7. Eshe
Eshe
In daylight, the entrance to the palace looked like the golden gates of heaven, but more dramatic.
Large, white pillars brought us to the long, marble steps toward the arch.
Something I only saw in the shadows the night before.
The sun dipped low, casting a peachy sky in its wake.
Perfect for tonight’s impending bloodshed.
Last night I arrived late to the Khraus after a long conversation with Salazar. My heart was full by the time I fell on my bed, but my chest wouldn’t stop aching at the thought of really never seeing him again. I could quite literally die today.
The steps of the girls’ feet on marble, including Ana and Norrah, faded around me.
The only remaining sound was my heart thumping in my ears.
The tiny, dark vial that lay between my breasts grew heavy and sticky.
I had been dreaming of this moment for years, but somehow the dream was becoming so real that I couldn’t focus on anything in front of me.
I couldn’t mess this up.
Though it was scorching outside, my fingers were cold, and then I couldn’t feel them anymore. The warmth of my lips vanished.
In front of me, I saw Elissa laughing with Sorrella, leading the group of dancers, but I couldn’t hear them. They seemed to be in a faraway land that was unreachable.
Breathe.
Elissa’s dangling jewels around her waist swayed along with her bare hips as we walked up the steps of the palace, just like all of ours did.
Our black outfits were form-fitting around our chests and loose past the hips with an open-slit to the side of our legs.
We had a short, thin veil over our noses and mouths that kept up the enchanting traditions of the Priestels.
I glanced to my right to find Norrah smiling. Her kohl-lined eyes lit up as I met them.
She grabbed my forearm and leaned in. “I’m a little nervous.”
“That’s okay. I think that’s normal. I mean, it is a royal’s birthday,” I whispered quickly.
Sorrella turned from Elissa and faced the rest of us.
“Listen up, girls! We’re about to enter.
As soon as you hear the drums, begin. You’ve done this countless times.
Each and every one of you is ready. I’ve seen it with my own eyes.
When you are done, you are to meet back at this exact location.
You are not allowed to join in the festivities. Stay together and be wonderful.”
Sorrella moved her ornate arm toward the heavy doors, and in that moment, they creaked open.
Slowly.
Time was too slow.
We got into formation. When the drums began, our arms rose high toward the sky in unison. We brought one hand down the other arm and swayed our hips.
Thank God Sorrella had us run the sequence so many times. It was ingrained in my muscle memory. Now I could focus on things that actually mattered. First, locating the twins’ father and his wife.
I was not planning on leaving tonight with the rest of the girls. Maybe not ever. I had my backup plan pressed against my chest.
My mind flashed back to my last moments with Salazar.
I’d never told him I loved him. Ever.
And perhaps I did.
The old Qahl sat on the dais at the end of the large, candlelit room, and the sight of him pulled me back to the night I turned sixteen.
He was surrounded by gold-threaded veils hanging low from the tiled ceiling.
From where I danced, I could see his peppered beard and the proof that he enjoyed his life around his wrinkled mouth.
It made me think of my own father. He barely had time to age like this. He wasn’t old enough for his skin to hold on to his memories.
The old Qahl of Tehara took that away from my father.
I would never hear the sound of my father’s full belly laugh or witness the way the ends of his eyes crinkled when he smiled.
Second, I located a tall man who looked like Ezra, who sat with his legs sprawled at the bottom of the dais, and he also had thick, wavy hair. But he had no tattoos. Leaner than Ezra. Much more sophisticated than Ezra. Much more magnetic and beautiful than Ezra. I caught his eye. Casimir.
Instant recognition flooded my racing pulse.
His twinkling eyes lingered longer than I would have liked. I looked away, afraid my eyes would give away too much.
God, I only hoped he didn’t recognize me in that moment. I felt the sweat drip between my breasts.
Ezra, the last one to find. Where was he?
If there was anyone that I feared would ruin my plans, it was him.
I hadn’t expected Ezra to fight like a warrior, much less run a fighting arena.
