Most of all, though, this wasn’t Firgaard. Safire didn’t know the punishment for directly challenging—worse,attacking—one of the empress’s soldiers. Safire might be the commandant of a visiting king, but she didn’t know how much that would count for.
Safire had very little power here. And Eris had saved her—how many times now? She’d lost count.
In a strange turn of events, one thing was certain: she trusted Eris. At least for the moment.
So, as Eris counted out the rhythm of the steps for her, Safire followed her direction, helping them blend in. At least until she could figure out what to do.
It was a strange sensation, letting Eris lead. It made her palms sweat and her pulse hum.
Soon, they were breathing as hard as the other dancers. As the caller shouted directions—ones Eris understood but she didn’t—Safire’s loose hair began to stick to her sweaty skin. Every once in a while, after a rosy-cheeked Eris scanned the perimeter, she would glance back at Safire, catch her gaze, and grin.
Like a shared secret, that grin made Safire’s heart beat too fast. It made her duck her eyes, trying to crush whatever warm thing was stirring within her.
Suddenly, the music stopped and Eris caught Safire hard around the waist, keeping her close. Their chests rose and fell with the breaths they took, and for a moment both of them looked beyond the circle. The Lumina were moving on. Only a few soldiers remained behind, speaking quietly with one another near one of the flower stalls.
Safire heard the crowd rumble around them as the caller—the man who’d handed Eris the wreath—shouted one last instruction. Eris went rigid, snagging Safire’s attention. She looked away from the Lumina and back to the circle.
Shouts of encouragement rose up around the ring. Safire looked to find the young man next to them reaching for his partner, then kissing her hard on the mouth. Safire glanced to the other pairs of dancers, all of them locked in intimate embraces.
Soon, the gazes of the spectators fell once more on the only couple not doing as instructed: Safire and Eris. The crowd began to chant as the caller repeated his final instruction, this time just for them.
Safire glanced to Eris, who was staring back at her.
The chanting grew louder. The Lumina soldiers glanced up from across the square, searching for the source of the increased noise.
Seeing it, Eris’s warm hands slid across Safire’s jaw, bringing her attention back. Safire looked up into her soft eyes.
“Ready?” she whispered.
Safire opened her mouth to say,You can’t be serious.
But Eris was already tipping Safire’s head back.
Alreadykissingher.
Cheering erupted around them.
At the touch of her lips, Safire’s nerves sparked. Sensing her panic, Eris’s thumb gently stroked her jaw, her throat. Soothing her. Coaxing her deeper into the kiss.
“You’re okay,” she murmured. “Just follow my lead.”
So Safire relaxed, doing just that.
Eris tasted like a storm. Like thunder and lightning and rain, all mixed into one. Safire reached for her shirt, needing an anchor against the tempest rising in her.
A tempest woken by Eris.
Eris smiled, her mouth curving against Safire’s, her hands sliding to her hips, drawing her closer.
Safire knew right then that if she didn’t pull away now, she might never pull away.
The thought frightened her.
She stepped quickly back, breathing hard.
The moment she opened her eyes, a glint of gold caught her attention. She tore her gaze from a startled Eris. She glanced beyond the circle, and found a young man watching her. His golden tunic bore the crest of a dragon twined round a sword, and his brown eyes were full of shock.
Dax.
