49. FORTY-NINE
FORTY-NINE
Mina
Iset a broken plate from the balcony on the table. Our ruined dinner seems so out of place in the soft dawn, almost like it happened in another lifetime. Last night drained me emotionally, and the storm I accidentally summoned had a price as well.
My stomach growls, protesting that I went to bed without anything to eat. I slept like the dead, wrapped in my husband’s arms all night.
The same scarred arms snake around my waist, pulling me into a hug.
“I called for breakfast and someone to clean this up,” Darius says.
The salty sea air mixes with his woodsy scent. I relax against his chest, letting my head fall back on his shoulder. He peppers kisses from my neck to my temple.
“I’ll let Staefan know to cancel our meetings for today. We can stay here and talk.” He kisses me with a slow hunger that makes my toes curl. “Or not talk, as much as you want.”
He groans when I grind my hips against him. The layers of our clothes do little to hide just how much he wants to stay in bed all day. As tempting as that sounds, we already delayed our community events longer than any other stop. We have to check on the ships and train the influx of new soldiers.
“We can’t hide in here all day, but how long until breakfast gets here?”
“Gross, get a room.” Alexi drops down from the roof, landing on the debris of our dinner with a whistle.
“Alexi?” we say in unison.
Darius and I both freeze. We stayed up sharing all our secrets, including the truth about my powers and people, my meeting with Aziza. Clearly I forgot one thing.
Darius frowns down at me, putting the pieces together. I see the moment he realizes I know exactly who the young spy is. His eyes narrow, glare turning to Alexi. “You were the one who told her about the caves.”
Alexi puts his hands up with a wince. “I’m guessing the whole no-more-secrets thing didn’t include me?”
He was there last night? Listening? Flames lick my face, and I hide behind my palms. “I thought you didn’t watch over me when Darius was around.”
“I was worried you two might kill each other once he told you the truth. I left once you two started making out, don’t worry.” He makes a little gagging noise.
“You knew as well?” I ask Alexi.
My chest tightens, but the anger from yesterday stays gone. Knowing Alexi was in on the secret hurts, but he deserves the same forgiveness. He kept Darius’s secrets as well as mine. I won’t fault him for that.
“Sorry.” He picks his way through the debris to stand before us. He focuses on Darius, who seems to be bouncing between anger and confusion as he rubs his forehead.
“Someone want to tell me how this happened?” Darius asks, pointing between the two of us.
I cross my arms and arch an eyebrow at him. “Well, we met the night of the wedding when you had him following me.” I let the accusation hang, reminding him that we both kept a secret. “Clean slate still?”
His jaw flexes before letting out a slow breath. “Yes. I won’t apologize for caring about your safety though. Alexi will remain assigned to you.”
“And I won’t apologize for keeping our meeting a secret. It wasn’t mine to tell.”
A spark of irritation turns his brown eyes a shade darker. I shiver, looking forward to how we will work this secret out later. If someone had told me make-up sex was this delicious, I would’ve picked fights more often.
“I think I liked it better when you hated each other,” Alexi grumbles.
I laugh and loop my arm through Alexi’s, locking him to my side. He tries to pull away as I place a kiss on his cheek.
I turn to Darius to scold his usual jealousy but find none. He might be angry at us for keeping this from him, but a part of him looks relieved, happy even. He’s watching us with a small smile that I doubt he’s even aware of. Alexi notices it too, the tension leaving his shoulders.
“How about you stay for breakfast and fill me in on how you two met? We can fill Darius in on our friendship as well,” I say.
We move to the sitting area, and Alexi and I take turns recalling our interactions. Darius’s irritation dissipates the longer we talk. Technically, Alexi still completed his mission of reporting back on me and keeping me safe. In the end, Darius has no room to complain.
Someone knocks on the door, and I rise to intercept the food before they bring it in. I crack the door, and Jaime smiles up at me. “Morning, Mina.”
Her brows pinch in confusion as my smile turns wicked. “Good morning, Jaime.”
I swing open the door before Alexi can fully react. They stare at each other as Alexi’s whole face turns bright pink. Darius studies the interaction, grabbing on to Alexi before he can bolt.
“Just how many people know about you?” Darius asks.
Alexi shakes his head, blush tinting his ears now too. It’s adorable.
