Page 8 of Dance of Stars and Ashes

“I hope this doesn’t sound… wrong,” Zarya asked. “But are there other avenues of employment for fairies in Daragaab?”

Amandeep shook his head. “Not really. We aren’t exactly regarded for our brains or our skills in any other trade. A few have carved out other positions for themselves, but it’s rare.”

“What about other realms in Rahajhan?”

He shrugged. “To be honest, I’m not sure. There aren’t many of us outside of Daragaab.”

Zarya frowned, and Amandeep shook his head.

“Most nights, I don’t mind it. There’s a certain freedom in knowing exactly what everyone expects of you. But there are days when I’d rather just be alone with my thoughts.”

“I can understand that,” she said.

“But enough about me. How have you been?”

“I’m good?” she said, not entirely sure how to answer that question.

How could she even begin to explain what had happened in the last few weeks? Between the recent attack on the city, Row’s return, and all the revelations she’d learned about herself, it was everything she could do to keep herself grounded.

After discovering the sixth anchor in her heart, she’d been sure the right course of action was to flee as far away as possible, where she wouldn’t be a danger to anyone. But knowing her nightfire had stopped the demons two nights ago was rooting her to this spot. She wasn’t sure what her plans were now, but that was something she’d need to figure out.

“That doesn’t sound promising,” Amandeep said.

“It’s complicated,” she replied, and he smiled.

“And I can understand that.” Amandeep leaned over and said in a low voice, “But surely you can tell me why that incredibly gorgeous but very scary rakshasa is staring at us?”

Zarya followed the direction of Amandeep’s gaze to find Rabin doing just that, his jaw so hard she needed an entirely new lexicon for the word “chiseled.”

“Oh, don’t mind him,” Zarya said, glaring at Rabin and then turning back to Amandeep. “He’s just a pain in my ass.”

Amandeep snorted and leaned even closer, his mouth almost at her ear. “He looks like he wants to rip off my arm and beat me to death with it before he fucks you in a pool of my blood. If you catch my drift.”

He peered up at her through his long eyelashes with a suggestive tilt to his lips. It was sort of hard not to catch his drift.

Zarya folded her arms as her expression turned petulant. “Trust me. He does not want that. Well, maybe the ripping off your arms part because he does seem to have a thing for violence, but not the rest.”

Amandeep hummed and shifted closer so his bare, muscled body pressed against her. “Are you sure? Maybe we should make him a little jealous?” He dipped his head and ran his nose along the line of her jaw.

“Stop,” Zarya said. “You don’t have to do this.”

He smiled. “I know. That’s why I’m going to help you.”

“Help me do what, exactly?”

“Just trust me. I know people. And I definitely know unrequited lust when I see it.”

He raised his eyebrows in an impish gesture, and Zarya decided that whatever he had planned might be kind of fun. She was sure Rabin didn’t care who she flirted with, but she was more than a little curious to test Amandeep’s claim.

“Okay, fine,” she said and threw a hand over her eyes. “Do what you must.”

Amandeep grinned and leaned over, placing his hand on her knee. He squeezed it and then moved it up a few inches before he squeezed it again.

“This okay?” he whispered in her ear. From a distance, it would definitely look like he was saying something suggestive.

“Sure,” Zarya said, her throat suddenly tight.

While she didn’t have those sorts of feelings for Amandeep, anyone with eyes could see he was delicious, and something warm fluttered in the pit of her stomach as he lifted his hand and traced the line of her jaw with a finger. There was no question he knew precisely what he was doing when it came to the art of seduction.