Chapter 2
I smileas I follow Asha into her favorite parlor. Emerin and Tahira are already seated on the chairs near the marble fireplace.
Thankfully, Commander Titanus remains just outside the door. There's something about the tall, imposing man with his cold stare and rigid posture that makes the nerves tighten in my belly.
Asha gestures for me to take the open seat beside her. I sit, then smooth my cotehardie.
Torchlight glistens in Emerin's eyes as she speaks in a tone laced with exhilaration. "I must have danced with every eligible bachelor in Bakva tonight."
Tahira chimes in. "And I with every not-so-eligible one."
"Rora." Emerin turns to me. "You vanished for a while. Did you meet someone interesting?"
Jasce!
My heart soars as I think about our conversation and his gift.
"So?" Emerin presses as she leans forward eagerly.
I give a small shrug, feigning nonchalance. "No one of consequence."
Asha arches an eyebrow but doesn't push further. She pours herself a goblet of ruby wine, and as she rests back against the chair, she studies me over the rim, her blue eyes sharper than the dagger hidden in my sleeve.
Emerin turns her attention to Asha next. "Did you dance with anyone noteworthy, Ashes?"
Asha shakes her head. "I don't have time for such frivolities."
My heart sinks at her words. Asha has always been our rock, our shield, but even rocks need to rest, even shields need to be laid down sometimes.
"Ash," I say as her gaze finds mine. "Surely there's room for a dance in your life?"
She sighs, and it sounds like the weight of our house is caught in her breath. "Duty comes first."
Emerin leans forward to refill her goblet. Tahira stretches out her legs, eyes closing briefly, as if savoring a particularly sweet memory.
I rise from my seat and wander over to the window and lift my hand to the seashell pendant. Outside, the city of Bakva slumbers under a blanket of stars, yet my thoughts are anchored to one person.
Why did Jasce come here? It was reckless, foolish even. And yet he came anyway, for reasons I cannot fathom.
There must be something he's not telling me, something that drew him across kingdoms into the lion's den. I sigh and let the pendant fall back against my chest. Whatever his reasons, I need to find him before my family does. Then, I need to get him out of Bakva.
"Rora?" Tahira's voice pulls me back from my reverie. I turn to find her eyes wide with concern, her brows knitted together. "You seem distant tonight."
"Just lost in thought," I say truthfully.
Asha tilts her head to the side as she studies me. "You've been different for the last summer."
Unease twists in my stomach. "Different? How?"
"More contemplative," Asha says as she continues to scrutinize my face. "Quieter. Withdrawn, even."
I nod, unable to deny the truth in Asha's words. "I am different."
How could I not be?
I woke up in a stranger's bed with my soul inexplicably linked with a woman from House of Crimson. Then, I fell for a man I had no business falling for.
Asha shifts to sit opposite me and takes my hand in hers. "Everything is different for us since Grandfather's death, and I know you're still getting used to going into the city." She gives my hand a gentle, reassuring squeeze. "But at some point, you have to shed your veil and stop hiding."
Is this what she believes is bothering me?
It is true that I refuse to leave my bedchamber without my veil, but none of those things trouble me as deeply as what happened with Jasce.
"Maybe I will someday, but I'm not ready," I say after a while.
The hours wane as we talk and laugh until even Tahira can no longer stifle a yawn. Emerin rises first, suggesting we all retire for the night.
"We have another long day tomorrow," she says.
Asha nods in agreement.
I stand with them but linger near the window for just a moment longer after they leave.
If I were bold and vivacious, I would have danced with all those handsome suitors tonight, but there's only one man I wished I could have danced with.
I smile, wondering when I'll see Jasce again.
Hopefully soon.