Jaime wheels the cart in and sets up the spread on the table in the sitting area. The chefs always prepare too much food, so once she’s finished, I pat the seat next to me.
“Join us, please. We were just about to hear how these two met.”
“Mina,” Darius cuts in. “You do realize a spy is supposed to be secretive.”
I wave his concern away. Alexi’s hidden from Jaime for far too long.
“Yes, but I’m fairly certain Jaime already suspected Alexi exists, and my life will be a lot easier if he doesn’t have to run away whenever she appears.”
Jaime shrugs, confirming my suspicions.
Darius still has an iron grip around Alexi’s shoulders, holding him in place on intuition alone. My smile was enough to key him in on my mischief.
“Alright. Breakfast. But I’ll only share our story if Alexi agrees,” Darius says.
I’m not used to seeing this protective big brother side. I swoon a little. He’s a softer version of himself around Alexi, different from how he is with me even. I want to get to know all his facets, unearthing them all until there are no mysteries left between us.
Jaime slides a tray of breakfast tarts closer to Alexi. “I’d love to hear it, if you’ll let me.”
I did not think it possible for Alexi to get any stiffer, but he mirrors the marble busts in the hallway downstairs. I bite back a laugh. Even Darius seems to be fighting a smile.
“Whatever,” Alexi says. “I don’t really care if they know. She can keep a secret.”
He looks at Jaime head-on for the first time since she entered. They share a silent understanding, both loyal to the people they love. Just how closely has he been watching her to trust her like I do? I suppose it is his business to know about the people around me.
We eat as Darius shares how he found Alexi the winter after he left for war. Starved and half dead, surrounded by a group of gutted men. His dark talents on full display. Darius and Staefan took Alexi in, trained together, and eventually he helped Darius take the throne.
Their story left out anything about Darius’s mother. I trust Jaime, but I understand his desire to keep some things a secret from her. I’m pleasantly surprised he opened up this much.
“Where did you come from before that?” I ask as I sip the last of my tea.
“North.”
I try to picture the map of Veloria I have been studying for months. “The only thing more north than Mathias is the mountains.”
Alexi nods and nibbles on a tart. How is he from such an impassable wasteland of snow? The question begs to be asked, but the haunted look in his eyes gives me pause. I’ve never seen him scared before.
“We should get you ready, Mina,” Jaime interrupts, flashing Alexi a warm smile that carries the fondness of an older sister. “Drills will be starting soon.”
Darius offers me his hand. I let him pull me from the couch and into a kiss. My shock at his public affection lasts only a moment before I kiss him back. No more hiding. No more secrets. I wrap my arms around his neck and hum against his mouth, heart full for the first time in a long time.
“Go.” His sigh says he wants the opposite. “Find me later and I’ll let you know what our social calendar entails.”
As if summoned by the mention of work, Staefan barges into the room. His shock at our unusual foursome lasts only a moment before he nods. “Glad to see you two survived the night. I heard it was quite a storm.”
We glance at the broken balcony and smile at one another.
“We’ve weathered worse.” I punctuate my statement with another kiss before pulling away, missing his warmth immediately.
“So much for a day in,” Darius whispers loud enough for Staefan to hear.
“You two can relax together once you’ve finished your duties,” Staefan scolds, glaring at Darius. “You’ve already missed a meeting with the Fishermen’s Guild.”
“Good thing I have you to act in my stead,” Darius says before kissing my cheek. “Enjoy training for me.”
I laugh at his dejected tone. Despite how heavy my body feels from last night’s storm, I’d rather face a day of drills than a stuffy meeting any time.
Jaime helps me dress and braid my hair back before we head to the large fields north of the city. By the time we arrive, Hamlin has already started running the soldiers through drills.
The women are nearly sixty in number now, jogging around the outskirts of the grounds.
Most keep pace nicely, but a few suck in heavy breaths as they trail behind.
As they finish the lap, I signal for them to line up in front of me.
The newer recruits follow the directions of the women around them, forming neat rows.
“With so many new faces, I thought it best to run through Kalisham’s defensive forms and strikes today.
The strongest foundation for a soldier lies in mastering the basics.
While these moves will easily help in combat on the field, I’ve found them quite useful when going about my everyday tasks.
Tavern patrons with wandering hands tend to learn quickly when you do this. ”
I nod and Urselya reaches for my waist. I grab her hand and twist it up her back. She lightly squeezes, signaling that she reached her threshold. I release the hold, and she returns to Hamlin’s side.