I expected him to be at the palace, day in and day out, overseeing Qahl duties, arguing with his advisers, arguing with neighboring Qahls, or surrounded by women hoping to gain his attention.
Oh, no, he had to be a challenging opponent.
He was the reason I had an alternative plan in place.
My attention darted around the large room, catching numerous wandering eyes as we circled the center floor. Eventually, my eyes were pulled to the back of the room, near dark pillars, to a tall, beast-like man leaning against them, talking to another man.
Ezra. My heart raced, and I felt my blood warm. Of course, he wasn’t interested in any dance or celebration. Always scheming instead.
He wore a dark linen tunic that opened at the top of his tan chest. His swirling tattoos went from the top of his head to the back of his ear. Heat flooded my veins, imagining my hands firm around a cool metal knife, slitting his precious neck and stealing the life from his body.
The dance was ending, and people were already standing up and clapping their hands in admiration. One by one, we came around the dais, and this was as close as I would get to the family of the Qahl.
But the moment we did our spins, the clanging of our ankle bracelets filling the air, I slipped a drop from the vial into some glasses. It was so smoky and dark, with too many dancers with wide smiles, and our jewelry trapping the eyes of anyone who might have caught me.
Casimir was close to me, but he was staring at Elissa, whose curves seemed to hypnotize his gaze.
Elissa’s eyes dropped to the floor as she continued dancing, her skin flushed.
Always the charmer. He glanced at me again as I passed him, showing the royal family my independent dance moves, but something flashed across his face before the next dancer took my place.
Ezra was walking back to Casimir, and I turned my head, hiding my face, in case he recognized me from the arena. The dance slowed and then came to a halt.
Everyone stood from their colorful cushions, and the air was filled with praise and cheer. Even Ezra was clapping his hands. The girls and I bowed and made our way back to the entrance. Behind us, I could hear the party resuming its festivities with music, conversation, and laughter.
Before anyone could notice, I slipped away from the group of girls to the back of the pillars and into a dark hallway.
Without hesitation, I took my face mask off so I could breathe freely for a moment, before placing it back over my nose.
Because I was a dancer and not wearing much clothing, I could only carry the smallest of knives on my upper thigh.
Now that I was inside the palace and the rest of the guests were busy inside the main hall, I took this time to prepare myself for my next victim.
Breathless, I made my way to the east wing of the palace, typically where the royal chambers usually were.
The red and orange rugs below me kept my steps quiet as I made my way through the tapestry-filled hallways.
My body thrummed with energy, sending a constant tingle across my skin.
By the end of tonight, the royal family would be dead.
Maybe I would be, too.
Since they didn’t give my family a fair fight for their lives, I wasn’t going to either. In their sleep, or while they bathed—it didn’t matter. They were going to die.
The bottle between my chest sang to me.
I had slipped the venom from the Silver Snake I severed into each of their drinks. They might or might not drink it. It didn’t matter, but it would help move the process forward.
“I knew I recognized you.”
My steps halted at the voice behind me. My heart pounded in my throat. This could be bad, or this could be perfect.
Which brother was it?
I turned slowly. The hair on the back of my neck stood on end.
Ezra.
This was bad.
“I don’t know what you mean, my lord,” I said in a soft, sweet voice while bowing my head respectfully.
Ezra stepped forward, and my instincts nudged me to step back, but I didn’t. The beating of my heart became sporadic.
“You think I don’t notice the way you move.” He scoffed. “They mimic the pathetic little dance moves you performed for me last week in the arena.”
My eyes narrowed on his. “You’re going to regret ever saying that.”
“Don’t tell me what I’m going to regret saying or not.” His voice was low and lethal. God, he was so arrogant.
He hadn’t stopped moving toward me, and I retreated, but my back hit the wall behind me. I looked up, and within a split of a moment, he was in front of me with his large hand wrapped around my throat, sending an electric current through me.
My entire body tingled awake, screaming to me that I was in danger.
