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“And what about Kriseri?” Lasta asks me directly.
I hesitate before I answer him because I do not have a good answer to his question.
“We’ll see,” I finally tell him. “But you’ll be the first to know if anything changes.”
He nods, and we both stand up from our chairs.
“So, you’ve found a human girl?” There is humor in Lasta’s voice, and I know his words are innocent, no matter how acerbic they might be.
However, despite knowing that he is usually just poking fun, my hackles rise at the mention of Lorelai.
“Yes. I have. And her name is Lorelai,” I say stiffly.
“Well, I guess we should have seen it coming.” Lasta sighs and tugs on the shirt he is wearing, which is buttoned up incorrectly. “What with Zalith and everything. Just don’t get too close and don’t get blinded by the pussy, no matter how pretty it might be.”
Restraining myself from punching Lasta requires a monolithic amount of strength. But my restraint doesn’t last long enough, and I push Lasta up against the wall closest to us and keep him pinned to the wall with my arm against his throat.
I am breathing heavily, but Lasta isn’t looking concerned at all. Instead, his eyes twinkle with mirth, and when I finally let him go, he has barely broken a sweat. The only thing he does is tug on his untidily buttoned shirt again.
“What is the meaning of your words?” I demand from Lasta. Lorelai’s presence here is tenuous enough that I need to know what the rest of the naga in this castle think about her.
I need them to like her, love her, as much as I do. Because that is the only way she’ll be able to stay.
“Come on,” Lasta scoffs, and for the first time he looks uncomfortable. For a minute, I think that he’ll actually walk away and say nothing.
But Lasta continues in his typical, slightly obnoxious fashion. “It is clear to me and everyone in this place, that the girl is up to something. Not everyone is the same as the lovely Princess Aurora, who I still believe is an anomaly.”
Lasta sighs at the expression on my face. But still, he continues. “Listen, you’ve brought her to this nice castle, you’ve dressed her in pretty clothes, and you’ve given her lots of lovely books to read and nice things to eat. But anyone with eyes in their heads can see that she comes from the wild. She’s practically feral! How long do you think she’s going to manage in this cage you’ve put her in before she bites someone?”
I turn and storm off in the direction of my chambers with Lasta’s words still ringing in my head.
He doesn’t know anything! He’s just trying to cause trouble because that’s who he is!
I come to an abrupt stop outside my chambers. I wonder if Lorelai is awake.
What if Lasta is telling the truth?
When I enter the room, Lorelai is asleep, and instead of waking her, I slip into the bed beside her.
When I do fall asleep, I fall asleep to the sound of Lasta’s words ringing in my head.
22
LORELAI
Iensure, when Slyth wakes up and rolls away from me, that my breathing is even and deep. I ensure that my eyes remain lightly closed and my lips remain slightly parted when Slyth comes around to my side of the bed. I murmur slightly in my sleep and nestle into the pillow when he whispers my name.
I remain still when he caresses my face and pushes errant strands of hair away from my face. I continue remaining still when he kisses the tip of my nose, and then both my cheeks, and then finally my forehead.
My eyes flutter open when I hear the door of the bedroom pull shut as Slyth finally exits the room.That was hard,I think to myself as I sit up and run my hand through my hair. My eyes are wet, and I do not know where these sudden tears have come from.
I swing my legs over the side of the bed and shiver slightly when my feet touch the cold hardwood floor. I walk quickly to the washroom and splash cold water onto my face, washing the traitorous tears away.
All I can think of, as I look at myself in the ornate mirror that hangs above the basin, is the sweet nothings that Slyth murmured to me when he thought I was asleep.
He said things that I am not sure he would have said if he had known I was awake,I think to myself.
Then I dry my face off and look at myself in the mirror. My eyes are hard.
