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I gave Liana’s hand a reassuring squeeze and led her to the table. Alaric and Finn moved to sit where the servants indicated a couple seats down from where the queen sat—leaving Liana to sit to the left of the Queen of Day and across from her father, and I to sit next to her, and across from my uncle.
My stomach turned violently at the nearness. I had left his estate years ago but seeing him there put me right back in that younger self’s skin. Cowering from the whip of his belt as it bit into flesh that was already raw. Begging to be heard over the deafening silence within his walls.
Liana’s fingers dug into my thigh under the table, her fingers tipped with searing heat. I turned and found her eyes aglow in a mix of gold and red—her gaze fixed on my uncle. Of course…
Idiot.
She could feel my emotions—and thanks to the bond, gods knew what she saw in my mind. I laid my hand over hers, tugged it until she looked at me. “It isn’t worth it,” I told her in a low voice, grateful for the cover of Edris and Suriel’s laughter.
She took a moment, but I watched her begin to calm. Then she turned back to her food, her expression grim.
He should pay for what he did to you.
I jolted. My spine tingling when her voice rang out inside my skull, half choking on my swallow of wine.
Finding the tether between us, I spoke down the length of it, as calmly as I could.And he will. In time.
“I trust you’reenjoyingyour new home?” My uncle asked, his mouth still full of half-chewed meat.
Overhearing my uncle’s comment, Suriel leaned in to give me a forlorn look across the table, “Ah yes, my Tiernan—well, I suppose not anymore. I was sad to see you go,” she sighed, holding out her glass to be refilled with wine, “But I can see now why you didn’t return.” Her gaze cut to Liana, whose hand froze under mine.
Liana bit her bottom lip, swallowing the blush in her cheeks.
Alaric cleared his throat, “Tiernan has been a valuable member of Liana’s guard. I thank you for releasing him to us.”
“Hmmmmm,” she replied while swallowing down more drink. “I hope you feel welcome back at court and that you’ll return whenever you like… I do miss your company,” she finished with a sultry tone to her voice. A thread of heat seared down my spine and it took every ounce of my self-control not to shake my head at her.
Her appetite for pleasure was always ravenous—but it was worse when she drank. And she wasn’t superb at takingnofor an answer.
A snort from behind her and I saw Salar’s look of distaste. As the captain of her guard and the one who chose me, I couldn’t blame him for being upset at my choice. The other two guards I never got to know well.
Even though it’d been months, she still hadn’t replaced me.
Edris resumed polite conversation with Suriel, tearing her attentions away from me. Thank the gods.
Liana did not hide her discomfort and took a long swallow of her own drink, her eyes widening at the taste.
I nudged her shoulder, “Quite good, isn’t it?”
She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes.
It was plain to see she was restless. War waited on our doorstep back home, and here we were breaking bread with her supposed enemy. I wanted to ease the tension in her shoulders and smooth the crease in her forehead. Kiss away the frown from her lips.
Liana drained another glass of wine—picking at the foreign meal of salted pork and charred fruit. Lost in her own thoughts.
“It doesn’t taste like it,” I said, staying her hand before she could take another swallow of the summer wine, “But it’s a strong blend. I would sip it slowly.”
Chapter Eighteen
Liana
Ishould’ve listened to Tiernan.
By the time the nobles at the other end of the table were making ready to leave, the room swayed before my eyes. The edges of my vision were hazy as if I was seeing through a thin sheet of fog.
I’d had enough of listening to Tiernan’s ass of an uncle make passive aggressive small talk to his nephew, who I could feel getting more and more riled and upset with each word out of the old fool’s thin lips.
And I wasdonewearing the ridiculous gown Suriel had stuffed me into.
