Page 41

Chapter

Forty

L essia’s legs ached as she walked up the stairs from the training room, where Merrick had once again made her feel like a fumbling child.

Gripping the railing when her tired legs wouldn’t obey, she cursed Merrick and his stupid belief that she needed to learn the hard way, otherwise, she wouldn’t learn quickly enough.

When he’d woken her at dawn, she’d glared at him and asked what was so urgent.

They weren’t to return to the cabin, and Craven hadn’t bothered her since they’d been back.

As he enjoyed doing, Merrick only barked at her, “Listen to my stupid orders,” and once they’d gotten down to the musty cellar, he proceeded to slam her into the floor what felt like a thousand times.

But by the end, she’d been able to avoid him for a whole ten seconds, and when she grinned from where she lay on the ground, she swore he turned away to hide his own smile.

A soft laugh bubbled out of her.

She’d made the Death Whisperer smile .

“What’s so funny?” Merrick placed a hand on her back, pushing her upward from where she’d taken a break.

“Nothing,” she mumbled, too tired to deal with the grumpiness that would follow if she told him.

When she slowed once more, Merrick snapped at her, asking if she needed to be carried again. That gave her the final energy to ascend the stairs, and when she reached the ground floor, a familiar laugh floated toward her.

Rushing her steps, Lessia walked toward it, a smile breaking out across her face when she caught Amalise’s blue gaze.

She leaned against the wall beside the entrance, twining her blonde hair and flirting with one of the guards.

When Ardow’s sullen face popped up behind Amalise, Lessia started running, the tiredness long forgotten.

“What are you doing here?”

Lessia dragged them to her, ignoring the tremors running through her arms as she wrapped them around her friends.

Amalise pulled back, grinning at her. “I told you; I have a very good friend here.”

She winked at the guard, wiggling her fingers as he walked out to his post outside, his face reddening.

“And here I thought it was me you were coming to see.” Lessia mock-frowned at her.

“A welcome addition.” Amalise laughed.

“Well, I, for one, am here to see you, Lia.” Ardow dragged her into his arms again, and she drew a deep breath of his familiar smell. “You look thin, but I was worried you’d look worse.”

She playfully punched his arm. “What a compliment. Thanks, Ard.”

Rolling his eyes, he glanced behind her.

Lessia stiffened but then turned to introduce them to Merrick. Ardow had already met him, of course, and not under the best circumstances, but hopefully, he’d play nice if she explained they’d come to a strange truce.

But when she turned around, Merrick was nowhere to be seen.

Instead, Loche and Zaddock walked down the stairs, and her heart began beating faster when her eyes collided with his gray ones.

She spun back to her friends, cursing when Amalise’s brows shot up.

“Why are you so flushed, Lia?” Her friend threw a look over her shoulder. “Is it because of the delicious regent that is heading straight for us? Or perhaps his handsome friend?”

Lessia flashed her teeth at her. “I am not flushed. I just came from training—I am hot.”

Elbowing Ardow, Amalise giggled. “She’s hot for something, that’s for sure.”

“Amalise, Ardow, I believe we haven’t had the chance to meet.”

Clenching her teeth, Lessia turned around, plastering a smile on her face as Loche and Zaddock joined them, praying he hadn’t picked up on Amalise’s insinuations.

Ardow offered Loche and Zaddock a nod. “Regent. Zaddock, good to see you again.”

Waving to the two men, Amalise gave them a blinding smile, flicking her blonde hair over her shoulder and suggestively licking her lips.

Lessia felt like stomping on her foot, but while Loche looked bored, Zaddock couldn’t seem to take his eyes off her friend.

It was quiet for a beat, then Lessia cleared her throat. “So, these are my friends. I believe we’re allowed to socialize during our free time? ”

She had no idea why Loche lingered, especially after his warning to stay away from him yesterday.

Zaddock made more sense—he seemed transfixed by Amalise, his eyes trailing her hand as she brushed some hair off her neck.

When she spoke, Loche shifted his gaze to hers, and the intensity of it jolted through her. Lessia stepped closer to Ardow and Amalise to keep herself grounded.

A voice interrupted the tense silence. “Why are you looking at her like that?”

Everyone’s faces snapped to Amalise as she glared at Loche with crystal eyes narrowed.

His infuriating smirk played on his lips. “Like what?”

Amalise waved her hand Lessia’s way. “Like you either want to eat her or kill her.”

Ardow coughed beside her, and she did stomp on his foot when laughter broke through the fake cough. A shocked laugh escaped Zaddock as well, and he took a step toward Amalise, who gracefully slipped away from him when she caught the look of awe in his eyes.

Lessia eyed him regretfully.

He’d ruined any chance between them.

Amalise didn’t spend time with men who showed any care for her other than for her body.

“She does look tasty. But I neither want to eat nor kill her. I just want to learn all her secrets.” Loche grinned at Lessia when she looked his way, then dragged a mesmerized Zaddock out of the castle with him.

Staring after him, Lessia wanted to stomp on his foot as well.

Or perhaps punch him in the face the way Merrick was teaching her .

He must have done what he did yesterday to get under her skin—to try to figure her out.

The happiness she’d felt seeing Ardow and Amalise faded into something she hadn’t felt for a long time.

Disappointment.

“Well, that was fun. Are you going to show us around?” Amalise dragged her toward the staircase as if she knew the way.

Shaking off the unwelcome feeling, Lessia smiled at her friends, leaning into Ardow when he wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

They spent the rest of the day in her room, trying to pry information from Ardow about his secret lover, and Lessia retelling what she’d experienced during the election so far, leaving out most of the debate and what had happened with Craven.

Her friends couldn’t do anything about it, anyway, and she didn’t want them to have to worry more.

By the time she waved goodbye, the disappointment she’d felt earlier had been replaced with joy and a sense of home.