arrazyl took it and said something to him. The courier left and Arrazyl stepped forward, watching me. “Do you like it?” There was hesitation in his voice.
