‘Rey, the srebrec pillars almost killed me. They will stop our army by draining the mages dry.’ I didn’t want to tell him how weak I was, but he had to understand the risk. ‘We need every man and beast we can count on. With the Tangra army supporting Tivala, we can’t attack without destroying those pillars. Tova will help, I’m sure, but first we need to know what they are and what happens with the aether they siphon.’
Conflicting emotions flashed across Rey’s face, so I waited. He understood why I was here and what it meant for us, and then I saw it: resignation and pride. ‘Our army,’ he said, stroking my face.
‘What?’ I said, confused.
‘You saidourarmy.’ He forced a smile. ‘I could stop my lover, but how can I stop my queen?’
‘What? Rey, I…’
‘Shh… Just promise you’ll return. Listen to your Blade like he’s your father.’ Rey looked me in the eye. ‘I mean it, Viper. He knows what he’s doing. We might argue, but I trust him with your life.’ When I rolled my eyes, chuckling slightly, he insisted. ‘Your word, Roksana, or I swear I’ll jump on my dragon and fly to get you home.’ He said it so seriously that I couldn’t help but tease.
‘Vahin wouldn’t carry you into danger, but I promise. Besides, I couldn’t miss dancing with my king at Gromnitca’s Festival.’
Rey froze, his hand trembling, before his head dipped. ‘I forgot about the ball,’ he said, and to my amusement, a hint of embarrassment entered his gaze. For a moment, my man, who’d just proved why he was called the god of war, looked so unbearably sheepish. My heart melted a little, and I gave him a concession, something we could both look forward to.
‘If I return, I want to move into the palace. Can I have my old room?’
He growled. My eyes opened wide. That wasn’t the reaction I’d expected, nor was the golden light burning in his pupil.
‘Not if, when.Whenyou return! And no, you can’t.’
I pulled away. His denial took me aback, and a small part of my heart grew colder, ready to shield me from being hurt. ‘No?’ I couldn’t ask why. I should accept his decision, but I hoped it was all a mistake. After all, Reynard had wanted me to move in with him after my Geas Ceremony. Had he changed his mind?
‘My bedroom. When you return, the entire bloody palace is yours, but you’ll be sleeping with me.’ The coldness melted in the fire of his gaze.
I chuckled, resting my head on his chest. ‘You scared me,’ I whispered, pressing my lips where his strong heart hammered under my hand. ‘Unfeeling brute. For a moment, I thought you’d changed your mind. You’ll pay for that.’ I snapped my fingers, and the shirt disappeared, replaced by an embroidered leather harness I’d often admired on the orc chieftains. His trousers soon followed suit.
Reynard looked at me with unbridled amusement. ‘You have strange fantasies, Viper. Fine, I’ll be the orcish warrior who captures his woman from the wild steppe. Come here, woman.’ He tilted my chin up, and I happily followed his command.
‘Less talking, more kissing. And they’re not bad… You should see how they treat their women.’ I stood on my tiptoes, whispering just as I pressed my lips to his. ‘Like goddesses.’ He tasted so good, and it felt so real that I wanted to cry. ‘I’ve missed you so much, Rey,’ I muttered between kisses.
His hands slid down, capturing my rear and lifting me. My legs wrapped around him, his hardness pressing against me while his tongue entered my mouth. I sucked it with sweet abandon.
‘Fuck Tivala with a rusty sword. Come home, Viper. I want to lose myself between your thighs,’ he murmured hungrily, lowering us onto the fresh, succulent grass. Rey’s dark hair fell across his face, covering the scars, and I grasped his shaft, pulling him closer, preparing to take him in–
‘Wake up!’ A sharp yank on my shoulder pulled me out of the dream. For a moment, I didn’t know where, or even who I was. I fought to reconnect with reality as the broken dreamwalking spell threatened to scramble my mind.
‘Hurry! We need to go!’ The urgency in Irsha’s voice was the only thing that grounded me, stopping me from casting the hex on the tip of my tongue. I could still taste Reynard’s lips when a second yank threw me onto the floor. I glanced out the window.The sun was already up, but judging from its position on the horizon, it was an ungodly hour.
‘What’s going on? You’d better have a good reason for this,’ I said, pulling on my boots while Irsha gathered the rest of our belongings.
‘Tivala’s guards are in the tavern. They’re looking for a lone traveller… a lady,’ he said, rushing to the door. He cracked it open. The corridor was swarming with men wearing Tivala’s crest, who were knocking on doors and pulling out the guests for inspection.
‘Window,’ Irsha said shortly, closing the door and barricading it. We weren’t up high, but it was still a sizable jump. One that could easily break my ankles. As I was throwing my leg over the sill, ready to test my theory, a rope extended from the window above. A woman slid down, hissing and cursing as the hemp chafed her hands.
‘Thank you, Morana, for small blessings,’ I whispered, letting her pass before grabbing the rope. Maybe I shouldn’t have used the name of the goddess of winter, but finding out who the guards were looking for and getting an unexpected means of escape felt like divine intervention.
‘Irsha, grab her,’ I said as the woman bolted towards the stables while we still swung on the rope. We caught her desperately trying to saddle a stallion that was too big for her. She shrieked when Irsha slipped in and covered her mouth with his large hand. I quickly closed and barred the doors to conceal us, then approached the woman.
She was tiny, with mousy brown hair neatly tucked into a bun on her neck and an unassuming figure, but her eyes shone with indignation and intelligence behind a contraption I’d only seen the richest scholars wear.
‘Who are you and why are Tivala’s men looking for you?’ I asked, gesturing for Irsha to let her speak.
‘It’s none of your business, and if I don’t escape unseen, I’ll tell them you’re my accomplices.’ Her voice was seething when she uttered her threat, looking me straight in the eye.
‘That would be troublesome indeed, but first, they have to catch us.’ I smiled, pulling off her glasses, and the woman instantly squinted. ‘As I see it, you have a choice, my dear. Either you tell me your name and live to see another day, or my friend can turn you in and see if this buys us safe passage.’
She huffed, giving me an impressive eye-roll. ‘I’d like to see you try. You escaped through the window because you’re such good friends with Tivala’s guards that you wanted to save them the time to search your room?’ Her chin lifted in challenge. ‘Go on. Tattle on me and let’s see what happens, but I can guarantee I’ll be the one who survives the encounter.’
