Page 241 of Blade of the Nightking

His pupils had widened, leaving only narrow rings of brilliant blue around them.

He shifted closer, trapping my hand on his thigh.

“You know, Elowen… The rest of Elantis has always misunderstood Ambrosia.” A fuzzy smile touched his lips. “They think it a drink for the bedchamber.”

“Is it not?” I asked nervously.

His thumb brushed across the back of my hand.

“No, dearest Eidra. It opens the mind, flays the senses. It isn't a nectar to kindle desire—but rather a gateway to the soul.”

Rìan's attention remained fixed on Thalassis's hand resting over mine.

Thalassis gave a soft chuckle, withdrew his hand, and reached once more for a flute. He held it out to Rìan.

“Take the lead, Aedric. You'll enjoy this one.” He drew a long, unhurried breath, his eyes drifting shut as though luxuriating in the effects already unfurling through him. “Its subtleties. Its complexities. I daresay it's my finest vintage yet.”

“Thank you, Thalassis,” Rìan said pleasantly. “But no.”

Thalassis’s eyes flew open. The pleasant haze clouding his features lifted. His smile faded, confusion knitting his brow as he searched Rìan's face, as though he were waiting for the jest that surely had to follow.

“No?” he repeated at last.

“I'd prefer not to partake this evening.”

The confusion only deepened.

“You're... declining?”

“I'm afraid so. We're still weary from our travels and⁠—”

“But you never decline.” Thalassis’s words were edged with sudden suspicion.

Rìan held his gaze for a long moment. Then the tension melted from his face, replaced by Aedric's easy, effortless smile.

“Well,” he said with a careless shrug, reaching for the waiting flute, “if you insist.”

Thalassis's face softened.

“That's more like it.” He wagged a finger at Rìan. “Your arm has never required much twisting where my Ambrosia is concerned.”

“Too true.”

Rìan tipped the flute back and emptied it in one long swallow before setting the empty glass on the table.

“Now you, Eidra.” Thalassis plucked another flute from the table, the violet liquid inside fizzing with delicate streams of bubbles as he extended it toward me. “Surely you won't let your mate drink alone?”

I opened my mouth to object, but Rìan clicked his tongue in gentle reproach. "Come now, Eidra," he drawled, every bit the charming, insufferable lord Aedric had always been. "Don't be a spoilsport."

This was the same male who'd called me a drunk. As a result, I hadn't touched alcohol since.

The infuriatingly smug expression Aedric always wore remained perfectly intact, but I'd travelled with Rìan long enough to recognize the male concealed beneath it. Though the smile never faltered, a faint tautness had gathered around his eyes that hadn't been there a heartbeat before. A warning—but also an apology. He didn't want me to drink any more than I wanted to, yet refusing now would only invite questions neither of us could afford to answer.

I skewered him with a look before turning back to Thalassis and summoning my brightest smile. “Oh, very well.” I accepted the flute and knocked back its contents before I could allow myself a second thought.

It flooded my tongue with honey, citrus, and something I couldn’t put my finger on, a peppery flavor that shimmered just beyond recognition.

I straightened and handed my empty flute to Thalassis, who was already waiting with his hand outstretched. The bubbles still tingled pleasantly against my lips. I fixed him with an admonishing look.