“Alright, ladies. Pair off.” I smile at the eagerness of the new recruits.
I demonstrate the moves on Hamlin and Urselya several times before we break up and join each soldier in turn. I trail through the partners, tweaking their movements until I’m confident everyone has a solid understanding of basic blocks, strikes, and joint manipulations.
By the time the supper bell rings, we’re all drenched but smiling like fools. Hard work among a group like this summons a dangerous level of hope for permanent change. I’m proud of them for taking a risk and trying something so far out of their cultural norms.
They will all be fine soldiers one day. Now I just have to make sure they are ready for the trip to Kalisham.
Jaime has a hot bath ready and waiting for me back in my room. The bronze tub is littered with flower petals, the scalding water equal parts welcome by my sore muscles and hated by my body’s already high temperature.
I barely have a moment to catch my breath before I’m swept into the next room and dressed for a social dinner with Darius. Several traders from surrounding cities are in port, and we won’t have another opportunity to meet them all so easily.
Darius is in a deep conversation with the merchant next to him about the abysmal roadways in his territory.
I plaster on a welcoming smile as one of our guests regales me with an exaggerated story about how he battled a great storm without losing a single ship.
I interject with praise and questions at all the right moments, letting my etiquette classes lead me through the interaction.
While I am generally happy to meet new faces and hear about their homes and jobs, the events of last night are catching up to me. Exhaustion pulls at my very bones, stealing my hunger. I barely touch my dinner, choosing to take small bites of bread as we chat.
The pulsing in my skull keeps time as the seconds tick by. When will this dinner be over?
“More wine, Your Majesty?” Lord Duponte eyes my full cup. I have only taken a tentative sip so far this evening. “Or perhaps we could call for a different vintage?”
“No, thank you. I find I’m not quite in the mood this evening.”
His toothy grin isn’t the gentle inquisition of a scholar, but the predatory gleam of a snake. He barely tolerates me, so I’m surprised he even bothered with such pleasantries.
Darius assures the man next to us that an assessor will be by to determine the budget for new stone roads between Dorant and Coryntha. He scans the table before turning to me.
He brushes a strand of hair behind my ear and rests his hand on my neck briefly. To anyone else, his expression seems unmoving as stone, but I notice a flash of concern.
“Gentlemen. Thank you for making the time to dine with us this evening. I look forward to talking with you more in the future,” Darius says.
He stands, extending a hand to me. My fingers slip into his with familiar ease.
“I hate to cut such an enlightening evening short, but we have an early morning at the docks tomorrow. As I’m sure many of you do.”
I lean into Darius’s side as we walk from the room. A chorus of gratitude and well-wishes follows us until we’re securely behind the door. As soon as we’re alone in our room, I collapse on the bed with a sigh.
“Thank the sun and moon. I don’t know how much more small talk I can handle this evening.”
Darius’s warm laugh draws closer. “I could sense you fading. I wasn’t too keen on the repetitiveness of the evening’s conversation either.”
The bed dips under his weight. He rubs circles on my back, soothing the ache there.
“And here I thought you were obsessed with trade routes and allocating funds for repairs,” I joke.
“Hardly.” His skillful hands lull me further into my exhaustion. “Mina.”
“Hmmm?”
“Are you feeling alright?” The concern and affection in his voice wrap around me like a warm hug.
I reluctantly peel open my eyes and turn to face him, bringing his hand to my cheek. I snuggle into his caress. “Just a bit tired from everything.”
Worry creases his brow.
“Darius, I am fine. A good night’s sleep and my favorite wake-up call should do the trick.”
He smirks at my veiled request. He woke me up in spectacular fashion last week, his tongue coaxing me from sleep in a way my favorite tea never could. A woman could get used to that kind of start to her day.
Darius kisses me softly. “Noted.”
He makes quick work of my clothes and tucks me under the pale blue sheets. The cool satin feels amazing on my flushed skin.
“You aren’t coming to bed?” Disappointment colors my words, even though my body is relieved to be able to sleep right away.
He throws his jacket on a nearby chair. “Soon. I have some paperwork to finish.”
My pouting is halfhearted as he kisses my temple. I snuggle further into my pillow, and the comforting sounds of shuffling papers and lazy waves carry me to a dreamless night.