“You’re not going after her,” he said.
I scoffed. “You heard her. Of course I am.”
He held up the rope. “No, you’re not.”
“I don’t need the visual reminder. How could I ever forget I’m tethered to the most irritating man in the entire Opalese?”
Baz glanced at the empress’ guards, who were smashing the wall with their battering ram—to no particular success—and pulled me aside.
“Be careful what you say,” he said under his breath.
“Why?” I asked at normal volume. “You think I care about your reputation with those who take commands from you?”
He grunted, his hand tightening on my wrist, and tsked, sounding like an angry crute chittering into his big front teeth.
“No, I don’t think you care about that. I don’t care about that.”
With a thick finger, he zigzagged the air in front of my face.
“See a bug or something?”
He closed his eyes for a moment and breathed.
“If that works for you, let me know. It never works for me.”
His eyes snapped open. “It’s you. I can usually find all the patience I need.”
Ed snorted what sounded like it was on its way to being a disbelieving laugh before she aborted.
“Yeah, sure you can.” I pulled my wrist free, a gesture that lost a lot of its punch when I could only move a few feet away from him afterward. “I’m going after her as soon as it’s possible.”
“No, you’re not. You’re not going anywhere without me.”
“Then you can come with me.”
He scowled. Was it wrong to delight in the anger that made his eyes sparkle like sunshine on ocean waves?
“Obviously I’m going to retrieve the empress,” he said. “It’s my duty as commander of the empire’s armed forces and … as my sire’s son.”
“Fine. Spin it however you wanna spin it. I’ll go with you, then, to see the empress, instead of you coming with me, if that makes your dick twitch.”
The female soldier, who’d offered aid to her commander, choked a little.
Baz growled, “For fuck’s sake, woman.” He zigzagged the air between us again.
Of course I knew what he meant; I’d known the first time around. In a world of sänglures and their perfect symmetry and perfect faces, it was impossible to forget about my scar for long. Plus, it tugged at my skin when I smiled, one of the reasons I rarely did.
I rolled my eyes. “Yes, yes, I get it. Careful not to sprain your finger there.”
He put down the finger, but not before giving me a hearty glare. While holding it, he called over the slamming of the ram, “Centurio, send Captain Shmooly to find me the moment you break through that wall.”
“Aye, Commander,” Demander answered immediately.
But Ed was shaking her head at Baz. “I’m coming with you.”
“No, you stay with Félix. Help find the empress.”
Félix, whom I’d never seen appear displeased, pressed his lips together, still holding his bow aloft—the danger hadn’t yet passed; smart elf. “You’ll be alone with her.”
