“And Helena. And Ares. And Sofia.”
“Sofia?” I repeated in confusion.
“I want an accomplished Imítheos mágos with you,” Riordan explained, and I nodded. I kept it to myself that she was not just an Imítheos because it was sensitive and private information. I would tell him eventually of course, but it only seemed fair to talk to Sofia about it first.
“Agreed! We’ll go tomorrow,” I told him.
Chapter twenty-seven
AND ARE YOU MINE?
Amira
We returned to where Orion stood with Ares and Helena, all of them looking a little tense. I wondered if Orion had been grilling them at the same time Riordan grilled me.
“Dance with me,” I beseeched Orion who looked like he might stagger back in shock at the demand.
“That is not a good idea. I am a terrible dancer.”
“He is not wrong. I have tried,” Helena assured me, ignoring his offended frown. “Simply unteachable.”
“I will guide you,” I swore to him.
“Amira,” he said my name pleadingly, stepping a little closer and lowering his voice. “They do not want to see a Ktínos brute dancing with their queen,” he reasoned.
I reached for his hand, not caring whether anyone saw or what they thought of the public display. The only thing that truly meant anything was Riordan’s approval glowing in the back of my mind.
“What about a queen dancing with herskiá?”
Orion blinked along with Helena and Ares who both glanced at one another with open mouths, but my eyes remained locked on Orion. I did not think he breathed.
“Is that not what you will be to me?” I pressed.
“I… Yes,” he rasped and cleared his throat. “If that iswhat you wanted from me, thenyes.”
“Good,” I said, tilting my head toward Riordan when his hand squeezed affectionately at the back of my neck. “Then come and dance with me.”
Orion hesitated a moment longer before he nodded and allowed me to tug him toward the dance floor where the Imítheos nobles did in fact stare and begin to whisper.
“Do not look at them. Look at me,” I urged Orion who was tensing with every look skewered in his direction.
“I hope you know what you are doing,” he warned me, obviously nervous to make a fool of himself. But he also seemed to trust me not to let him do that.
“This dance is easy enough. I will lead,” I promised as we took our positions. He had the basic idea of where to hold on to me, and within a few moments, he felt a little less like I was dancing with a board. Orion was a warrior with both natural and honed grace once I got him moving, so it was unclear why Helena said he was unteachable.
“How much did he share with you?” I asked.
“All of it,” he answered me, completely unapologetic. “Why are we really going to see theenuksha?”
“I told you—him,” I corrected myself. “Intuition.”
“Uh huh,” Orion muttered, but I focused on how his hands tightened on me. I could easily guess what part of my conversation with Riordan his mind had gone to.
“Do you think I am actually starting to develop some of your senses?”
The way he clenched me closer again let me know that I had guessed right about his thoughts.
“The Spring King said thatdreíochatend to take on the characteristics of their mate. If you think that you…” Orion trailed off, his chest rising and falling quickly.
