Ugh, who cared?
Besides, no way was I sleeping in breeches that had bits of burr sticking to them.
I stepped out of them and, without once looking in Talon’s general direction, slipped into bed. A little shiver raced down my spine as I sank fully onto the cold mattress. I dragged the blanket over myself and lay on my side facing the wall.
There was a slightwhooshof sound, and then the room went dark.
I closed my eyes and huddled beneath the blanket. Warmth seeped into my body in slow excrements, but that didn’t help relax me. I shifted repeatedly, trying and failing to get comfortable. It wasn’t the mattress, or the temperature. It was that my entire system was tense from being in a confined space with Talon.
I did that thing where I went somewhere else in my head. I dived into my memories. Memories of my time with my parents—of our modest little hut, of the times I’d fenced with acolytes, of the amazing bread my aunt baked, of how sweet and happy my parents had been together.
Soon, the images in my head swam, changing from memories to the first stirrings of a dream. Eventually, I drifted off.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Asensation cut into my dream, slicing through the tableau of images. A sensation that was uncomfortable. Intense.Building.
I shot to full wakefulness as my heart started thumping hard in my chest and a familiar crackly energy filled my veins.
Feelings wererushingthrough me. The same emotions I felt before or during a battle. Anticipation. Determination. Exhilaration. A trickle of fear.
Restless and overstimulated, I couldn’t simply lie there. Couldn’t stay still. I threw back my blanket and got out of bed, my movements rushed and jerky.
A sconce came to life, and I saw Talon blinking up at me, his head raised from his pillow.
My fingers twitched. “I need to get out of this room awhile,” I blurted out, my words coming a little too fast.
His eyes narrowing, he sat upright, his chest deliciously bare.
“I’ll be back soon, I just—” I stopped as he shook his head. “I’ll be fine, I’m not going to wander around; just hang in the living area.”
Again, he shook his head, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed.
I absently fisted my tunic and twisted the material. “Look, I’m not going to be able to get to sleep anytime soon. If I stay in here, I’ll pace and pace and pace. I don’t expect you to understand what I’m feeling right now, but it’s … Ican’tstay here.” I needed to do something; needed somewhere for all this energy and emotion togo.
But, once more, he shook his damn head.
I snapped my mouth shut, my scalp going hot and prickly as anger surged through me. I wanted to lunge at him. Bite him. Scream in his face.
I did none of those things.
I instead headed for the door and—
He appeared in front of me, and I stumbled to a halt. Gods, he wasfast.
His expression a dare, he placed the handle of a scythe in my hand and then conjured a sword.
Interest stirred in my belly as he took a few steps back and raised his blade, his body poised to fight. He was offering me an outlet for my restlessness, I realized. And I very much wanted to snatch up that offer. But … “The noise will echo,” I pointed out. “People will come running.”
Another shake of his head.
“You’ve done something to nullify the sound in here?”
He nodded.
I felt my mouth kick up just a little. “All right.”
I’d never sparred with him before, but I’d observed him spar officiates in the courtyard; had seen him fight during the attacks on Deimos. And I had not one expectation of winning a battle of blades with him. He was too fast. Too skilled. Too strong.
