Chapter 22
Don’t let him rattle you. I raised my eyebrows in bored offense, meeting his skeptical gaze so he could better see my eyes. The violet and gold couldn’t be denied.
Harthon wasn’t fazed. “I’d share your suspicions if roles were reversed. Her appearance is bizarre, but my best guess is that Donan’s magvis died shortly after the walls came up and the earth granted us another one, just as it granted us the very first. Our patrols found her in hiding.”
“Or she is Donan’s magvis and came out of the Domus itself, in which case, there is a way in and out of those walls. Or, she’s just an ordinary woman born with strange eyes,” Aric proposed.
Sitting here in silence wouldn’t do a thing to help our cause.
The magvis would know exactly where she came from, and she surely wouldn’t appreciate someone questioning her identity.
Embracing my role, I laughed a little. “No commoner has ever had eyes such as mine. And to your first point, I didn’t come from the Domus. ”
Aric slouched back in his chair, grinning at my interjection with intrigue. “So where did you come from, then?”
“Do you remember anything about your own birth?” I deflected.
“I suppose not.”
“You cannot expect me to, either.”
He lifted a gray brow, clearly entertained by my response. “You came to be as a baby, then?”
The best lies were those that were close to truths. “I didn’t appear twenty-two years ago as the woman I am right now.”
“And how did those eyes go undiscovered for so long?”
“The woman who took me in lived remotely. I was hidden when there were visitors.”
“Clearly, then, you didn’t wish to be found. Knowing that, how is it that such a powerful being such as you came to be here with Harthon? Surely, he couldn’t force your obedience.” He asked his questions pleasantly enough, but I didn’t miss the challenge lining the words.
“When Harthon found me, I knew it would be a matter of time before others found me as well. My predecessors were fooled into making an oath that turned them into prisoners. I didn’t want others to try to do the same to me.
Harthon is a strong leader and I support his mission, so I came voluntarily.
” For thinking on my feet, it was a sound explanation.
Aric nodded slowly. “And aside from those beautiful eyes, how does Harthon know you’re the magvis?”
This would be a difficult one to answer.
Fortunately, Harthon stepped in before I had to formulate another lie. “She’s shown me small feats. Anything more would drain her, and our goal is to preserve her power for when it’s needed most.”
“I suppose you wouldn’t allow her to show me one of those feats now, would you?”
The man was relentless.
“Harthon doesn’t allow me to do anything,” I cut in.
“As I said, I’m here voluntarily. I make my own decisions in partnership with him.
” The bite of venom in my tone wasn’t all pretend.
Aric was dragging this along for far too long.
There were only so many false stories we could weave before they stepped on one another.
“Let me revise my statement, then. Will you show me one of those feats?”
“No. I am not a performer. Harthon respects my abilities. I won’t waste my strength on you.”
That half-chipped tooth peeked through as he observed me for several seconds. “I like you, Etarla. In fact, I’m rather jealous Harthon has your company. I hope he treats you as the stunning gift of nature that you are.”
I blinked. I wasn’t being remotely nice to the man, and he continued to charm and flatter me.
“If you tire of his company, you’re always welcome in Sixth.” He punctuated his invitation with a wink.
“If you’re done questioning our honesty, we can bring this meeting to a close,” Harthon stated gruffly, stealing my chance to respond. While his posture remained easy, his fingers had tightened around the knobs of his armrests.
It was a subtle sign of irritation, almost like he was bothered by Aric’s unashamed flirtation.
“And here, I was hoping to speak with the lovely Etarla for a bit longer,” Aric countered.
“She doesn’t have time for that today. You and I will dine together tonight before you leave in the morning. In the meantime, Northen, my second-in-command, can show you around our city.” The dismissal was clear.
A glint in Aric’s eyes indicated that he’d knowingly struck a nerve and was thoroughly pleased by it.
He and Harthon both stood, and I followed suit, setting my shoulders back as Aric stepped closer to me and extended a hand. Although he was maybe an inch or two shorter than Harthon, his presence was big and dangerous all the same.
It was with caution that I extended my hand in return.
He slid his palm underneath mine. “Seeing as this conversation must come to an end, it was a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Etarla. I hope to see you soon.”
