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I could have told them it wasn’t purposely done, that I was a stubborn child who liked the tart sweetness and nothing more, but I kept my mouth shut instead. Let them think I was smart and cunning, perhaps one day, I would be.
Alaric blew out a strained breath, the color returning to his face, “Indeed,” he agreed with Kade, “But we should send for the healer anyway, if only to ease your discomfort.”
“No,” I stated, “I will not give the person to blame for this the satisfaction of knowing they succeeded.”
Finn nodded his agreement, striding to where I now stood, legs still not steady enough to stand on my own, “She’s right,” he said, “The walls of this palace have eyes and ears. The denizens of the Night Court shouldn’t know what happened here.”
“The taster,” Kade said, his hand now rubbing soothing circles into my back, setting my nerve-endings ablaze, “We should—”
Alaric lifted me into his arms, taking me from a jealous looking Kade. I wrapped my arms around his neck, relishing in his musky vanilla scent. He strode from the room, his face set in stone.
Before we entered my chamber, he called back, “Find the taster. If she isn’t dead, follow her. She could lead us to the person responsible.”
Chapter Seven
Ididn’t tell Thana what happened the night before. She would only be sick with worry. I let her putter about my chamber, commenting on the late morning hour and how Ihadto get out of bed. There were things to do, apparently. My Blessing Ceremony was the following day, and I had yet to decide what I would like for the feast that followed.
“The cooks need notice for these things, you know. They can’t conjure food from thin air.”
Alaric bit back a laugh, causing Thana to tremble with frustration, “And what did I tell you,” she chastised, “Heshould not be allowed to enter your bedchamber, it’s—it’s…”
“Improper?” I finished for her, with a quirk of my brow.
Thana shook her head.
Alaric hadn’t left my chamber since the night before, standing diligent guard over me while I slept off the poison still setting my veins ablaze. It had been strong. The verbane must’ve been distilled to increase its potency. I was only sick once in the night, and Alaric was there, holding my hair as I wretched into the ornate basin. Though I felt as though I’d spent the eve drinking Thana’s store of wine as I had when I was still mortal, I was trying to maintain a façade of strength. If only to ease the lines of worry still carved around his eyes.
“Improper,” Thana mimicked, “Indeed!”
I threw back the covers, hauling myself from their warm embrace, “Then you’ll speak of it to no one, will you?”
She huffed, tossing me a robe that I took my time wrapping around myself, “And raise evenmorequestions from the nobles than you already have? I think not.”
“Good.”
Thana tossed a simple lilac gown into my arms, turning to leave the room, “Dress yourself,” she said with a hint of bitterness, “The cooks are waiting for instruction.I’lltell them to make what they please sinceyouhave no opinion on the matter.”
Alaric crossed his arms over his broad chest, watching Thana leave the room, “Why do you allow her to speak to you in such a way?”
I hadn’t ever considered I had any say in the way she spoke to me. It was how shewas, and I had grown accustomed to her temperament, had grown to love her more for it. Thana would always say what she meant, without worry about the repercussions. In that way, she was of great value—even if she could be the most vexing creature I’d known—I wouldn’t change a thing about her. She was the closest thing to a mother I would ever know.
“If you knew what I put her through as a child, you’d be more surprised she didn’t simply drown me and be done with it.”
His lips twitched up into a half-smile, “How are you feeling?” he asked, changing the subject as I stepped behind the privacy screen to change.
“Better,” I told him, stripping off my robe and night clothes to step into the gown, “Thank you… for staying with me.”
Not that I was afraid, though I had considered the possibly that once the culprit found out I still lived, they’d try to finish me off in my sleep, no—it was nice to have someone there, to not be alone.
I heard him clear his throat before he spoke, “It’s my duty to ensure your safety, Liana. I would have stayed even if you’d ordered me to go.”
He must’ve known what he was saying was imprudent, and that disobeying a direct order from his queen could warrant serious consequences, but my heart leapt at his words—affirming my choice to make him my captain.
“Could you help me with this?” I stepped from behind the screen, clutching the bodice of the flowing gown to my chest to hold it in place.
I was hopeless with corsets, always had been. The thin strings laced at the back were impossible for my clumsy fingers.
Alaric’s eyes traveled the length of the gown, finally stopping to rest on where my hands cupped the fabric around my breasts. A soft growl escaped his lips before he could reign himself in, the reverberations pulled at something deep in my belly.