My hands crept toward my inner thigh for my knife.
Ezra’s gaze dropped with my hands.
Oh, no. His eyes lifted to meet my wide eyes.
Shit. I didn’t plan for this.
His other hand tightened. “Don’t. Move. That. Hand.”
I didn’t know if he knew I had a knife between my thighs or if he thought I wanted pleasure from this. His unpredictability was unnerving.
His hand around my neck went to my jaw and lifted my head. His grip was possessive, and my body shivered, though my skin was getting warmer by the second.
His eyes dipped to my mouth, and my breathing sped up. His lips were wet and perfect, and I wondered in that moment what it would be like to touch them before they grew cold from death.
Ezra lowered his head. My breath hitched.
“You want me, don’t you?” I dared to ask.
His brows twitched as he met my gaze. “No… I…” His eyes lowered to my mouth again, and this time, it elevated my heart rate.
I saw something in his eyes flash, and his hand flexed.
He was so dead. The venom was in his system.
I forced a chuckle through his possessive hold. “Too bad you won’t be like this for long. I might have enjoyed this side of you for a while longer.”
I thought for a moment of what little Eshe would think of this moment, but I squashed it as soon as it popped into my mind.
My hand finally wrapped around my knife.
His hand tightened around my throat faster than I expected him to respond. He was slower, but not that slow. He grabbed my hand, twisting it sideways, and the knife was flung across the rug. I winced from the pull in my elbow.
“What did you do to me?” he snarled and slammed my body against the wall.
I jerked my leg between his, and he doubled over with a grunt. A heartbeat later, Ezra pressed his thigh between mine, separated my legs, and suddenly I was off the floor. I jabbed my good elbow into his face, but he met it with his forearm. He locked my arm against the wall, immobilizing me.
I was trapped, but I pushed forward.
“Nothing that would hurt your pretty face, Qahl,” I sneered.
His lips twitched. “You think I’m pretty?”
My heart pounded against my ribs. “That’s all you got from that?”
“All I hear are the sounds of your breath, pleading for me to touch you.” His head tilted. “And you just called me pretty.”
“Don’t flatter yourself,” I sneered. I rammed my head forward, but Ezra leaned his neck out of the way.
His low chuckle vibrated along mine.
“I know what’s happening to you, all right? It has nothing to do with me and everything to do with you, Ezra.” I smirked.
“Oh, yeah?” He pressed his forearm into my arm, and I grimaced. “Don’t resist the pain. I can tell you enjoy it.”
My lips parted, and I searched to find my breath. I tried to find leverage with my legs, but it wasn’t helping either of our situations.
I went for the only surprise attack I had. I forced a nervous laugh. “You must have taken a little sip of the gift I left for you.”
There was an eerie silence in the hallway before he muttered, “Lover’s Bite.”
I laughed again because it felt nice knowing he wasn’t going to humiliate me anymore. Better yet, he wasn’t going to breathe anymore. My heart tightened for a brief moment.
His eyes dipped to my chest, and his jaw turned rock hard. With one quick motion, his fingers plunged between my breasts until he found my little bottle. I wriggled in protest, but his weight pressed even harder against me. He chuckled too, to my surprise.
Ezra lifted the bottle to his mouth and, with his teeth, pried the cap open. He lifted the bottle with his mouth and swallowed the rest of its contents, and didn’t tear his eyes from me.
My heart thundered. I was sure he could feel it so close to me.
“You foolish girl. You don’t think I’m prepared for the worst elements from my enemies?” Ezra spat the glass bottle out of his mouth, and the glass shattered on the marble floor. He smiled.
“What does that mean?” I breathed.
“It means that I’m immune to the deadly effects. It means you’ll be dead soon. Don’t worry, though. I’ll make it fun. You have ten seconds before I wrap my hands around your neck, and it’ll be the last thing you feel.”
Ten seconds.
Ten seconds, and my plans fell into ruin.
Ezra dropped me onto the floor, and I sprinted across the hallway.