I expected him to shake my hand. Instead, he brought my hand to his lips and kissed my skin, drawing the gesture out longer than I imagined was proper.
His lips were soft and warm, his hold light, and I found a blush creeping into my cheeks.
Seeing this, he winked again and slowly released my fingers.
I twisted to see Harthon standing behind me, his features dark and nearly menacing as he watched Aric.
So he was bothered by Aric’s blatant interest. And yet, he’d made it rather clear over the past few days that he didn’t desire me. That brushing his lips against mine in the woods was a one-time thing.
What gave him the right to be upset now?
Harthon gave a tight-lipped smile that failed to lighten his expression. “Northen?” At his call, the wooden doors swung open, revealing the bearded man. “It’s time for Princeps Aric’s tour.”
North dipped his chin in respect, the gesture more proper than I ever thought him to be capable of. “If you’ll come with me,” he said.
“Of course.” There was an easy swagger in Aric’s steps as he strolled after him.
When the doors closed behind them, I turned to Harthon, whose barely restrained displeasure morphed into very obvious anger.
And it was directed at me.
“You were late.”
“I was,” I said, perhaps a little too flippantly. But considering we’d just secured Aric as an ally, a scolding wasn’t what I expected from him. Or what I deserved.
“You knew how important this meeting was, and you were late.”
There was no reason for him to be upset with me about it. I’d done my job successfully. I folded my arms over my chest, refusing to cow to his imperious tone. “Are you just stating facts? Because I can give you one. The sky is gray. Again.”
“Etarla…”
I ignored the rumble of warning, taking a step forward. “Or how about this one. Late or not, I just helped you secure Aric as an ally. I think that deserves a thank you, does it not?”
He ate the distance between us in two deliberate strides until we were toe to toe.
“You’re lucky we were able to weave your story together so well without preparation.
What if you’d stuttered? What if I said something about you before you came in that conflicted with your words?
We would have given him a weapon to use against us. ”
He had a point. It was a wise time to tell Harthon that I’d been late because I’d sensed something within me. Knowing the value he placed on finding that route, he’d understand. But in the time between Aric’s exit and now, Harthon’s anger had sparked mine and sent it into a roiling frenzy.
Forget logic.
I shrugged. “None of that happened.”
“But it could have, and the stakes are too high,” he all but growled, leaning in.
He was doing his best to intimidate me with his size and voice. That was horseshit.
Grinding my teeth together, I snapped, “Is that why you’re so angry, or is it because you didn’t like the attention Aric gave me?”
His eyes flashed. “Why would I care about how Aric treats you?”
“Why else would you be snarling at him like an angry dog after he kissed my hand?”
“Maybe it had to do with his blatant invitation for you to leave my Territory and join him instead.”
“And what about before that, when you tried to bend the armrest in two after he complimented me?”
Harthon leaned even closer, his chest brushing mine. I was forced to arch my back. “I was angry because he wasn’t taking our meeting seriously.”
I may not have experience in romance or attraction, but I could very well recognize cause and effect, and Aric’s advances had caused clear reactions in Harthon, the same man who’d kept calm and collected during Ellan’s cringeworthy adoration speech. The same man known for his strategy and cunning.
He was lying.
“So you throw tantrums when people don’t take you seriously?”
His nostrils flared, and I had a feeling that he wished to strangle me. He was reaching his limit. “Etarla,” he warned again.
“Here I thought you’d like that Aric was flirting with me. His interest probably influenced his decision to align with us.”
“You know what else would have made him more likely to align with us? Being on time.”
So we were back to where we started. He’d dodged my interrogation perfectly, refusing to admit that Aric’s flirtation upset him.
Not that I cared. I didn’t want the man to kiss or desire me. I’d made that decision the day we arrived back, and it hadn’t changed. His jealousy didn’t really matter. I only wanted to one-up him.
And yet, as I stood there, trembling with frustration, all I could feel was his chest grazing mine. We hadn’t been this close together since our trip, and my body relished in it.
“I was late because I’d finally sensed some indication of where that path might be. Next time there’s a meeting, I’ll be sure to ignore it.” I jabbed a finger into his solid stomach. “And don’t you even think about punishing Stefano for it. I didn’t give him a choice but to follow me.”