Sura’s lips twist into a scowl.
“Tairna’s plan—you as queen. Would he rule beside you?”
“I don’t think so. He wants to leave the realm.”
“You could go with him.”
“What about the plan?”
Sura waves a dismissive hand. “As long as both tyrants are deposed, Tairna will figure something out. Even idiot Tumaas would make a better king. I wantyouto be happy.”
I don’t have the words to express my heart.
Sura sees me—accepts me. Despite everything, she still loves me.
“We’ll figure this out, Mayah.”
Chapter Seventy-Five
Sunlightstreamsthroughtheunfamiliar window, leaving me disoriented as I blink away sleep. The bed beside me is empty, sheets rumpled. Did Zev actually sleep beside me last night? Deep inhale. I scrunch my nose—honeysuckle. Not the smoky scent I was expecting.
“Still a heavy sleeper, I see,” a lilting feminine voice calls out.
Sura. I’m in Sura’s room.
I sit up as she emerges from behind her closet door, a large box clutched in her slender arms. The mattress dips as she settles beside me and unceremoniously plops the box in my lap.
“A gift,” she explains at my inquisitive glance. “I was planning to surprise you on your birthday, but after last night…”
I think you could use it nowis what she doesn’t say.
“Sura, I—”
“Open it.” Her face is bright and beautiful andhappy,and I’m in awe of her unbroken spirit. Her soul radiates enough light to brighten the darkness in mine.
The lid slides off the box easily, and Tides, inside is—
“Try it on!” she squeals.
I oblige her and return minutes later dressed in the most breathtaking fighting leathers I’ve ever seen. Smooth, supple leather in the palest shade of ice blue molds to my body like a second skin, hugging my thighs and chest. Brown, knee-high boots and fingerless gloves complete the set. Even a long cape, pinned at my shoulder, drapes down my back.
A fitted vest overlays the tunic, its pockets ready for knives and hidden blades. A wide, brown belt cinches my waist, weighted by a large canteen—not for drinking, but for wielding.
For the first time in my life, the mirror doesn’t reflect a delicate princess—a wolf in sheep’s clothing. A warrior stares back. The fighter I’ve always been beneath the silk and smiles.
“Thank you,” I whisper, my throat tight with emotion.
She only waves me off and pulls me into a fierce embrace. “It suits you,” she murmurs, brushing away my tears.
I manage a watery smile. “Breakfast?”
Sura shakes her head. “I have something to take care of. I’ll catch up with you later.”
I turned heads the entire morning in my new, form-fitting outfit.
But the only head that mattered was Zev’s.
He did a double-take when I strode into Tairna’s office, smoldering eyes raking over my curves. A muscle had feathered in his jaw, and I didn’t miss the way his knuckles blanched. Or the low warning growl that rumbled in his chest when Rycken’s gaze lingered too long. Lyzza had chuckled, pushing her friend’s face away, muttering something about death wishes.
