Page 75

I could be hard-headed, but I did know when I’d been beat, and Namir had practically demolished my argument in this situation.

So, I agreed.

Chapter25

After an extremely long walk back tothe castle, during which Lavee never stopped practicing her magic, and the shadows continuously whispered seductive words about how Namir felt like home, and love, and comfort, we finally made it back.

I needed a shower, badly, so I locked myself in my room. Namir was probably waiting outside the door, I knew, but I still wasn’t sure whether or not I was ready to forgive him.

And even if I was ready to forgive him, I wasn’t ready to take our relationship back to where we’d been. The night of the attack, I had been planning on staying in Namir’s room. Sleeping with him there—maybe even having sex with him there, consequences be damned.

I had felt… whole.

Now, I just felt confused.

Should I move on?

Try to completely forget everything that had happened over the past week?

Forgive Namir, and move on?

I wasn’t sure.

So I took my time in the shower, washing all the dirt and emotions down the drain until I felt refreshed, invigorated, and focused.

I’d worry about Namir another time—for now, I would focus on training.

Learning how to survive.

When I could no longer avoid reality beneath the hot running water, I slipped into my closet and took my time going through every one of my dresses. I didn’t recognize any of them, and they were even more intricate and fancy than I remembered—people must’ve still been crafting clothing for me after my fight in the forest.

I wasn’t sure how I felt about that, and wasn’t ready to look more closely at those feelings, either.

Choosing one of the outfits that wasn’t the fanciest or the plainest, I slipped into my clothing and smoothed the fabric down my thighs. There was a slit going up one leg, leaving room for me to move, which I assumed I’d need if I was going to learn to fight. I could always ask for a pair of pants to wear instead, but if I wanted to be ready for a fight at any time, I’d need to train in a skirt.

Plus, I liked my dresses.

I reluctantly made my way into my bathroom and grabbed a comb off the counter, working it through the tangles in my hair. Despite the usefulness of the training that was coming, I wasn’t excited to spend that much time with Namir.

A knock at the door was followed by a call of, “Where are you, Shadow Lady?”

My lips curved upward a bit.

Lavee.

“I’ll braid your hair, so you can fight without getting it chopped off,” she added from the hallway.

I crossed the room and tugged the door open. My shoulders went back a bit when I saw Namir leaned up against the wall beside the door, but he didn’t try to push his way into the room.

“I still need you to teach me how to do the fancy braids,” I told her, waving her into the room.

My golden eyes met Namir’s gorgeous shadowed grays for a moment, and I hesitated.

He hadn’t had the chance to shower, so he was still coated in dirt, and the lines under his eyes were thick and dark.

He flashed me a small smile anyway.

“Go shower,” I told him, quietly. “Take a nap.”