by L. Penelope
He could only guess at the path of her thoughts as she visibly refitted her emotional armor. But when she spoke, her voice was shaky. “Did you mean what you said to him, or were you merely trying to push Father’s buttons?”
He blinked and shook his head. “What do you mean?”
She cleared her throat, averting her gaze. “When you said those things about me. That I was intelligent … and capable.”
This time when he reached for her, he would not let her retreat. “Yes, I meant every word.” His hands untangled her tightly gripped fingers. He slipped his palm under hers, enveloping her smaller hand in his. “How could you doubt that?”
Maddeningly, she wouldn’t meet his gaze. “I thought you disliked me.”
“Disliked you? I don’t believe that I have ever liked anyone more.”
Finally, she lifted her head. Her expression was still guarded. “You like me? Truly?”
“Yes, duchess.” The nickname he’d once meant as a barb was now a term of endearment.
Her eyes narrowed. “More than Brigit?”
Tai schooled his features so they wouldn’t show the joy he felt at her jealousy. He brought his fingertips to her chin to hold her gaze in place. “Since the day I first saw you in the palace, surrounded by guards, I can’t tell you what any other woman even looks like.” He released her chin to stroke her cheek. “I got … overwhelmed. And I tried to pretend I was the man I used to be, but he doesn’t exist. The only version of Tai Summerhawk presently drawing breath is the one whose heart belongs to you.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
The people danced the dance for her, their feet pounding the ground. At first, she shied away, afraid the cheer was too close to praise. But soon, she rose on her new legs, slowly feeling their rhythm. She spun and danced and laughed and sang. And learned to love it all.
—THE AYALYA
Lizvette was speechless at Tai’s admission. She still hadn’t uttered a word by the time Kendos came looking for them.
“Are you ready to go, Miss Nirall?” the man asked. “Miss Liddelot is asking for you. She wants to know if you have any information on the sleeping agent used on Sister Vanesse.”
Nodding mutely but unable to tear her eyes away from Tai, Lizvette followed Kendos from the exhibit hall.
A flurry of activity followed. The police arrived to coordinate with Zivel about Nirall’s imprisonment until they could transport him back to Elsira. A doctor was called to see to Vanesse. Lizvette and Tai gave their initial statements to both the Foreign Service agents and the Melbain police.
Lizvette thought she’d spoken clearly, tried to be as detailed as possible, but her mind was still in that moonlit hall where Tai had confessed his true feelings. Her confusion and worry had been replaced by exhilaration, but she had no idea what to do with the new emotion.
Vanesse woke as Nirall had promised, with no lingering side effects, and they all left the clueless revelers at the gala behind and headed back to the hotel.
Their little suite now seemed ominous to Lizvette as soon as she walked in the door. Father had infiltrated it one too many times, and Sovereign only knew if there were other surprises hidden inside. The others must have thought so, too, because Clove called to the front desk to see if they could change rooms. Now that the race was over, the accommodations were more plentiful and she was able to book three rooms on another floor.
The other women left quickly, having far less to pack. They said their good nights and planned to meet up the next day for the trip to Elsira.
Half an hour later, when Lizvette emerged from her bedroom, traveling case in hand, the door to Tai’s room was closed. She moved toward it, fear tightening her stomach, when the bellman arrived to take her bag to her new room. The older man smiled at her kindly and plucked her heavy case from her hand.
She looked at Tai’s door longingly, then turned to follow the bellman. Her steps were heavy as she walked away. She had nearly been the princess of Elsira, and he was a smuggler and an ex-convict. True, they had imprisonment in common, though hers had been inside a majestic palace and his on some sort of floating penitentiary where he’d worked from sunrise to sunset. At least his conviction had been for something righteous. She wished she could say the same about her own.
