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“No. That would be ridiculous.”
But she was, just a little. I leaned over to whisper in her ear. “That’s good, because I was ridiculously jealous when you were flirting with Asheral.”
She turned and our noses brushed. “You were?”
“Big time.”
She gave me a grin so big that it felt like the room had gone quiet and made me forget about all the people that were watching us. I wanted to close the distance
between us—to brush a kiss against her lips, but Cosette pulled away.
“Rayvien’s over there.”
“After you, princess.”
“Shut it.” Her words were quiet, but the smile told me everything I needed.
She was obsessed with me.
Rayvien didn’t seem to be paying attention to anything else in the room except for the person she was laughing with, but when she stood from her spot on the pillows before we got to her, I knew that was all for show. She waved us over to her table without ever taking her eyes off the woman talking to her.
She tossed her long black hair over her shoulder, finally turning to us as we stopped beside her. “I take it you’re coming to say good-bye,” she said to Cosette. “Don’t want to marry into Gales after all?”
“I’m not saying no, but I’m not saying yes either.”
Cosette was so full of it. She didn’t want to marry into anything, but I guessed she didn’t want anyone to know that. I could still smell her on my skin, so I wasn’t sure how much being coy about it mattered now.
A quick scan of the room told me that everyone watched us, but more than us—Cosette. They were tracking her every moment with a healthy dose of fear and envy in their gaze, some with a little violence in there, too. I saw how she stood tall, head held high, a haughty look so thick in her gaze that it annoyed even me.
But when I looked deeper, the fear and anxiety and worry that this could all go impossibly wrong hovered over her. She didn’t have any tells. No clenching of her fists. No mannerisms. Nothing that I could visibly see. But something in her brilliantly fake smile told me exactly what she was thinking.
Enough of the posturing bullshit. We didn’t have time for it. “Can we talk?” I asked. “In private.”
“Of course.” Rayvien motioned us to follow. “I have a spot where we can speak in confidence.”
She led us down a hallway, through some twists and turns, to another room. It was small, with a reading nook that was surrounded by bookshelves. The room didn’t smell like sweet smoke, instead it was sage and lavender. Large crystals of all colors were sprinkled on the bookshelves, and there were a few salt rock lamps around the room that gave the room a dull orange cast. Little colorful containers—some with spouts, some without—were sprinkled on the shelves, too. I wondered if they held herbs like the ones Claudia and Tessa used, but it didn’t really matter. Not right now.
Rayvien motioned toward the doorway, and a slab of rock slid down and hid the room from view. “We’ll not be heard in here.” She smiled at me. “So, what can I do for you?”
“I need to know where the pixie with my bargain is.”
Her grin turned into something hungry, and I knew that I was about to get into trouble. “Do you?”
With the way she was looking at me, I knew she knew where it was. “Yes.” I met her gaze, and I didn’t dare look away.
“All right.” She drew out the words and I knew I’d said the wrong words.
Shit. What had I asked? I replayed the last second, but before I could think it through, Cosette was there, saving my ass.
She stepped closer to me. “No.” Cosette’s voice was strong and confident. “We want to know where his bargain is. We don’t care about the pixie if it no longer has it.”
“See, Christopher.” Rayvien touched my arm, and it took way too much effort not to jerk it away from her.
“This is the difference between asking the right question and asking the wrong one. The pixie is of no consequence, since the pixie doesn’t have it anymore.”
Rayvien was being a total asshole. She knew what I meant, but I was going to have to be careful with my word choice. Even with someone I thought was an ally.
Damn it. I couldn’t believe I’d almost messed this up.
