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“What did you just do?” The pulse at the base of her throat hammered. “Did you just flash faster than I could track?”
Icy resolve speared throughout Tehdra’s body as she observed Lady Sascha. “You will not visit his chambers as long as I remain in Nuria.”
Sascha’s laughter rang in the corridor and contempt settled on her face like a second skin. “How delicious. You think to order me—a countess of the realm—from the king’s bed? Oh so naïve. I will take pleasure in educating you, Tehdra,” Lady Sascha said with such saccharine sweetness it grated on Tehdra.
She leaned in so close, they could’ve been kissing.
“What are you doing?” Lady Sascha whispered furiously.
Tehdra did not answer. She stared at her, sinking into the violent place her beast normally resided. She examined the graceful lines of Lady Sascha’s neck and contemplated ripping it from her shoulders right where they stood. It would be an easy feat, even without her darkness. Tehdra held Sascha’s gaze and removed all pretense, letting her nature peek through the veil.
Lady Sascha froze, and fear widened her eyes. “Who are you?” she whispered as her hands shifted, gripping the hilt of her sword until her knuckles whitened with strain.
She inhaled harshly as Tehdra leaned in so close their lips brushed in a macabre caricature of intimacy.
“You will stay away from the king’s bed.” Tehdra was fully aware her eyes bled such cruel intent that Sascha could not miss it.
The countess paled and her breathing fractured.
Tehdra stepped back and allowed the shadows to swallow her.
Chapter Fourteen
“What do you know of the hari Tehdra, Ajali?”
Ajali lowered his goblet of wine and he stared at Sascha at the end of the table. They dined in one of the smaller dining halls, very secluded with no chance of interruption. The servants had outdone themselves in the preparation of the dishes and the room. Succulent meats, fish and roasted ducks lined the table with meat pies, sauces and several desserts. The crystals from Avindar were tuned low, creating a soft intimacy. Lady Sascha had dressed herself in a close fitting green caftan that complimented the deep blue of her eyes and her dusky skin. Her blond hair was upswept from her face, showcasing the graceful lines of her neck. Yet he was not tempted. The dinner with her father, a duke, had been planned weeks in advance. But the man had not shown, only his daughter. No doubt at the countess’ machinations.
“You question me about a hari, Sascha?”
He raised imperious brows at her hesitation. It was so unlike her. Confident and secure in her power and title as a countess of the realm, her apparent fluster in the face of his question had Ajali lowering his goblet. “What is it?”
“Several of Tehdra’s actions have given me cause for concern,” Lady Sascha said with a grimace.
“You are uneasy?”
“I suppose you could say it is discomfort.”
“What is it?”
Ajali stilled as fear flashed in her gaze to be quickly banked. He was not mistaken. Lady Sascha was scared of Tehdra?
“What happened?”
The sharp command had her inhaling deep.
“She threatened me.”
“Tehdra threatened you?” He had not foreseen Sascha’s response. “When did this happen?”
“Earlier in the lower levels of the castle, near the eastern wing. While I prepared for our evening, I debated if I should mention it to you at all. She promised death if I came to your bed. There was something about her, Ajali. Dark and real. Her eyes were…cruel. She meant it. She is not what she seems.”
Ajali was nonplussed. “Tehdra warned you about staying out of my bed?”
“Yes, she did. But it was the way she did it. I am a countess of this realm, for her actions I can have her in chains, yet I hesitate to do so.”
His rough laughter had her lowering her fork as she stared at him, affronted.
“You are amused?”