And there was the rub. While an outsider may see the two of them and imagine a well-bred Elsiran to be outside the grasp of a brash Raunian, to Lizvette she was the one who was unworthy of him. Tai had proved his honor in protecting his sister, and he’d sacrificed much to come on this mission to save Jasminda’s family. And when Lizvette had been in need, he hadn’t thought twice about protecting her tonight.
Those things he had said about her had been flattering, and while he appeared to truly believe them, she could not.
“Miss?” the bellman said from the doorway.
She looked up, realizing she’d stopped walking and had been lost in thought for some time. Her cheeks heated. She scanned the room again to make sure she hadn’t forgotten anything, and her gaze fell to Tai’s door once more.
“Please drop my things off in my room for me. I’ll be along in a few minutes.”
“Certainly, miss,” the man said, then left, closing the door behind him.
Lizvette’s feet were leaden. She forced herself to walk the few paces to Tai’s room but couldn’t bring herself to knock. What would she say? As she stood there trying to come up with something, the door flew open.
Tai stood before her, looking as surprised as she felt. “I thought you’d left,” he said. The wig and makeup were gone. The dark swirls and lines on his chin, cheek, and forehead drew her in. They were beautiful. She’d missed them when he’d covered up.
“I was leaving, but…” She clasped her hands and squeezed. “I couldn’t.”
For a moment, they stared at each other, her eyes drinking him in, maybe for the last time. Then his lips crashed down on hers. His hands encircled her waist, pulling her tight. She slipped her arms around his neck, pressing their bodies together, standing on her tiptoes to get even closer. A sigh escaped her as he prodded her mouth open farther, and then his tongue invaded, plundering, looting, owning her mouth.
Her legs left the ground. Tai lifted her until her back was pressed against the wall. She tried to wrap her legs around him, but her skirt was too long and fitted. It did not seem as if she was a burden, though, and she settled into his strong embrace, heat building within her. The need to touch more of him, to feel his skin on her fingertips, grew wildly. She drew her head back and sucked in a breath, then wiggled until he released her back to the floor.
Tension coiling within her, she eyed the bed behind him. Then, feeling decidedly wicked, she clutched the hem of his shirt and pulled it up, revealing smooth sun-kissed skin, along with more tattoos. The intersecting lines and curves started under his belly button on each side of his torso and disappeared underneath his trousers.
She traced the ink, wondering what it meant and how far it went. When she leaned down to kiss the path her finger had taken, Tai stopped her with a hand on her arm.
“Duchess, I—”
Lizvette straightened and pushed on his chest. “I think you should get on the bed.”
Tai blinked. After a moment’s pause, he walked backward until his legs hit the mattress. He still looked a little unsure, but at some point in the last few moments, Lizvette had made a decision. Or maybe she’d made it days ago, she couldn’t be certain.
He sat, and she pulled his shirt off over his head. Her hands explored the planes of his chest and the crop of dark hair there. Tai closed his eyes as she explored his upper body. But then he stilled her motions with a hand on hers.
“Have you … done this before?” He winced at his own question.
She bit her lip and nodded, looking away. Raunians weren’t known for being prudish. She hoped he wouldn’t think poorly of her. “Once the wedding was near, it just didn’t—”
“You don’t have to explain,” he said, taking
her chin and forcing her to meet his gaze. “I only asked because I don’t want to cause you pain.”
Alariq had been kind, considerate, and gentle. And while Lizvette wasn’t surprised that Tai was so thoughtful, it only made her want him more. Her gaze dropped to his lips, and her fingers curled, grasping the hair on his chest.
In the morning, they would head back to Elsira. She would drink the sylfimweed tea that prevented pregnancy and cherish the memory of this night. She didn’t know what the future would hold, but the chance to feel like this, with someone who looked at her the way Tai did, was not to be wasted. She smiled at him before lowering her head to taste his skin.
* * *
Tai sucked in a breath as Lizvette’s tongue followed the swirls of his naikko, the traditional tattoo that covered him from waist to midthigh. She seemed fascinated by it, and he wondered what she’d think in a few years when it would cover his legs and buttocks.
