Chapter 8
There was only a slight stiffening of her body, but Varum had been looking for it. He had wanted to catch her off guard, and he had done just that. Now, all he had to do was sit back and wait for the lies to fall from her lips.
“My arms were bound, remember? I sank,” Kalyani answered.
Varum nodded slowly, his lips twisting. “All right. Tell me how you were able to swim so far from shore? And don’t try to tell me you were on a boat and fell overboard. There were none around, other than the sloop you attacked.”
Her brown eyes never left his as she drew in a breath and calmly released it. She sat serenely. The only indication that she was bothered by his questions was the way she gripped her hands so tightly that her knuckles turned white.
This time when she spoke, her voice held a slight tremor. “I swim every day. I’ve built up an endurance.”
“So it would seem. Do you have any idea how far out you were?”
Her lips parted, but no words came out. Instead, she gave a single shake of her head.
“The fact that you don’t know raises questions. Who would swim out so far that the shore was no longer in sight? Unless, of course, you were certain you could return without issue.”
“I’m a strong swimmer. You make it sound like that’s some kind of crime.”
He quirked a brow at her. The human was in a foreign place with no friends in sight, yet she remained defiant.
He would think her brave if he knew she wasn’t hiding a secret that could get her killed.
If other Sea Elves learned about Kalyani’s skills, they would swiftly end her life.
The sea was their home, and there was no way they would share it with other elves, much less humans.
If Kalyani had gills, it was likely that other humans did, as well.
“Why not just tell me the truth?” he pressed. “It’ll be easier that way.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Varum leaned forward and braced his forearms on his knees as he stared at her. “I cannot abide liars.”
“You wanted information on the Masters. I agreed to give it to you. And in return, you gave me your word that I could leave. Are you going back on that?” she challenged.
He slowly sat back. It had taken everything he had to get her inside the city unseen.
Getting her out would be even harder. What if another Sea Elf came across her?
It would come back that he had found her and didn’t immediately bring her to the Assembly.
He still wasn’t quite sure why he hadn’t done that yet.
“Ah. I see,” she replied with a sneer. “Heal me, feed me, and give me some clothes. Am I some kind of pet? A plaything to entertain you until you’re finished with me, and you can hand me off to someone else?
Did you really want to know about the Masters?
Or was that an excuse? You gave me your word. I took you for an honorable elf.”
Damn her for striking him where it stung the most. He had never gone back on his word. Ever. He shouldn’t have promised her anything, but what was one human’s life over that of every Sea Elf?
“I didn’t lie about needing information on the Masters,” he said.
She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. “Just everything else.”
“I have an opportunity to keep the Masters from getting to more of my people. What would you do if given that chance?”
“I’d do whatever it took.”
“Then you understand,” he said hopefully.
She rose to her feet, her hands fisted at her sides as she glared daggers at him. In a heartbeat, he was on his feet, facing her with the table between them.
“If you had no intention of freeing me, the least you could’ve done was be honest. How can I trust anything you say now?” she demanded.
He raked his gaze over her. “And you’ve been just as truthful?”
“You should’ve kept up your charade a little longer. You would’ve learned all you needed to know.” Rancor laced each syllable and flooded her gaze.
Varum parted his lips to reply, but a knock on his door stopped him.
It was followed by a feminine voice calling his name.
He didn’t have time for Tanira today, but he knew from experience that she wouldn’t go away until she said what she had come to say.
His gaze moved from the door to Kalyani, whose lips turned up in a smile as she sensed an opportunity.
Blue magic shot from his outstretched hands toward Kalyani, lifting her over the table and against him as he backed her into his bedroom.
Her eyes widened, a spark of fear in the deep brown color.
Her hands were braced against his chest, but she didn’t cower.
He was beginning to think the human feared nothing.
Varum pressed her against the wall next to his door and leaned his face close to hers. “I’m only going to say this once, so listen carefully. If anyone learns of your presence, they’ll kill you, and me right after. Humans are not allowed here. Even other elves are refused entry.”
Her brow furrowed in response.
“While I see to this guest, you’ll remain in this room and stay quiet.
