Chapter Thirty-Six
Saura gifted two small vials of Diablerie elixir to Mira, the same concoction used to save my life in the Dogu village. She gripped them in her delicate ivory hands, her nose wrinkling in the way it always did when she was unsure.
“So, what? I just drink it?” she asked.
“Traditionally, yes,” Saura purred. “But if you’d like, you could take it rect–”
“No—drinking’s fine.” She cut the sarcastic remark short.
A smile tugged at my lips, unable to contain my amusement. Mira caught the subtle curve of my smirk and fixed me with her sharp ruby gaze. That’s all it took—I longed to touch her, to bridge the gap between us. Her fierce, resilient spirit drew me in like a song—an intoxicating melody I couldn’t free myself of.
“What exactly am I supposed to do when I get there?” she asked.
“The elixir will only ensure that your mana does not fail in conjuring the veil. It will do nothing in aiding your pursuit,” Saura warned.
“Right.” Mira counted off on her fingers. “Get there. Find Sidelle and Eurok. Don’t get killed.”
My mana reared in response, despite its heavy use today. Never.
“Once you find them,” Saura continued, “drink the second vial and veil the three of you to Oakrend.”
“Four.” I stepped to her side. “I’m going with you.”
The witch pursed her lips and flicked her sapphire eyes to me with one of those knowing expressions these witches seemed to have.
“Don’t you have to be here?” Mira asked. “You’ve only just won the games. Won’t someone notice your absence?”
Most likely, they already have.
“Never again, remember?” I was resolute, unwavering in my stance, and nothing would sway me from it.
When she nodded, a subtle relaxation eased the stiffness in her shoulders. My venomous little princess wanted me there, even if she wouldn’t admit it. She preferred solitude ‘til she met me—alone was how she survived. Despite my anger at her stealing my warrior’s death and thwarting the gods’ plans, I understood the fear that drove her reaction.
She popped the top off the vial and placed it against the perfect bow of her lips, but instead of drinking, she pulled it away and replaced the cork.
“Can we talk first?” she asked.
The smoky rasp of her tone was almost enough to bring me to my knees. I was still reeling from having her back in my arms after missing her for so long.
Saura leveled us with an impatient glance, then clicked her tongue against her teeth. “I’ll give you two a moment.” She stepped outside.
I turned to her and placed my hands on her arms, gently tracing my thumbs over her smooth satin skin. “What is it?”
“I don’t know, I just…”
It was no secret she struggled with expressing emotions other than anger. Seeing her try to find the words now was like watching someone attempt to keep the silken sands of the black calms from escaping a tight fist. The more frustrated she became, the quicker her words slipped away.
She loosed a sigh, starting again. “Last night, after we danced, you said you couldn’t understand what was worth giving up your chance to be commander before, but that you get it now. I realize you care for me but–”
“You wanna know what I meant?” A gentle smile danced on my lips.
She nodded.
I took a deep, slow breath, recalling the hours before I met her. “Eurok shared some intriguing advice with me before I set off to find you. He said, ‘If I’m right about this, your whole world is about to change.’ At the time, I didn’t recognize what he meant. I assumed he was referring to the war. After meeting you, though, after our night at the Star Hewn—I started to see things from a different perspective.”
That was a half-truth. I realized she’d be my undoing the moment she pointed that dagger between my ribs, and my cock hardened for her for the first time. Gods, how I wanted to take her right then and there. But later, when her flawless body floated in those star-flecked waters, I knew she was mine—and I hers.
“What did he mean, if not that?” Her deep, quizzical eyes asked me to lay it all bare for her.
“I believe, somehow, he sensed you’d be my Sidelle.”
Her breath hitched. “How could he know that?”
I dropped my voice. “His exact words were, ‘Balis, don’t fuck her. If you end up falling for that girl, you’ll never be a warrior for the druid army—you’ll be hers alone.’”
Her pouty lips parted, and I traced the soft skin along her jaw with the back of my finger. My eyes tracked the touch as I swept it down her exquisite neck to her collarbone. Her body was a portrait of every one of my temptations—as if she were made to drive me mad. My own personal hell both near her and away from her.
I dropped my forehead to hers. “Little did he realize, it required far less than that.”
The corner of her mouth twitched, and I craved to lean down and taste it.
“You, princess, have been my undoing every one of my convictions from the very start. I would give up everything for you. Every dream I’ve ever had, every aspiration of who I thought I’d become, pales in comparison to who I want to be for you—who you make me want to be.”
A shallow breath escaped her lungs, and the intoxicating scent of jasmine and tangerine washed over me.
“You are venomous, strong, and protective. From now on, I will forever be the one to protect you. That is my promise.”
She paused, steeling herself under my gaze. She cared for me. Maybe not love, but something stirred in her at my words. I saw it, felt it through the brushing of our powers. Still, my declaration hadn’t shaken all the fight from her.
“And if I object?”
I chuckled. “You won’t get rid of me that easily, princess.”
Her rare, bright smile beamed up at me, and she lifted herself on her toes to claim my mouth.