I bumped my shoulder against his. “You know what I mean. You were easier to get along with, and every girl likes to feel wanted, even if it spiraled a little out of control for a period. But when we were talking to each other aboutpotions and things, I almost could tolerate you. And even with an overdose, you handled it well.”
Zafir eyed me balefully. “Only because I have self-control like iron. Julian wouldn’t stand a chance.”
“I know he wouldn’t. But I can still appreciate the expensive gifts he will lavish on me.” I paused. “For what it’s worth, I have no intention of telling him about—this.” I’d almost saidus, but there was nous.Zafir and I were co-conspirators, nothing more. “And thank you for telling me about your sister.”
Zafir’s face relaxed a little. “I miss her. It felt good to talk about her. I haven’t done that for a long time.”
My heart melted a little more. Zafir went to hang up his jacket and put all of the potion ingredients away, and I watched how methodically he took care of everything. It was a bit of a shame that he had resisted the infatuation elixir so well. I’d wager that Zafir would be a very thorough kisser.
CHAPTER 22
The next day, Zafir adopted an attitude as if the infatuation elixir incident had never occurred. I followed his lead and didn’t mention it either. He continued to give me etiquette and court protocol lessons in the morning so I’d be passable as a duchess, but he didn’t offer me flirting lessons, and I didn’t ask.
I also didn’t ask him to do my makeup again. It was tempting, though. When he’d told me that he had offered just so he could be close to me, it had been flattering. I was still a woman, after all. Every woman wanted to be flattered from time to time, and Julian’s overly exaggerated compliments hadn’t seemed nearly as sincere as Zafir’s drug-induced ones.
I scoffed internally. Fake acting versus drug-induced compliments wasn’t much of a choice.
In the afternoon, Zafir went about his normal duties and I began experimenting with my own potions. I’d expected Zafir to object, but instead of getting upset that I was using his things, he didn’t seem to notice at all, other than occasionally correcting me or changing ingredient ratios in mynotes. He hadn’t commented on the potions I’d taken back either. Surely he would have noticed they had gone missing again.
“Does my working here bother you?” I asked near sunset.
“It’s fine. You don’t seem to be as incompetent as most apprentices,” he told me gruffly, eyes sliding over to meet mine before dropping again. “And you’re stirring too fast again.” His hand covered mine and slowed the rotation. “The heat will dissipate too quickly. It needs time to simmer.”
A chill ran over my body at his touch and I fought to keep my expression in check. He didn’t let go and I didn’t throw him off. I couldn’t decide if I liked Zafir touching me or not. It certainly was noticeable, if nothing else. When he’d taken the infatuation potion, he’d found reasons to touch me. Was he doing the same thing now, or was it merely coincidence?
My mirror on the table shone silvery and the glass turned foggy. I leapt to pick it up, suddenly glad for an excuse to avoid touching Zafir.
“Nadia, it’s—” I broke off, looking closely at her face. “What’s wrong?”
“Guards started putting up wanted posters for me today,” she whispered. “Rahil has men looking for me now, too. Not just you.”
My heart stood still and I felt Zafir move in closer to me. “Can you get out of town?” I asked softly. “Or contact Eldridge. Maybe he can help.”
She shook her head. “There are people watching the worship center. I can’t get in.” Her eyes filled with tears. “I’m scared, Alia.”
“We’ll figure it out,” I told her, trying to sound moreconfident than I felt. If Rahil was looking for her… Images of his knife plunging through the air made it impossible to breathe. Try as I might, my memories with Rahil began flashing through my mind at blinding speed, pushing out all other thoughts, but this time, my sister was the one about to get attacked, and my fear of Rahil turned into blind rage.
I fought to keep my voice level and choked out, “I’m working on a plan to get back to Brisden, but it’ll take some more time. Can you do anything until then?”
She shook her head again. “I tried to make that Chameleon’s Tonic you told me about last year, but I don’t have any powdered hen’s teeth,” she whispered miserably. “This is the worst birthday ever.”
I immediately felt even more dreadful. I’d been so absorbed in my own struggles that I hadn’t even remembered my own sister’s birthday. Now, Rahil was hunting for her as well as for me. He knew she had the other mirror. Would he try to force information out of her?
Zafir placed his hand on my elbow. “Can I talk to her?” he said in a low voice.
“Who’s that?” Nadia squeaked.
I hesitated, then held the mirror so Zafir’s face was visible. “Nadia, this is Zafir.”
Without any preamble, Zafir told her, “A substitute for Chameleon’s Tonic can be made without powdered hen’s teeth. It won’t be quite as effective, but it can work in a pinch, particularly if you move at night instead of during the day. Do you have any access to ashvine?”
“Ashvine?” Nadia repeated. “That’s just a weed.”
“If you can find some in bloom, it’s a weed that can be crushed to be substituted for powdered hen’s teeth. Do you have any?”
“Yes.”
“Good. What other ingredients do you have?”