As her lips heated his skin, the tips of her nails skimmed over his nipple. He hissed. Her gaze narrowed, and she did it again, learning quickly to read his body’s response. He grasped her wrist, stilling her hand, and pulled her arms around him, leaning her back on the bed and hovering over her.
Her eyes searched his. He met the stare, needing her to be sure this was what she wanted. He opened his mouth to ask, and she swiftly freed her hand to cover his lips.
“Don’t second-guess me, Raunian. This is what I want. With you.” Her eyes held a challenge, one he was determined to meet. She would not need to tell him again.
He pulled at the tiny buttons of the dress she’d changed into after the gala, not wanting to destroy the beautiful garment. But then he reasoned that she had other gowns in her overstuffed traveling case, and he would simply buy her a new one if she wanted. He tore the delicate silk down the middle, ducking a flying button.
Lizvette drew in a breath, then chuckled, squirming out of the skirt and bodice. Only a thin satin slip lay between them now. Tai slid his hand up her thigh, pushing up the smooth fabric to reveal her skin. Even there it was covered in freckles. He moved down her body to follow the path of the hem of her slip with his lips, starting at her knee and kissing his way up her thigh.
Her underwear was simple white cotton, which made him smile. Under all her airs and graces was something solid and real. He kissed a path up her hip to her stomach, breathing in her addictive scent. He looked up to find her staring at him with wide eyes, lips slightly parted, an expression of shock mixed with arousal coloring her cheeks. He grinned before lowering his mouth again and making her moan. The sound shot straight through him and he pushed the slip the rest of the way up and over her head.
She was bare now except for the panties. A blush crept up her skin, starting at her chest and going both up to her face and down farther and farther.
“No need for embarrassment, love. You are the most beautiful creature I’ve ever laid eyes on.” She pursed her lips as if she didn’t believe him, but it was true. He would show her if she wouldn’t believe his words.
Patiently he demonstrated his reverence for her with his touch and his kiss. She urged him to move faster, but he batted her greedy hands away, enjoying taking his time.
“Tai,” she growled, gripping his hair to the point of pain.
He chuckled, and in moments, his pants were shucked off and her panties were gone. He hovered over her, her eyes locking onto his. The connection sizzled straight to his heart. She leaned up and captured his mouth at the same moment he sank inside her.
There was no other place he wanted to be. The rhythm he set was slow. She arched her back as if trying to take in more of him, urging him to go faster, but he wanted to savor this for as long as he could. His control was fraying, but he did not want to be a wanton beast. She deserved so much more.
The sounds of pleasure she made gave him goose bumps. She scratched her nails down his back. He could tell the mark was deep and felt a trickle of blood seep from it as her eyes flashed intensely. Just like that, the barrier holding him back crumbled away.
Sweat dripped from his brow as he increased his pace. Lizvette was not a delicate flower that would break in two. She begged for more, tightening around him, making him feel as if he’d lost his mind.
They crashed into their orgasms like a ship battered against the rocks. Both gasped for air in the aftermath. Her hair had come completely out of its knot and lay messily across the pillow. He’d never seen her more disheveled and another pang of lust shot through him.
This is the real Lizvette, he thought as he stroked her face and they tried to catch their breath. He moved to lie at her side, while she threw her hand over her eyes. Her chest rose and fell, the motion hypnotizing him.
Elsirans may have no magic, but Lizvette had cast some sort of spell on him.
He held a hand to his chest where his heart beat wildly. With each pulse, he wished for the night to never end.
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
The morning found her on the journey, still humming tunes of joy. But clouds rolled in, thick and heavy, and the skies emptied themselves of rain. She sheltered under a fallen tree and burrowed into the soft earth. She dug until she was no longer alone, having discovered a serpent’s nest. “Ressst awhile,” the serpent said. And she was so tired, she did.
