Chapter 29
Dominic and Adara spent most of the day hiding away in their room at the inn, planning for their journey to the Ruins.
In the morning, they’d leave for Yersva and find passage across the Narphin River, entering the Kingdom of Tarin.
In the southernmost city, Senarim, they’d steal horses and ride out west to the wasteland deemed the Ruins.
But tonight, they would celebrate. If only because it put a smile on Adara’s face, and he needed her content with him to continue.
Eventually, they’d ventured out of the inn and strolled the colorfully decorated streets as dusk approached.
Dominic had long since lost count of how many gambling dens they’d approached.
They’d played with money stolen from strangers on the streets, winning and losing some.
It never mattered when it wasn’t theirs to begin with, and they’d just steal it back.
Adara, not surprisingly, was an expert at it all, flirting with oblivious young men, delicate fingers carefully exploring their tunics or trouser pockets, and deftly fishing out any money, handing it over to Dominic, completely unnoticed.
Dominic, on the other hand, had stuck to his strengths in simply playing the game, reading expressions, and watching what cards others picked up or put down, memorizing everyone’s hand without them catching on and beating them by a long shot.
Now, they stumbled out of one of the dimly lit taverns, pockets heavy with coins.
Once they were out of sight, they stopped tripping over themselves like drunken fools.
They hadn’t even had any drinks, but it was better to pretend to be some mindless idiots who didn’t know any better when placing bets.
The cobbled streets were bathed in the golden glow of the setting sun, the light bringing this once-dull kingdom to life.
Brilliant lilac and canary lanterns strung across the street above illuminated the way.
The silver beading at Adara’s neckline and waistline glittered in the dying sunlight.
Her skirts glimmered and flowed freely in her wake, like ocean waves dusted with starlight.
Dominic fought to suppress the smile on his face as she weaved back and forth between the crowd, gazing in awe at everything the vendors had to offer.
He was an excellent thief, but today, instead of stealing coins from pockets, he was stealing glimpses of her, smiling in triumph when he wasn’t caught enjoying that which could be his demise.
The streets were even more packed for the last night of Livisian.
Adara’s eyes lit up with every cart they passed, admiring mostly jewelry, dresses, and bejeweled weapons.
Even some books and flowers caught her eye, to which she lifted each to her face and breathed in as if it were her first breath, empowering and lively.
She looked like some sort of elegant garden fairy his sister would have told him stories about, with the circlet of flowers adorning her head and the bouquet she sniffed in her hands before returning it to its place on the cart.
Something tightened around his arm, and before he knew it, Adara was dragging him to the other side of the street, where a wagon decked out in sparkling jewelry had caught her eye.
“This is gorgeous!” she exclaimed, running her fingertips over a string of pearls.
He couldn’t quite tell if it was all an act to blend in or if this was how giddy she usually was during holidays.
“It would be even more stunning on you, milady!” the merchant—a short, middle-aged man wearing the greens and oranges of Gierok—replied joyously.
He’d likely flown here on a dwodi for trade during the festival.
The man leaned over the tabletop of the cart, hand cupped by his mouth as if telling a secret.
“You know, I got these from the depths of the Plagued Sea,” he whispered, dangling the pearl necklace in front of Adara like bait.
She gasped, hand shooting up to cover her mouth. Dominic rolled his eyes—definitely an act then. There was no way Adara would be so stupid as to believe such lies. The vendor nodded with a wily grin.
“But how did you—”
The man wagged a finger at her and said, “Ah, ah. I never tell my secrets. Then every other person here would find a way to sell pearls from the Plagued Sea, and I’d be out of business.”
Adara pouted, sighed, and nodded her head. She pretended to inspect the necklace, but Dominic caught a glimpse of her eyes darting elsewhere. To a pair of silver earrings in the shape of dangling stars. The slightest dip of his chin let her know he understood what she wanted.
Of course, she had no interest in some phony pearls, but Dominic said, “It's beautiful, love. And he’s right. They’d look even better on you.” Dominic clapped the man on the shoulder, a friendly gesture, or as friendly as he could seem to be.
