Reya keeps watching me, that same smug smirk plastered across her face, while Darren’s gaze flicks between us. His eyes narrow first, then widen as something seems to click into place.
“Oh, Reya... You didn’t?” A chuckle escapes him, and her grin only grows more self-satisfied.
“Didn’t what?” Talen’s voice sends my heart lurching into my throat as he drops his tray down and slides into the space beside Reya opposite me.
He must have come straight from the Citadel as he’s in his officer whites, the bright fabric making the bronze of his skin and the gold in his eyes stand out all the more.
Glancing over, he flashes me a quick smile that makes my thighs clench together as my mind immediately flashes back to last night but I look away fast before he notices, focusing my attention on Darren.
“It seems Reya here has been Dreamweaving again.” The corner of Darren’s mouth curves as he shakes his head at her, then turns to me. “What was it this time? Dragons roasting you at the Blood Moon? Or—” he snorts “—suddenly realising you’re teaching naked in front of everyone? She’s sent me a few of those.”
Reya only lifts a brow at him and continues eating, tearing off a piece of bread entirely unfazed. Meanwhile my jaw hangs open, Neeve’s too.
She orchestrated last night? That was her? She knows?!
“You got into my dreams?” My voice comes out way too high as I nearly bend the spoon in my grip. “What the fuck? Why the hell would you do that?”
“Hey,” she snaps back in defence, dipping her bread into her soup, “you’ve been sleeping like shit all month. Listening to you toss and turn every night has been driving me insane. I merely...helped.”
Talen's head whips to me. “You’re not sleeping?”
“Well, she wasn't,” Reya cuts in before I can respond, turning to Talen with a mouthful of food. “But after she woke up gasping, she passed out like a baby. First proper sleep in weeks.” She glares back at me. “So you’re welcome.”
My stomach practically hits the floor and heat sweeps my face as my thoughts ricochet between rage and total humiliation.
“Reya...” Talen cocks his head at her, and the officer’s warning in his tone makes my skin prickle. “What did you send her?”
Unflinching, he holds her gaze, but she just keeps eating.
Oh god, no. This is bad enough that Reya knows about the dream, but if I let this go on, Talen will find out too. I’d never survive that! I need to shut it down—now. Bury it before he starts asking more questions.
“We’re done talking about it. I’m fine. It was only a bloody dream; it didn’t mean anything. I slept, that’s all that matters. Reya’s forgiven—end of?—”
Pushing back from the table, I’m already moving to leave the conversation there, but Neeve’s hand wraps around my arm and yanks me back into my seat.
“No.” Her eyes narrow on Darren. “I think Reya should explain herself. Don’t you, Daz?”
Oh god-fucking-damn-it.
Darren leans back, folding his arms. “Pretty sure we have rules about messing with people’s heads, Reya,” he quips, nodding toward Talen. “You might want to start talking before the boss here decides to make it official.”
Reya exhales, long and dramatic, as she pivots to Talen, who’s now staring at her in a way that for the first time I do not envy. “Fine,” she huffs. “But don’t blame me in a few seconds when you all regret asking.”
My pulse spikes.
Hell, swallow me now. Just fucking take me.
Risking a glance up, I catch Talen as he lifts his glass and takes a sip of water.
“I was getting Lyra off in the Combat Tent,” Reya admits with infuriating ease, “while Talen watched and got hard.”
“Fuck—Reya—!” Talen chokes, water spraying from his mouth as he jerks forward, coughing.
Darren just stares. “What the—why would you?—?”
“I told you,” Reya shrugs, already eating again. “She needed sleep. I simply helped her scratch an itch.” She fucking throws me a wink and I decide I might as well just die right here.
Gripping the spoon tighter, I feel it start to warm beneath my fingers as my teeth grind until my jaw aches.
