Lannahi didn’t know how to answer, but she knew she was cold. “I-if you wish,” she replied as a shudder shook through her.
“I wouldn’t offer if I didn’t want to.”
And why do you want to?Lannahi thought.To help me or to ingratiate yourself to me?
Did you really fall for me or do you plan to take advantage of me?
When Ashared slid under the quilt, she turned her back to him. Her throat felt tight.
Darling, began the last letter from Nihhal.Thousands of rainbow arcs separate us during the day, but at night you are always beside me. You look at me with a proud gaze, and on your slender neck glitters a necklace studded with diamonds. I dream of feeling your touch on my skin and I reach for your delicate hands to show your skillful fingers the way. You blush but don’t avert your eyes. You are too proud to run away. When I ask you to kneel, you struggle with your feelings but eventually give in. You know I am willing to reciprocate pleasure and pain…
You know, right? Soon, darling.
After Ashared shifted closer and wrapped his arm around her, Lannahi lay there for several minutes, trying to focus only on the feeling of warmth radiating from his bare skin. She didn’t understand why many fae had such disdain for the powers of shapeshifters. She wouldn’t have minded the increased resistance to cold or the ability to freely manipulate the length of body hair…
“Soldiers undergo training in frozen lakes,” Ashared spoke up in a quiet voice. Lannahi twitched and then froze, suspicious and hopeful at the same time. “Dressed in waterproof outfits, they deliberately crush the ice beneath them to fall into the water. Each of them wear hooks around their necks, which they use to climb out of the water. Those who master the fear are able to escape the ice-cold water in a matter of seconds.”
He fell silent as if waiting for her reaction. When she didn’t speak, he said gently, “You could take part in the training yourself. Preferably in the same lake you fell into.” A moment of hesitation. “I could help you.”
The tightness in her throat returned. Ashared knew what was bothering her, but not everything. That he knew one of her weaknesses disturbed her. That he wanted to help her overcome it touched her.
The thought that he might wish to gain her trust only to betray it later paralyzed her.
Before the prolonged silence became completely awkward, Ashared kissed her on the top of her head. “Sleep, Lannahi,” he murmured. “Sleep.”
Saved from having to answer, she focused again on the warmth of his skin. She fell asleep soon after, and when she awoke, she was alone.
Thus began the day of the Royal Sabbath.
***
As expected, Lizaar’s mood balanced between coldness and hostility, but the memory of her failed coup was enough for her to agree to put on the collar. In the dark afternoon, she and Ashared, who didn’t say a word about Lannahi’s nightmare, walked with her along the Trail to Blacktower.
Lannahi squinted against the rays of the setting sun as she stepped out of the Trail. A second after she noticed the pillars surrounding her and the massive silhouette of the walls of the Black Arena, her heart lurched. A dozen steps away stood two heavily built men, and the way they looked at her left no doubt. They were waiting for her.
Lannahi forced herself to take a deep breath. Lizaar and Ashared also noticed the presence of the men, but having understood Lannahi’s intentions, they also turned toward the Guide and his guards.
“We appreciate your escort,” Lannahi said politely.
The Guide responded with a slight nod. “I will meet with you again later.”
Finding a foothold in etiquette, Lannahi turned and moved slowly toward Mahhir.
Lizaar’s brother ran his investigative gaze across the faces of his sister and Ashared but eventually met Lannahi’s own steady gaze.
“Be greeted, Lady Lannahi,” he said when she stopped a few steps from him. “When we saw each other last time, I didn’t have a chance to introduce myself properly. I am Mahhir.” He gestured at the man accompanying him. “And this is Kazurr, General of Rubycrest. Will you grant us clemency and allow us to accompany you on today’s Sabbath?”
“I appreciate the offer,” she said. “But it is not my company you are seeking. If you wish to speak to Lizaar, just say so, Mahhir. I’m not going to isolate her from her family.”
Surprise broke through the mask of calmness on the man’s face. He regarded her carefully then glanced at Ashared. “I wish to talk with my sister,” he admitted, returning his gaze to her. “But I would be glad to talk to you as well, Lannahi. Will you allow me to escort you inside?”
She nodded politely. When she moved forward, Mahhir waited for her to join him and began walking at her side. Kazurr walked behind them with Lizaar and Ashared.
“How do you like the South?” Mahhir asked.
Lannahi searched his face, unsure if it was a courtesy question, a taunt, or a prelude to a conversation to be filled with threats. The man’s gaze remained calm.
“I find the scenery interesting,” she replied, “and the nectar bitter.”