That is, if you want to see your home again.
And before you say you have no reason to do what I’m telling you, let me say that you have no desire to experience Sea Elf torture.
They will draw it out for days until they wring everything they want from you. ”
“You’re bluffing,” she countered.
There was another knock, louder this time. “Varum!” Tanira called.
“Coming!” he threw over his shoulder. He dug his fingers into Kalyani’s arms. “I want to stop the Masters. If you believe nothing else, believe that.”
Varum released her and stepped back. She remained quiet as he straightened his clothes and closed the bedroom door behind him. He wound magic around the handle so it couldn’t be opened by anyone but him, then strode to the front door and swung it open.
Tanira stood with a warm smile, the seductive curves of her body clothed in luxurious, deep sapphire sea silk that appeared black until the light hit it.
Then, it burst into ripples of turquoise and silver.
The enchanted fabric was weightless and moved as if alive.
Her sleeveless, fitted crop top had a high neck but was open along the sides.
He knew from the countless others she had worn before that it would close at the spine with thin, silver clasps shaped like shells.
To denote her status, her family crest was embroidered in a drift gold and pale pearl wave pattern across her shoulders.
Skilled coral artisans had created layers of sheer finsilk that fell from her waist to her ankles, creating an illusion that she was surrounded by moving water.
The narrow, jeweled belt rested low on her waist, while a nearly transparent scarf of woven sea lace, edged with threads of pearl and shell, rested on one shoulder and lay across her chest.
She knew how to dress her body to draw the eye, using the garments to proclaim her heritage, beauty, and power, but it was her attention to detail that kept all eyes on her.
The top portion of her blue-black hair was pulled into a loose braid studded with pearls.
Her silvery white eyes were lined with kohl made from crushed pearl dust.
Long spirals of white coral tipped with teardrop pearls brushed her shoulders, while silver filigree caps covered the points of her ears. Polished shell armbands etched with curling motifs encircled each arm, and delicate silver sandals adorned her feet.
Tanira’s beauty, wealth, and rank made her highly sought after by every male in Tarangarh.
She had left a trail of lovers behind her, each one completely ensnared by her magnetic charms. Varum had known for some time that she wanted him in her bed, but he had managed to stay out of her clutches by using their family connection.
She raised a perfectly arched brow. “Aren’t you going to invite me inside?”
He didn’t want her in his home, but his other option was to be seen with her in public, and that simply wouldn’t do. He would have to take the chance that the human would keep quiet.
“Forgive me,” he said and stepped aside to allow her entry.
As she glided past, the soft chimes of her anklets floated between them, followed by the subtle, lingering fragrance that was unmistakably hers: salt lotus and sea jasmine. He shut the door and faced her as she walked to the sofa and sat in the exact spot Kalyani had previously occupied.
“Come sit,” Tanira beckoned as she patted the spot beside her.
It wasn’t that he was immune to her charm. She was stunning to look at, and she had a sharp mind. Perhaps if he hadn’t seen her rip so many of his friends’ hearts to shreds, he might have found his way to her bed. But he had seen. And so, he kept his distance. Much to her chagrin.
Varum took the opposite sofa. As he sank into the cushion, he asked, “What brings you here?”
“No one has seen you in a day and a half. It isn’t like you not to be at the Assembly. I was worried.”
He studied her pale eyes, looking for deceit. Though he didn’t find any, he knew it was there. It wasn’t exactly Tanira’s fault. Her mother had taught her manipulation and seduction on a level that couldn’t be touched. “No need to concern yourself with me.”
“Varum,” she replied with a serene smile. “We’ve known each other our entire lives. Why wouldn’t I be worried about a friend?”
“You know why.”
She waved away his words. “Surely, you can’t be thinking of what Mum said ten years ago.”
It was impossible to forget the way Tanira’s mother had proclaimed, in the middle of Assembly, that he was only good enough to be the Currentspeaker and not on the Assembly itself. Which made him lacking in every other way—including as a husband for anyone of rank.
“Hard to forget something done so publicly.”
“Mum often speaks out of turn. You may also remember that she apologized.”