Lady Reyva,
Please join me tonight for a private dinner.
Wear something black. Or nothing at all.
Yours,
Rhazien
My heart swelled at the idea of Rhazien planning activities just for us. Something in me knewthiswas right.Thisis what a courtship was supposed to feel like. This is what I’d missed out on in my youth. Not the sneaking around and becoming the family disappointment. And notthe transactional relationship purely based on the expectation of breeding.
I read the words one more time.
Yours, Rhazien.
Behind me, Dommik cleared his throat. “Are you ready to continue?”
If I were a ship at sea, Dommik was the fog, intruding on my path and blinding my way home. Rhazien was the lighthouse.
I stuffed the letter back into the envelope, annoyed that I had to continue this exercise instead of planning the next outfit Rhazien could tear off me.
“Must we?” I asked, turning to Dommik.
He cocked a brow.
“I’ve proven myself to you twice now. Do you think I really need practice?”
Dommik’s annoyance manifested in his tense jaw and darkened gaze. “Lorana’s stone is no everyday trinket. It’s a magical item. It could be hidden anywhere in Atoris. Warded. Protected. Cursed. You need to take this seriously so you’re as prepared as possible when it comes time to attempt locating it.”
I clenched my jaw and nodded. The weight of this task resettled on my shoulders. It was infuriating, but he was right.
“Okay,” I said, pivoting back to the table to select another item.
One stood out above the rest, so much so, I was surprised I didn’t recognize it sooner. The black diamond necklace Rhazien gifted me for the welcome ball. Void of color but filled with memories.
I picked up the chorus of stones. “This one.”
Dommik held out his hand and I dropped the gems into his waiting palm. Without a word, he was gone again. Longer this time. Then…whoosh.
“Oh!” I gasped at his abrupt return, placing a hand on my chest. “Must you do that?”
“Locate the necklace,” he insisted with a coldness not present before he’d left.
“Ready?” I asked as I exhaled.
“When you are.” Dommik’s assurance was flat and removed.
I closed my eyes and imagined the necklace, bringing the image to the front of my mind. The palm of my hand laid flat against Dommik’s chest.
The vision assaulted me. My body tensed into a stiff, frozen form as my mind whirled with Dommik’s point of view. His speed sent the worldaround him into a blur of red and browns. The portraits of the Hive smudged in my peripheral. The speed was nauseating.
But the necklace was close, and the scene was familiar. He finally slowed to a regular pace and I recognized the location immediately. He was…no. Why would he go there?
The unmistakable emerald wallpaper of my bedchamber came into view. Dommik’s presence, alone in the space with the black velvet decor, felt like an invasion.
I sucked in a breath, willing the vision to continue, but Dommik’s movement stalled. What was he waiting for? The necklace was still in his hands but he was standing...
He was standing at the end of my bed.
