“That sounds like something Tahira would do.”
Emerin nods as she finishes drying herself off. “See. I’m not so perfect after all.”
I smile as I find clean surcoats and pants for us on the nearby shelf. I made sure to leave some the last time I bathed here.
The moment we’re both dressed, I grab Emerin’s hand and pull her toward the door, knowing I want to spend every possible second I can with her before she returns to Bakva.
ChapterForty-Seven
JASCE
Sparring wasn’tenough to keep my mind from Annora. Even with Reeve as my opponent, I kept allowing my thoughts to stray. I paid for every distraction with a quick strike of his practice sword.
When we finished, I retraced Annora’s steps the day she was poisoned, and they led to the kitchen. From there, I was able to single out everyone but the cook and a maid who gave Annora some almond milk.
So, I questioned both thoroughly and determined the maid was the person who gave Annora the poison. She started sobbing the moment I got the truth from her, saying she was forced to do it, that Keel’s men ordered her to.
I told my guards to lock her in the dungeon, then I set out on a path of questioning everyone who comes into contact with Annora. By nightfall the next day, two more people sit in the dungeon with the maid.
Satisfied, I have done everything in my power to protect Annora, I finally make my way to our bedchamber.
Annora will be there. I feel it in my bones.
When I see her, I’ll pull her close. I’ll kiss her.
I open the door to my bedchamber and step inside. It only takes a moment to find Annora sitting on the bed. Her nightdress clings temptingly to every curve, the thin fabric doing nothing to conceal her form from my hungry gaze. Warmth stirs low in my belly at the sight. After days of restraint, my self-control hangs by a precarious thread.
Without a word, I cross the room, sit next to her, and pull her into my arms. She comes willingly, fitting against me like she was crafted for me.
I lean down, pressing my mouth against hers. For a moment, the world narrows down to just the two of us. The warmth of her body against mine, the floral scent of her hair, the soft sound of her breathing.
She pulls away first and looks up at me. “Thank you for bringing Emerin here to heal me and for giving me time with her.”
I brush a strand of hair back from her face. “I would do anything for you.”
A smile touches her lips before she presses her cheek to my chest again.
“Annora,” I begin. “I am sorry that things have gone differently than I intended when I married you and brought you to Sharhavva.”
She speaks, her voice muffled against me. “It is my fault. I know Asha better than you, and I knew she wouldn’t relent, but I came with you anyway.”
No. I am the one who came to Bakva, and I am the one who promised Annora that I would unify our houses.
“I will not allow you to blame yourself.”
“And yet, I do.” She sighs and pulls away to sit next to me, her shoulders slumped under an invisible weight. “I am the one who broke Asha’s heart, and I left my younger sisters to endure my mother alone.”
Annora’s sadness wraps around me like a suffocating shroud, coiling tighter around my chest with every shuddering breath she takes.
“I’m sorry. If I could change that, I would.”
She sniffs and hunches her shoulders even more. “And now, part of my heart will leave tomorrow.”
The bedcovers rustle beneath me as I shift to place my arms around her shoulders. “I want you to be able to be with your sisters whenever you want.”
“I want that too, but it’s impossible.”
Maybe right now, but not forever.
