Page 55 of Blood of the Sands

“It was a close call,” I admitted as I drained half my glass in a single gulp. The burn of alcohol crawled down my throat as I swallowed back a wince. Drinking too fast was a habit I had yet to break after a lifetime of scarce liquids.

“Well, I do appreciate a flare for the dramatic, and you easily stomping the competition wouldn’t be good entertainment,” Hadeon said. “Besides, I dare say it’s given you a little adrenaline to work off at tonight’s festivities.”

“More like too much sand to wash off before I was in any shape to show up,” I grumbled. I had stood under the trickle of water in Aderyn and Neven’s bathroom for what felt like hours, until my teeth chattered from the cold, but the rough chafe of sand still lingered on my skin. A buried part of me rejoiced at the feeling after months of relative cleanliness in a world of polished stone. Some twisted part of me missed the constant grit and the headachy feeling from squinting too long in the sun.

“Well, you cleaned up more than admirably.” Hadeon’s eyes drifted appraisingly over my outfit, my current posture pushing my leg out of the long slit in the side of my pants that hung loosely apart from where they gathered at my waist and ankle. I didn’t miss the way he smiled at the snake armband that I had thrown on at the last second.

“Finish your drink,” Hadeon ordered. “Then we’ll dance.”

“I don’t really dance,” I admitted, although I was already taking another large swallow of my laka.

“I’ll admit, this is very different from the dancing I’m used to back in Doran, but I’m sure we’ll figure it out together.” With that, he whisked away my empty glass before pulling me out into the center of the circle. His fingers on my bare wrist caused me to jolt as always, but his touch was warm and not altogether unpleasant. I clasped my hand in his in return.

Then we were dancing, and Hadeon smiled at me brightly as he bobbed disjointedly. I nearly laughed at his awkwardness. He clearly hadn’t been lying at festivities in his home country being different.

His grin turned sharp. “Are you laughing at my lack of coordination? I’ll have you know that I’m much more used to dancing with a partner.”

“You have a partner.” I gestured to myself as I swung my hips back and forth to the beat. While an odd effervescence filled me, it didn’t threaten to overwhelm me as it had the last time I danced. I could do this.

“I meant like this.” Before I could register his words, Hadeon’s hand circled my wrist once more and tugged me against him. I nearly stumbled as the front of my body pressed flush against his. My focus zeroed in on where my bare skin touched him—my hand that had come up to grab his shoulder in surprise. The bare inches in the gap between my pants and my cropped shirt pressed against his belly.

“Much better,” he commented, seemingly unaware of the sudden rushing in my mind at the contact as he started to sway. I joined him, helpless to stop as I tried desperately to quell the rising sensation in my gut. The sleepy feeling surrounding my magic was all but gone, burnt away by laka and Hadeon’s hand encircling the arm band he had bought me against my skin.

I opened my mouth to tell Hadeon that I needed to take a break, but as I breathed in, my mouth filled with the hot scent of smoke and spices, and I became too overwhelmed to form words. This was nothing like the stillness I had experienced when pressed chest-to-chest with the Viper just this morning. Perhaps I wasn’t as in control as I had thought, and now I would lose it again.

A sand slide barreled through my mind with the force of galloping horses, and I shook my head trying to clear it before I hurt the dense crush of people around me. I wanted to leave, but I couldn’t make my mouth form words. Hadeon’s eyes narrowed at me, and his grip tightened around my arm—perhaps to support me, but it only made things worse.

It was a matter of seconds until I would explode, and I opened my mouth scream out a wordless warning.

A hand landed on the nape of my neck, and everything fell still. It was as if I were a kitten grabbed by the back of the neck, frozen but calm.

A familiar voice drifted over my shoulder, and I knew who the hand belonged to.

“Sorry to cut in.”

Chapter Seventeen

Erix

Finally, I understood. The restlessness of the desert since I had arrived—since I had plucked this exile from the sands—had not been my own magic, but Keera’s. The supernatural lightning storm that reminded me so much of the ones I had summoned as a child with nightmares were exactly that. A symptom of panic and uncontrolled emotion from the woman before me.

Through my hand at the base of her skull, I wrapped my ironclad control around her mind, containing the sudden swell that had threatened to rend the air around us just moments before. I grit my teeth in surprise at the strength with which her power thrashed, but it calmed quickly at my touch. Meanwhile, my own power perked up at the use, as if I had signaled it to ready for battle.

The man Keera had been dancing with—the one I had pegged as a diplomat a few days ago—frowned up at me. His expression seemed disgruntled, but I didn’t miss the way his gaze darted over me, as if taking stock. I didn’t bother to stand up taller or square my shoulders.

“I’m not sure—”

“It’s fine.” Keera cut him off.

After a moment of hesitation, the diplomat backed up and melted into the crowd, although the weight of his gaze remained heavy upon us even as I lost sight of him. I ignored it, keeping my attention on Keera, who still hadn’t turned.

I debated pulling my hand away now that she had calmed, but I could feel the softness of the hairs that escaped her braid tickling my fingers. I don’t know why I had touched her in the first place. While it helped with using magic on somebody, I was surely powerful enough to do without.

My pinky finger drifted back and forth in infinitesimal movements.

Instead of turning away, I stepped forward into Keera’s space, standing close enough that we could have passed for dancing if we swayed. I could have sworn she shivered at my proximity. It seemed the press of people around her had triggered the near loss of control—something I could understand too well—but her magic remained contained despite the fact that I stood close enough to feel the heat of her body radiating off her.

“How could you tell?” she murmured, quietly enough that none of the dancers around us continuing in their celebrations would be able to hear her question.