Page 84 of Dance of Stars and Ashes

“Because you were making some very… audible noises last night.”

Oh no. She’d been moaning in her sleep. Her face turned even hotter as Aarav’s face stretched into a mischievous smile.

“There’s no one up there,” she said. “There was no one up there.”

He cocked his head in an amused question, and she realized that didn’t sound any better.

“I mean… Ugh, it’s hard to explain.”

He held up his hands in surrender, his fork clutched between his fingers.

“Hey, it’s none of my business how you satisfy your urges.”

She tossed him a dirty look. “Oh, like you’re one to talk.” She stomped to the table and dragged out a chair. “Where is Lekha, anyway?”

“At work in the infirmary,” he answered.

She dropped into her seat and pulled a plate towards her. “I guess you’ll be glad to have this place to yourself while Row and I are gone.”

He grinned.

“It’s going to be clothing optional in here for a few days,” he said with a wink.

“Gross,” Zarya answered as she spooned eggs onto her plate, and he chuckled. She took a bite of eggs—they were delicious. “You cooked me breakfast?”

Aarav shrugged. “I figured you’ve done it enough times for me.”

Zarya looked at him, stunned for a moment, without any idea how to respond. “I… Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it,” he said and then, after a short pause, added, “Zarya, I want to say something.”

“Yes?”

“I want to tell you I’m sorry.”

She sat back in her chair.

“For what?”

“I was jealous of you.”

Her brows furrowed, and she folded her arms across her chest.

“You were?”

“Row sometimes talked about how powerful you would be someday,” Aarav said as he sat forward and rested his hands on the table.

She let a heartbeat pass between them and then said, “You knew?”

Aarav nodded. “That you were Aazheri, yes. But not your lineage. I didn’t know, either, why he kept you there, but he told me that if he could find a way to unlock your magic, you’d be powerful beyond his imagining.”

“But you didn’t stop him from keeping me there.”

Aarav’s shoulders slumped heavily. “I’ve always known my power would be limited. My parents weren’t especially gifted. They sent me to study with Row, hoping I’d amount to something. They were old friends of his. I wanted what he had. What a powerful Aazheri could be. And you had it. And you had Row’s admiration, even if it might not have seemed like it to you. He’s always respected your courage. Even I could see that, and I hated you for it. It was childish of me.” He stopped. “You were a child.”

“An orphan, in fact,” she added, unable to resist.

The corner of his mouth tipped up in a wry smile. “An orphan, in fact,” he agreed.