She blushed, a giggle escaping her lips. Such a strange sound to hear from her. But right now, they were nothing but two young lovers passing through to celebrate Livisian. Little did all of Lykrios know they were in the presence of the Phoenix and the King of Keys.
Dominic asked the vendor for a price, to which he named an outrageous one, keeping to the story that the pearls were indeed from the Plagued Sea.
Bargaining with him as Adara’s nimble fingers slipped the pair of earrings into the folds of her skirts, they finally settled on a slightly lower price.
Making a show of intending to purchase the pearl necklace, Dominic fished out a pouch of coins, dumping a few silvers into his palm.
He sighed as he counted a few too short, apologized to Adara with a light kiss on her forehead for good show—he noted how she blushed at the action—and thanked the man before they turned away from the cart, supposedly empty-handed.
They only made it a few steps before the merchant’s voice rose above all else.
“Hey! Stop them! They stole a pair of earrings!” He searched the streets frantically, eyes settling on a trio of figures clad in black armor, the purple feathers lining their helmet stark against their menacing clothing.
“Guards!” he shouted, pointing at the two of them, face red with anger.
The guards’ heads followed the merchant’s scornful finger, whipping around in their direction.
Adara leaned into Dominic’s ear and whispered, “Run,” without an ounce of fear or remorse in her voice. In fact, she grinned from ear to ear as she grabbed his hand and tugged him into the crowd.
They sprinted down the cobbled streets hand in hand.
Adara’s other hand fisted in her skirts, holding them up at her side.
Chaos erupted. People shouted at them to watch where they were going.
Others screamed and veered out of the way as guards barreled down the street.
Shoving their way through the throngs of people, Adara laughed.
It was such a wondrous, joyful sound of reckless freedom.
Dominic couldn’t help but laugh with her.
It brought back the days when he was a boy here, running rampant through the streets with Damon and Valen without a care in the world, because if they were thrown in the dungeons, well, at least they’d have a roof over their heads.
To his right, Dominic spotted an alley. Swerving through the crowd, he pulled Adara into the passage with him, hoping the guards didn’t see them.
Her back was pressed against the stone wall and Dominic stood in front of her, his body flushed against hers in an attempt to stay hidden in the narrow alcove.
His hands found her waist, holding her gently as their chests heaved against one another.
Peering up at him through long lashes, Adara smiled, her eyes twinkling with exuberance, and suddenly, Dominic was all too aware of every part of him that pressed against her.
Her gown was silky against his calloused hands, and he wished for her skin to replace it.
Her palms rested along his bare forearms, his sleeves rolled to the elbows.
Her touch was gentle, warmth seeping into his skin.
There was hardly any space between them.
The slightest movement would have their lips brushing softly.
Suddenly, it was difficult to breathe, and he was glad he could use the running as an excuse for the effort it took to heave air into his lungs.
Adara’s laughter faded all too quickly as one of the queen’s soldiers, clad in dark purple and black armor, scanned the area.
Dominic’s pulse leaped up in his throat.
The soldier’s head swept their way. Adara’s eyes widened as Dominic gripped her waist, pulling her closer to shield the view of her dress—the one thing they could easily be identified by.
His fingers threaded through her hair, soft and silky against his palm.
A blush colored her cheeks as Dominic leaned in and softly brushed his lips against her neck.
She stiffened. Sparks danced beneath his skin, fire trailing where their skin connected.
Dominic paid no mind to the sentry walking in the other direction, keeping up the act as his fingers dove beneath the slit in her dress, tracing her bare hip.
It felt like her skin was on fire, burning and wild and desperate for his touch to spread elsewhere.
His lips pulled into a smile as he leisurely kissed his way up to her jaw, lips caressing the shell of her ear.
“If I knew this was all it took to have you at my complete mercy,” he murmured, his breath hot against her skin, “I’d have done it a long time ago . . . ”
Adara’s breath hitched, body arching toward him. Her eyes fell closed at his beguiling touch. She tilted her head to the side, allowing him better access for his lips to work their way around her neck.
“And wouldn’t stop.”