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At the shift in my demeanor, she rested her head against my shoulder and tightened her grip again. It was so good to feel someone’s touch. And the relief that she wasn’t miserable about being my sibling coursed through me. She seemed ecstatic, in fact, which was more than I could have hoped for. A weight lifted from me, leaving me almost floating with relief.
Lira scooted back but kept her hands on my arms. Then she frowned. “Lennox, what’s wrong?”
“What?” I turned towards the end of the room where a mirror hung. My glamour was gone. Dark circles once again swept under my eyes and my cheeks looked gaunt. “Shit,” I whispered as I pushed back into my magic to shield myself.
Lira took in the glamoured appearance and her grip on my arms tightened incrementally. “What was that?”
“Without my zevar, my magic is scattered. I don’t have as good a hold on my glamour as normal.”
“This is a glamour?” she whispered.
I shifted away from her so that she released me. “I’ve been struggling some in the last months. It’s nothing.”
“Lennox—”
“Please.” I clasped my hands together and studied the curling patterns of the burgundy rug at my feet. “There are more important issues to deal with at present.”
“Why don’t you have your zevar? Sai promised me Shaan would give it back.”
The way she’d said Sai’s name wasn’t with loathing or fear. If I had to guess, there was almost affection in her tone. Perhaps the marriage between them wasn’t a farce at all. I didn’t know what it would mean if Lira were in love with Sai. I needed her to return to the Seelie court with me and, at the same time, I didn’t wish to push her away before we even started a relationship.
“What happened with you and Prince Sai?”
She tangled her hands into her hair. “You desire a sibling relationship, right?”
I didn’t understand the shift in the conversation but nodded. There wasn’t much else in the world I wanted as much.
“No more secrets, then?”
“Of course.” I was eager to make that promise. I’d never had someone to face the world with, and I’d liked Lira from the moment we met. The ability to discern others’ motives was always a strength of mine. I felt certain I could trust her.
“Is your intent on betraying or harming the Prasanna?”
“No. It never has been, but”—I chewed the inside of my cheek—“ever since I met Shaan, I’ve especially longed to protect his court.”
Lira reached for my hand, and I allowed her to take it and give my fingers a squeeze. “You’ve spoken to Shaan, then?”
“Yes, and to answer your earlier question, I haven’t asked for my zevar, and he hasn’t offered it.” Nor should he offer the damn stone. I didn’t deserve it. Shaan holding it to punish me was more than fair.
A strand of her hair slipped forward, crossing over one of her blue eyes. She swiped the lock away, and I wondered how I hadn’t seen the similarities in our appearances. She had Father’s eyes. That was not something I’d mention. I didn’t need to share that misery.
“I think I made a poor impression on Shaan,” she said.
“Well, we certainly share that.”
A smile like sunshine stretched across her face and she clasped both hands over mine. “Siblings share, right?”
“Honestly, I don’t know what siblings do.”
She chuckled again but then angled her body away from mine. “Sai didn’t actually steal me, Lennox, it was an act.”
“An act?”
She looked up from under her eyebrows as her lip jutted out. “I didn’t mean to deceive you, but I wanted to help Shaan get his zevar back and… Oh, please forgive me.”
“Of course,” I whispered. If she was happy to be my sister, I’d forgive her for a great many things. Deceiving me to help Shaan I was only too happy to look past. “I understand. I mean, I’ve done something similar, of course. Wait… the dragon Sai created. The flames? Those were you?”
Her eyes welled, and she nodded.
