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Skye blinked. “Yeah. Why would you… why?”

“You’re pale. And you’re shaking.” She stepped into the room, reaching for him—

Those eyes… the same eyes but empty…

He flinched back, hoping she missed it.

“Did you really just flinch away from my touch?”

Damn it.

“I... I’m fine,” he lied, his voice rough. “Just a… a bad dream. One of those where you wake up and can’t tell what’s real.”

Concern tightened her features. “Was it the one about my funeral again?”

No. But great, now he was thinking about that too.

He needed to get a grip.“You look nice. Where are you headed?”

Taly huffed a laugh. “Are you serious?” He only stared. “Kalahad’s party. I know you and Ivain have been working nonstop, but damn—how hard did you crash?”

Kalahad’s party… so, he hadn’t lost any time. Small victories. He’d take what he could get at this point.

Taly was waiting for him to say something.

“Yeah, I should probably slow down on the training.” He dragged a hand over the back of his neck. The movement tugged—not wrong, exactly, but not right either. “Between him wearing me out and you… well, wearing me out, I haven’t exactly been getting much sleep.”

He took a shallow breath, trying to ignore the way his own pulse seemed to echo that strange, internal pressure. He needed to shake this off. Clear his head.Focus. Taly already had enough to worry about with the dinner. The last thing he wanted was her worrying abouthiminstead of keeping her head in the fight.

Later. When he had the answers, when he could make sense of it—then, he’d tell her.

Taly arched a brow, lips twitching. “Sounds like you need to manage your time better. Otherwise, I’m going to have to send you to bed early.”

He smirked. It was a reflex. “If you’re tucking me in, I won’t argue.”

Taly sighed—part exasperation, part amusement, and maybe a little bit ofI walked right into that one. “Of course, you wouldn’t.” She held up her necklace, the one he’d given her. “Will you help me with this?”

She turned. He fumbled with the clasp. His fingers were clumsy as sausages.

“How are you feeling?” he asked, forcing a casual tone. “Nervous?”

“About tonight?” Taly shrugged, fidgeting with the beading at her waist. “I wouldn’t say nervous, exactly. Am I looking forward to being used as a political prop by some jackass noble?No. Five coppers say someone makes a joke about selling me into the Feseraa within the first ten minutes. The men especially always think that one’ssoohilarious.” He could hear the roll of her eyes. “Mostly, I’m just praying for the strength to get through the night without kneeing anyone in the balls.”

“As long as it’s not mine.”

“Don’t piss me off, and it won’t be.”

“In that case, I’ll be on my best behavior.” Even if he had the energy to goad her, his too-long neglected parts were finally getting some use, and he’d rather not jeopardize their comeback tour.

Skye finished with the necklace, leaning down to brush a kiss to her bare shoulder. He ran his nose along her skin. Her scent was a balm to banish the afternoon’s horrors—jasmine from her hair, sage from her soap, a trace of her favorite mint tea… and iron. It wasn’t as appealing as what he remembered. Aimee had used a heavy hand with the glamour. But it was familiar. Familiar enough to stir an ache, both sweet and sharp.

He inhaled one last breath, letting it settle him. Then, slowly, he stepped back.

He didn’t trust his body. A static charge buzzed beneath his skin, the sensation crawling up his spine and into his limbs. His back throbbed. He felt twitchy—not ideal, considering a careless twitch from him could put someone through a wall.

The thought of touching her, of potentially… Shards, he didn’t even want tothinkit.

Taly, damn her perceptiveness, tilted her head, her eyes narrowing. “Skye?” she began, a question in her voice.