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Really, this is all starting to get a little bit tiresome.
14
FINLEY
The cobblestone courtyard is dusted with a delicate layer of undisturbed snow; pale, icy powder that crunches beneath my ill-fitting boots. They’re a size too big for me, as are the soft woolen trousers and the knitted tunic and the fur-lined overcoat, but they’re warm and functional, and that’s all I need.
For borrowed clothes, they aren’t bad at all, especially the men’s shirt I’m wearing as an under-layer. It’s made of fine silk, and it’s softer and more luxurious than any garment I’ve worn in my life.
It smells of pine and fresh, woody herbs and a hint of something else… that I can’t quite put my finger on. The only part of my outfit that’s slightly feminine is the soft woolen scarf wrapped around my neck.
It’s the purest shade of delicate sky-blue, and it’s wonderfully warm.
I’d almost feel comfortable right now, if not for the intimidating figure walking by my side.
My escort, as Gerent promised.
To my disappointment, he isn’t the elusive Archduke Duthriss. But he’s probably the next best thing; a big, hulking weapon of a man who simply calls himselfKaithar.
That was how he introduced himself. There was no mention of rank or station.
There’s just a very obvious sense that this man is a warrior.
Withthatphysique, he can’t be anythingbut.
He isn’t wearing any sort of armor or official garb—just a simple black shirt that’s rolled up at the sleeves, a grey fur vest, and a pair of leather trousers tucked into worn black boots.
His legs are like tree trunks; thighs thick and muscular, his tight-fitting trousers leaving little to the imagination.
Isn’t hecold?
Evidently not.
His hair is black and tightly coiled, shaved on both sides of his head and arranged in long, neat dreadlocks that are loosely braided together and tied back. His distinctive hairstyle and dark complexion clearly mark him as a Vikurian.
“Did you want to see the inner gardens?” Kaithar’s voice is deep and gravelly, like the rumble of thunder. “There’s a pond with a statue. It’s frozen over now, but it’s still pleasant to look at. I like it better in winter, actually.”
I glance over my shoulder.
Kaithar is the kind of man that most Rahavan women would swoon over. The sort that the noble court ladies would dream about while they act content with their arranged marriages.
But when I look at him, I feel nothing but a mild sense of trepidation.
The Vikurian seems affable on the surface, but there’s a watchfulness about him; a thinly veiled hardness that sets me on edge.
And just now, when I look at him, trying to get a sense of him, I don’t feel even an inkling of aswooncoming on, even though I might have lusted after him once upon a time.
That’s because another man has completely invaded my thoughts.
Iremember…
The feeling of his warm lips against my neck. They were unexpectedly soft. Tender, almost. Even though he was restraining my wrists with cold, savage force.
The memory is seared into my mind.
It was sowrong.
Yet it felt good.