—THE AYALYA
Darvyn raised the hood of his crimson cloak to protect against the biting chill. A crisp wind blew across the lake, rippling the water around them. Beside him, Roshon scratched above his ear, near where the blond wig hit his scalp. Darvyn nudged the teen, who lowered his arm, looking away sulkily. They sat squeezed on a ferryboat crossing the small lake to the Physicks’ island with a dozen others, all clad in robes of varying shades of red.
After Tai and Lizvette’s departure the evening before, Darvyn and Roshon found a nearby tavern at which to dine. There they overheard talk that Physicks from all parts of the city and commonwealth were converging at the Academie in the morning.
“I recall this happening before, about a year ago,” Roshon had said as they discussed how to use the news to their advantage. “They held the event to show off a new discovery to the other Physicks.”
“What was the discovery they presented on before?” Darvyn asked, but Roshon didn’t know.
The decision to sneak into the Academie along with the other visitors was easy. They’d purchased a new translator amalgamation for Roshon and managed to find the cloaks the mages wore at a secondhand store.
The ferry docked at the tiny island, and the passengers streamed forward. A guard clad in black blocked the gated entrance to the castle. He held up a thin, metal hoop—two handspans across—in front of each person he questioned.
“What is that?” Darvyn asked.
“It’s the lie-detector amalgam I told you of,” Roshon whispered. “They used it on us when we first got here.”
Darvyn mulled over a way to trick the device, but all too soon they were near the front of the line. The guard questioned a tall man ahead of them whose well-used cloak had faded to mauve.
“Name?”
“Moises, Spellsayer Corps.”
The guard waved the wand in front of the man, then peered at it closely. He checked his list and crossed off a name. Darvyn and Roshon were only two people away from being queried. Lying was out of the question, but the truth would be disastrous.
Unless, it wouldn’t …
Something Oola had said to him the day of the temple bombing came to mind. You cannot force a man to do what he would not. You may, however, impel him to prioritize certain actions.
What if Darvyn told the truth and the guard believed him?
He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He pictured Kyara’s face—she was his priority. The only way to gain entry and save her and the others meant violating his firmly held beliefs. All men had the right to free will, but now his principles were at odds with his priorities. Doing the right thing had always been second nature to him, but before, the right thing
had always been clear. The lines were now blurred, and he was forced to admit that he cared less about right and wrong than he did about seeing Kyara again alive.
He reached for Earthsong, stretching his Song to dip into the endless source of power. When he faced the guard, he shivered from the amount of energy he held at his command.
“Name?”
“Darvyn ol-Tahlyro and Roshon ol-Sarifor.”
The guard frowned at the foreign names, but the lie detector apparently approved the truthful messages. He looked down at his list, mouth still downturned.
“I don’t see you listed among the invited guests.”
“Look again.” Darvyn spoke quietly so no one else in line would hear him. Using his Song, he focused on the guard’s energy and intentions. The man was a servant, not a Physick, and weariness hung over him. Those in service to the mages were conscripted for seven-year terms, often forced to leave their families in order to provide for them. Hopelessness saturated the guard’s emotions, along with grief, pain, and loss. Darvyn prodded at the man’s heavy burdens. Someone like him could be easily manipulated.
With a pang of remorse, Darvyn flooded the guard with a feeling of recognition at the two men before him. Added to it was the pride so lacking in his sentiments about his position. The fear embedded in the man by his superiors was easily bested by the notion that they would appreciate him for a job well done. That ensuring these two honored guests gained entry would bring the man the acclaim and gratitude he so desperately sought. Bring him closer to getting back to his family.
“Let us in,” Darvyn said. He increased the onslaught of emotion, refocusing the guard’s priorities until the man was exhilarated by the idea of letting them through, convinced it could only mean good things for his future. He stood up straighter. His eyes flashed with a boosted sense of self-worth. With a wave of his hand, he allowed Darvyn and Roshon to pass without further questioning.
