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Serene’s mouth twitched. “No.”
“Good.” Imara eyed her. “How does Desfan seem? Is he all right?”
“Yes. He actually seemed quite happy today.”
“Good. I’m glad.”
Something about her tone was wrong. Serene frowned. “Are you all right?”
Imara took a slow breath, not looking at her as she released her hand. Looking at the quilt in her lap, she said, “I kissed him.”
Serene blinked. “What?”
Imara blushed, but she managed to peek over at Serene. “Last night, when we hid in the pantry, I . . . well, he kissed me. But I kissed him back. I think. Or maybe I didn’t, and I just didn’t stop him. It all happened so fast, I’m not sure.”
Serene stared, unsure of what to think—what to feel.
Imara bit her lower lip, waiting.
Serene kept staring.
Her cousin’s mouth pressed into a line. “Desfan,” she said pointedly. “I’m talking aboutDesfan. Your betrothed? The man who just became serjan—”
“I know who you meant, I’m just . . . surprised.” But maybe she shouldn’t have been. Imara and Desfan had become friends quickly. She’d seen how at ease they were with each other, how frequently they exchanged smiles and confidences. She just hadn’t realized her cousin had developed feelings for him, but it was clear she had. And—obviously—Desfan felt something, too.
“I’m so blind,” she breathed.
“It didn’t mean anything,” Imara said in a rush. “Fates, how could it? It was just the moment. Both of us nearly died. Our emotions were high. He just leaned in and kissed me, and I—I really do think I may have kissed him back. But we were interrupted by Karim and Razan.” She threw up her free hand in a staying gesture. “I promise, they didn’t see anything. This will stay between us. There won’t be any scandal—”
“Imara, I’m not mad,” she said, interrupting the frantic spill of words.
Now it was Imara’s turn to stare. “You’re . . . not?”
“No.” She wasn’t sure why she was unbothered. Maybe because she didn’t love Desfan. Or maybe it was because she loved Imara, and she wanted her cousin to be happy. It could have also been the fact that she’d kissed Cardon the night before her engagement to Desfan had become official—and, even now, she was desperate to kiss Cardon again.
She fiddled with the silver bracelet on her wrist. It was the hidden garrote Cardon had given to her for her fourteenth birthday, mere weeks after they’d saved each other’s lives during a hunting trip that had taken a dangerous turn. Even though she’d been young, she’d started to fall in love with him that day.
Imara released a slow, tense breath, pulling Serene from her thoughts. “You’re really not mad?” Imara asked, obviously disbelieving.
“No,” Serene assured her.
Imara’s eyes narrowed. “If I were engaged to marry Desfan Cassian andyoukissed him, I’d probably slap you.”
Serene’s lips tugged into a smile. “Maybe that’s because you actually have feelings for him.”
Imara groaned and covered her face with both hands. “Fates,” she muttered. “It won’t happen again. I swear it. And I’ll leave. As soon as I’m able. In fact, I’ll have someone carry me out of here tonight—”
“You’ll do no such thing. The physician said you need to stay in bed and not overdo anything.”
Imara dropped her hands to blink at Serene. “How are you so fates-blasted calm?”
“I’m not calm, I’m just not overreacting.”
“Overreacting? You think I’m overreacting? You do realize I tried to tell you about this first thing this morning, only I thought—no, better to tell Desfan that you’re going totellSerene. That way, he’ll be duly warned and prepared to face her wrath. Then I see Desfan, and I think—no, better just tellSerene, because talking to him about what happened is completelymortifying. So I needed to just find the courage and tell you.”
Serene arched one eyebrow. “Am I really so terrifying?”
Imara snorted. “You know very well that you’re terrifying.”
