Page 69

“No one shall harm you, my lady,” he says quietly, leaving his hand resting on my chin. His grip is firm but not painful. “You and your sister are too precious for that.”

The lies sweep over his lips as easily as they do mine.

But the slight spark in his eyes makes it seem as if he’s not lying.

He cannot be that foolish to believe no harm will come to me and that no harm will come to Nimai.

More likely, he is just heartless enough to not care.

I don’t have time to consider which possibility may be correct.

I gave him the responses he desired, and now I want more information on my sister.

So, I smile at him, though I want to sink my teeth into the fingers that hold me.

“Will I have a chance to speak with her at the temple this afternoon?” I attempt to keep the question light, tamping my eagerness.

Luthais drops his hand, the stoic mask sliding back into place across his face, and replacing that kindness—that softness—with cool, hard granite.

“I believe Lady Nimai has already met with the priests, as well as the high priestess.” He shifts on his feet, a rare show of his discomfort. “They will want to see you alone, but you will reunite with your sister at dinner tonight.”

Fuck this. All that honey that pours out of his mouth is tainted. The fire inside me ignites, heat rushing into my face and chest.

“I understand,” I respond through clenched teeth, attempting to stifle the flames. Not here. Not now.

Luthais catches the shift in my tone and tilts his head, scanning my face.

“Are you alright?” he asks, and what sounds like genuine concern comes through. His hand reaches back up to cup the side of my face.

Breathe. Keep it in . I can hear Evander’s whisper in my ear.

I close my eyes and deeply inhale the crisp salty air, then extend my exhale.

My hands prickle with heat, my veins boiling.

The smell...the smell makes me think of home and I try to relax, to let happy memories flood through me and take away the heat.

But home. Home is where I had my father, and his face flashes into my memory—my father being stripped away from me. My life being stripped away from me.

And here I am, with the people responsible for his death. The people responsible for so many deaths.

Breathing is not working. My attempts to calm myself are not working. The magic courses through my veins, and I clamp my eyes tighter against it, gripping my fingers into the iron behind me—steadying myself, willing myself to keep it in. Inhale , I tell myself. Just keep breathing .

“Shit!” My eyes snap open as I hear Luthais curse, and he rips away from me. He’s holding his hand and staring at me, his eyes wide with shock.

Flames are coating the inside of my hands, igniting the iron beneath them.

Dark shadows flick at the edges of my fingertips, tipping them in black.

I quickly remove my hands and tuck them behind me, unsure of what to do but desperate for him not to see the dark emanating from them.

I didn’t intentionally release any power, but the heat…

The heat of my magic raging against the cage of my body had warmed the iron enough to burn him.

“Bria, my love,” Ev’s voice splinters through the roaring in my head, and I spin to look at him, knowing my eyes are wide and out of control.

His gaze locks on me, and I know he sees it.

He sees the war waging inside my body, the flames in my eyes, the terror running through me that I could mess this all up.

“There you are,” he says softly, coming to stand beside me. “One of the seamstresses would like to see you, to ensure your gown fits for dinner tonight.”

Evander slides his arm around my waist and nestles his head into my hair to plant a soft kiss. I melt my body to his side, placing my arm gently around him as well. My body responds to him, the feel of him dampening the flames, stifling the heat that threatens to encompass my whole being.

“Are you hurt?” Luthais cries out, still holding his hand. From where I now stand, I can see that his palm is red and blistering the slightest bit. I bite my lip tightly and shake my head, casting my eyes down to avoid him.

“She appears to be fine, Commander Keating,” Evander informs him as he pulls me in closer.

“The iron was on fire,” he states, staring at the place where my hands had just been. “I went...I went to touch her, and the iron burned me,” Luthais continues, holding his hand out to us.

Evander lets his lip curl into a snarl, flashing his teeth at Luthais.

“Sounds as if you angered Vaohr. Maybe next time, you should keep your hands off my betrothed if you wish to keep them.” The iciness in his tone is so unlike the man I am used to that I flinch.

It pains me to know that he has to act this way for us to live but the look stretching across Luthais’s face makes it almost worth it.

“I assure you, I’m fine,” I say before glancing at Evander. “Can we go find the seamstress then?”

Evander nods and moves his hand to hold mine, squeezing the palm tightly. I squeeze back, feeling the flames recede a little more with each touch he gives, with each glance, each kiss.

“Thank you for the walk, Commander Keating.” My eyes dart back to him, still holding Ev’s hand while he gawks at us. His jaw twitches and he sets his lips in a straight line, rearranging his face to the stoic mask he wears.

“A pleasure, my lady. I’ll see you at dinner.” Luthais spins on his heel and storms away without a glance back at us. I take in a deep breath and look up at Evander.

“Thank you,” I murmur.

“For what?” He chuckles as he pulls me to start walking. “I didn’t make that up, Bria, there really is a seamstress waiting for you. It was just good timing that I got to you when I did.”

“Still,” I remark, worried about the burn that Luthais sustained. “I’m having trouble keeping myself in check right now.” I look back to the iron railing and the raging sea below.

“Not for much longer,” Evander replies.

I stop moving and he halts with me. “There’s something that happens with you,” I start before pausing, concerned about how he might react.

His brows raise to his hairline as he waits for me to continue.

“With your touch, I mean.” My face flushes and I hurry to finish explaining.

“Something about you just calms me. So truly, Ev, thank you.”

Evander smiles deeply, the beautiful one where the dimple sinks into his left cheek and his eyes crinkle with the effort. He places a kiss on my hand and pulls me close as we set back off to the castle.