Page 164 of A Court of Wings and Shadows

Naia and Riven both made noises that sounded suspiciously like suppressed snorts. Their shoulders shook, though their faces tried to stay neutral. Tried.

Tae’s face, however, went rigid, still as a statue.

And I knew, immediately, that he understood what most of the table didn’t.

Because in Dirian custom, that wasn’t just flirtation.

It was a claim.

A promise.

I cleared my throat, biting back a grin that wanted very much to exist.

“Jax,” I said carefully, “do you understand what it means when a Dirian warrior offers you that particular honor?”

Jax swallowed the rest of his food in one dry gulp and blinked at me.

“I mean…” He scratched the back of his neck. “IthinkI do? But also, maybe not?”

Jax stared down at his biscuit like it had the answers to the universe and maybe a way to rewind time. His face was still flushed, the tips of his ears glowing crimson as the rest of us tried,tried, to pretend we weren’t all watching him slowly combust.

I took pity on him.

“Jax,” I said gently, drawing his attention from the ruined remains of his dinner.

He looked up, eyes wide, a little wild. “Yeah?”

I kept my voice calm, careful. “In Dirian custom… when a woman chooses a partner, it’s not just flirtation. It’s a declaration. A vow.”

He blinked. “A what?”

“It means,” I said, meeting his gaze, “for life. If a Dirian warrior chooses you, they mean to fight beside you. To protect you. To claim you, and be claimed, until death.”

Riven let out a slow, low whistle.

Cordelle made a choking noise behind his parchment.

Naia looked far too delighted.

Ferrula didn’t so much as blink.

“You can accept,” I continued, “or you can decline. But if it’s the latter, you should do it now. There’s no ‘maybe’ in Dirian custom.”

Jax sat in silence, his mouth half open, then slowly closed. He turned to look at Ferrula, who stared back at him like a carved statue, strong, still, and waiting.

“I take it I have to prove I’m worthy,” he said.

I nodded. “Ferrula will ask you to perform certain tasks over the next few weeks or months. If she finds you adequate, she will ask you to marry her. If not, she will rebuke you, but if you embarrass her… she will kill you.”

Naia snapped her gaze to Ferrula. Obviously, she didn’t like that part of Dirian courtship.

But Ferrula didn’t move.

She didn’t beg.

She didn’t blush.

She simply waited for her answer.