I couldn’t tell them about my interaction with Dalkhan—couldn’t bring myself to describe how I’d knelt before him.How his touch both terrified and thrilled me.I was humiliated enough without them knowing.Instead, I told them what Zaheera had said.
They listened intently, Tavrik’s brow furrowed in thought while Theo’s attention never left my face.
Before we could come up with a plan on how to gain their trust, Mira walked in.
Does no one in this awful place understand doors?
She promptly froze.Her wide eyes darted over the room, landing on Theo.A deep flush crawled up her neck, blooming across her cheeks like spilled wine against her pale complexion.
I followed her line of sight, turning to Theo just in time to catch the smile tugging at his lips and the predatory gleam I knew all too well sparking in his gaze.
Oh, for the love of—
I shook my head, fighting the urge to roll my eyes.
“I’m sorry.I didn’t think you’d be busy,” she stammered, clearly speaking to me but she kept staring at Theo as though he were some celestial being that might vanish if she blinked.
Theo, the insufferable ass, merely raised a brow.His smirk deepening.
Mira tucked a strand of hair behind her ear,finallyreturning her attention to me, though it seemed to take obvious effort.
“I wanted to see if you’d like to join me in the library.Give you a chance to look around?”
I moved toward her before she even finished her sentence.“I’d love to.”
This was it.The perfect opportunity.
Mira’s lips parted.She hadn’t expected such enthusiasm.Then, remembering we weren’t alone, she turned towards the others.
“Do… would you like to join us?”Her eyes darted nervously between Theo and Tavrik, lingering just a moment too long on the former.
Tavrik, ever the polite one, simply nodded.But Theo—
“I’d love to,” he said smoothly, his grin downright wicked.And as if that weren’t enough, he winked.
Poor Mira looked like she was about to combust on the spot.She nodded—too many times, too quickly—then spun on her heel and all but fled into the hallway, her skirt swishing around her legs.
I hadn’t even taken a step before Tavrik leaned in close to me, his breath warming my ear.“Do theyalwaysfall for his charm?”
“You shouldseewhat it’s like back home.”I pressed the back of my hand to my forehead in a dramatic gesture, staggering slightly like I might faint.
Tavrik chuckled, the sound rumbling deep in his chest.
Theo glanced back at us over his shoulder as we stepped into the hallway, unbothered by our teasing.That smirk still hadn’t left his lips, a testament to his ever-growing ego.
Smug bastard.
Mira glided silently beside me while Tavrik and Theo trailed behind, their voices a low murmur.Hallway after hallway blurred past in endless stretches of jagged walls until at last, we stepped through a wide archway and onto an open walkway.
I froze mid-step.
Air—real air hit my face.Warm and crisp, carrying the scent of greenery.The breeze caressed my skin like gentle fingers, lifting strands of hair from my neck.I inhaled deeply, drinking it in like a starved thing.My eyes fluttered closed in momentary bliss.
The sun shone high in a sky so intensely blue it hurt to look at, casting golden light over the world below.The vast expanse of land stretched beyond the mountain walls.My fingers pressed into the rough railing as I leaned forward, letting the heat sink into my skin.
Behind me, Theo and Tavrik had gone just as still, both dropping their heads back to relish the fresh air.
Mira moved closer to me.“How was your meeting with the king?”
