“I’ve always rather undervalued my head.”
“But it’s such a pretty one.”
I gave him a sidelong glance, my heart flipping. But again, I had to remind myself, he wasn’t talking about me, but another girl.
“Are you flirting with me about getting beheaded?”
His eyes lit up. “I can’t think of anyone else who might even consider it flirting.”
“And yet, after our kiss, I can’t think of anything but.”
We hadn’t seen each other since we’d kissed, and I took a risk mentioning it. I flexed my fingers, stopping myself from reaching up and touching my lips, stopping myself from remembering his being pressed to mine.
Not mine. Sanaya’s.
He straightened, an uneasy look flickering over his face.
Had I pushed too much?
“I think about it too,” he admitted, as though he didn’t want to.
I smiled inwardly. If he was thinking about Sanaya, then it was a step closer to having his heart. And I wanted it, badly. I wanted to feel it beating in my hand, to feel his love, his emotions, his trust, before I crushed them beneath my boot.
“And yet here we are, two people standing around, discussing execution, when we could be really doing what it is we both want.”
His mouth dropped open and a surprised laugh came out, a throaty, deep sound that rumbled through his chest.
I closed my eyes, and for a second I was back where we used to be, in the training field, his laugh echoing through the mountains, warming the pit of my stomach like fire.
“You never cease to surprise me, Sanaya.”
“At least I’m never boring.”
“No. Never that.” He huffed out another laugh and then looked at me again. “I have something to show you. Will you come with me?”
He held his hand out, and I stared down at it, the calluses as familiar as my own, the long fingers perfect for holding the hilt of a sword, or for interlacing between mine.
I placed my gloved hand in his and he clasped it tightly, like we were already lovers, like he was taking me to a clandestine meeting spot, like I wasn’t going to deceive him as he did me.
Thirty-six
Before
“Dani, can I show you something?”
I looked up at Maz’s earnest face, and then down at his outstretched hand, and scowled. “Is this a ploy to get me back after I trounced you in the training field?”
He laughed, and the sound was deeper than I remembered.
“I promise I take my losses fairly.”
“Good, because you have so many of them.” A rueful smile curled my lips.
“How long will your father be with the emperor?”
“Hours. The emperor likes to go over every aspect of the sword. I don’t know why, it isn’t as if Vahid uses them anymore.”
“Maybe he wants to be sure he will be able to fight even if he doesn’t have access to any djinn power?”
