The kiss is ravenous. Tender. The terms of the contract are fair: a heart for a heart.
?
CHAPTER THIRTY
EVAIN
“I still think it’s unfair that I have to wait outside.” Evain lounges against an ornate windowsill. The whole of Ostaris stretches out behind him. Springtime in the capital makes for a breathtaking view, but Evain only cares about the wooden door at the end of the hall. The two soldiers guarding the door watch him warily in return. “Can’t you pull some holy strings, O Great and Benevolent Prophet?”
Evain waits in the antechamber of the Charaini High Council’s meeting hall, located in a rather boring wing of the Ostaris palace. Ronan sits on a velvet bench across the room, dressed as plainly as usual. His only ornaments are the dice bag on his belt and the golden ring on his left hand. Karis, meanwhile, is dressed all in white, with gold embroidery at every hem and seam. He stays standing next to Ronan, as if afraid to snag the gold thread if he sits down. The Varan regalia makes his amber eyes brighter than ever.
The soldiers on duty don’t look happy to seeanyof them.
Behind that wooden door, Leth is giving his last required testimony under truth spell before he’s allowed to leave the city again. The interview is only a formality; everyone involved has already been questioned at least once, and only a few of the remaining Dravan soldiers are bound for criminal trials. Most were truly unaware of the extent of Anton’s crimes. But apparently the death of a Charaini general requires a lot of bureaucratic processing.
“I tried.” Karis wrinkles his nose. “I wanted to cast the truth spell myself, but the council decided our friendship constituted a ‘conflict of interest.’ Captain Tanner’s good, though.”
“Are you worried about Leth?” Ronan asks Evain. “Or worried about what he might say?” he adds meaningfully.
Ronan and Karis are part of the slowly expanding circle of people who know Evain’s true nature. There’s a new caution in the way Ronan treats him, which Evain doesn’t mind. Karis accepted it with surprising ease—apparently Radiant Vara doesn’t care either.
“Neither.” Evain gives a dramatic sigh, playing with the ends of his half-bound hair. “I just like looking at him. He’s just so…”
“Gods help me,” Ronan says, while Karis stifles his laughter. “I can’t wait until you leave town again.”
“What are your plans after this?” Karis glances sidelong at the guards. “The plans fit for polite company, at least.”
Evain has quite a few plans he shouldn’t mention, in that case—not that he wants to. Leth’s flexibility is a secret for Evain’s knowledge alone. “We’re returning to Lyrisenia first, to seal a few more rifts and make sure the crown’s mages are doing it properly. I want to teach the array to more Lyrisenian witches too. After that, Leth wants to travel.”
“You should take him on one of those Etenian pleasure boats you always talk about,” Karis says.
Evain lifts an eyebrow. Leth had expressed more interest in Ellaroc’s arcane libraries, but a month cruising Etenian harbors in luxury isn’t a bad idea. “Do you think he’d enjoy that?”
Karis’s amber eyes sparkle mischievously. “No.”
Ronan mutters another curse. “I’m not involved in any of this.”
Before Evain can solicit more excellent vacation ideas from the Voice of Vara, the soldiers on guard jump to attention and open the door. More guards come out first, escorting a trio of finely dressed people. Two council members, plus Telvin the herald. Telvin, clutching a book and writing set to his chest, hurries down a side hall. The council members stop to bow to Karis—who smiles beatifically—before retreating with the guards.
Evain doesn’t watch them leave. His gaze arrows through the open door, alert to any sign of movement. He hears low voices before another woman walks out, shoulders broad under a Charaini green cloak. Her hair is cropped short and she’s almost as tall as Evain, but there’s a definite familiarity in the line of her nose and the color of her eyes.
The woman slows as she passes Evain, looking him up and down, but in the end doesn’t say anything. She salutes Karis before striding around a corner.
“You enjoy that too much,” Ronan says, standing up.
“I enjoy it exactly enough.” Karis grins and tucks his hand into Ronan’s.
Finally, Leth emerges from the doorway with Edith Tanner talking at his side. Leth nods to her without saying anything. He looks tired, but his footsteps are lighter than they were when he entered the council chamber. Like there’s a weight off his shoulders. When his eyes meet Evain’s, a small smile lights up his face.
Evain’s heart flips over a few times.
Leth looks good today. He looks good every day, of course, in Evain’s expert opinion. Today Leth wears a pale gray shirt, loose sleeves narrowing at his wrists, under a dark red, sleeveless coat that Evain had custom-fitted for him as a New Spring gift. Neither of them celebrates the Harvest Lord’s holy days, but Evain will take any excuse.
More color gleams in Leth’s hair. Ruby and turquoise beads, drops of amethyst, braided in with his usual onyx spell beads. Evain has been giving him one every few days for the past month. After the first five, Leth said he was being excessive. But the accusation came between heated kisses, so Evain thinks he’s not anywhere near excessive yet.
And Leth lets Evain braid the beads in for him every morning, when the sun’s barely up and Leth is still soft and sated from the night before.
Now, Leth’s face reddens slightly. He says something in reply to Tanner, who nods and goes to talk to Karis. The distance between Evain and Leth lessens until Evain can count each of Leth’s eyelashes—lowered, as Leth averts his gaze.
