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Those ideas felt so new and uncertain they fluttered through me like butterflies trying to rush free of a net. I wasn’t sure what to do with them.
I swallowed, and Sai tucked closer to me, the sharp lines of his profile gleaming. Never had I seen anyone as attractive as him. I knew nothing about the world I’d gotten myself wrapped into, but I had the feeling that if I faced it with this man, I’d do so happily.
A few hours passed as I weighed out everything, tried to put my finger on what had shifted within me so that I felt like someone new. Like I was born again under Sai’s callused fingers. I gave him a gentle shake. “Sai.”
“Hmmm?”
“The sun will rise soon.”
“Right.” He sat up, stretched his arms above him, and yawned. And then he turned his dark eyes towards me and cupped my cheek in his hand. “Last night was…” His words trailed off, but he smiled and leaned in closer, like he wanted to kiss me but waited for my permission.
I closed the gap between us and parted my lips as the kiss bloomed between us. When I pulled back, I pressed my forehead against his. “It was for me too.”
He scraped his thumb along my jaw and something in his expression made me feel like he’d have kingdoms fall for my sake. It almost terrified me. Mostly it thrilled me and made me want to dive deeper into whatever this was between us. My body seemed aligned to his, and I didn’t wish to part from him. Sai reached for his zevar and looped it back onto his neck. He’d kept it off the entire night. Exhaustion had pulled him down, and he’d fallen asleep so quickly, he must have forgotten about it.
That brought my mind back to Shaan and Lennox. How embarrassing it must have been for the prince of a kingdom to have his zevar stolen from him, and in a moment of such intimacy and vulnerability. It was no wonder Sai’s expression darkened every time the situation came up. The Seelie fae had done more than steal from the Prasanna court. They’d shamed our court and—I stumbled over the idea. I’d just thought “our” court as if I belonged to it as well. Sai moved off the bed and removed his pants, his body a warm brown of muscles and sharp edges in the lingering firelight. Could I possibly belong with the Prasanna Fae? Or with Sai?
My heart seemed to pound outyes, yes, yes.
I stood and walked over to my clothes I’d laid out on the hearth. They were dry if stiff and dirty, but they’d work for the day. I opened my mouth and, for once in my life, didn’t feel anxious about using my powers in front of someone. The note rippled out, a chill of a sound as it hushed the flames until they died.
Sai pulled his arm into his jacket but froze, his forehead puckering as I smoldered the fire.
What had he called it the night before?Elemental magic.The way he’d said it was like I possessed a venomous snake up my sleeve. His expression—the worry and concern in it—left me shaken again. He ran his hands back through his hair. “Do you want to get dressed?”
“I should.”
He finished the button on his jacket and sauntered over to me. “I’d really rather you didn’t, but the Naga gets moody when he’s made to wait.”
He brushed his thumb down my lips, over my chin, and I shivered. “I need to get dressed, then.”
“Yes,” he whispered. “That’s a good idea.” His mouth captured mine, and he backed us against the planks of the wall. His hands roamed down my sides and gripped my hips. And, God, what was I doing? Sai was a candle at night, and I was the moth. I wasn’t sure if he’d illuminate things for me or catch my wings aflame.
“I’m sorry,” he breathed against my neck. “I can’t seem to stop wanting to touch you, Lira.”
Me either, I wanted to say. Words wouldn’t form. So I nodded and walked around him to gather my clothing. We couldn’t leave the Naga waiting. I remembered Neia’s censoring glares. We couldn’t let whatever this was growing between us harm their work.
CHAPTEREIGHTEEN
NEIA
My boots sloshedthrough the riverbank’s muck where it flooded out over the sloping edge of the land. Elisa hummed while she braided her hair as swiftly moving clouds swept across the still-dark expanse of the sky.
“It must have poured here last night,” I said. “And it’s not even monsoon season yet. Feels like it comes sooner every year.”
“It doesn’t have to be monsoon season for it to rain.”
I darted my gaze to her, and she smirked at me, her eyes sparkling. Any sense of annoyance I’d felt swept away, and I grabbed her fingers. We turned a bend, ducked under a tree’s lanky limb, and I froze as the sharp tip of a blade pressed against my throat.
Luz dropped in front of me and yanked the knife away. “You’re early.”
I rubbed my thumb over the unbroken skin and scowled. “Nice to see you too, Luz.”
“We’re too close to the Seelie palace to take chances.”
I squinted through the emerging sunlight and morning mist which rose off the massive river. A few patches of gray stone peeked through trees that concealed the palace walls. “Had any luck?”
Luz gestured towards a clearing where Orman sat cross-legged, his eyes staring ahead. Sweat slicked across his brow despite the chill in the air. Ishir stood by a tree, his hand resting on the hilt of his Talwar, his posture ready to move. There was no sign of Seelie soldiers. The only movement came from a flock of loons flying across the river, the sound of their cries echoing across the water.
