Chapter 39

39

REYA

W hen I enter our wing, the girls suggest we all get ready together. Tyria announces we need to help each other choose our outfits for tonight, and we move from room to room, picking out something nice to wear. The girls try to convince me to wear a dress, and I eventually agree to wear a pair of pale blue culotte trousers that hang loose on my waist, giving the illusion of a full skirt, paired with a corset of the same colour to match with chiffon sleeves that gather at the wrist in silver stitching. Orna and the other maids help us with our hair. She persuades me to style mine half up with a pretty blue bow at the back and I have to admit when I look in the mirror at the finished result; I stare, mouth open, at the woman reflected back at me.

Orna claps her hands together and smiles widely. "You are stunning, Reya. That commander will be salivating at the sight of you tonight."

I roll my eyes at her through my reflection in the mirror. "Like I care what the commander thinks of me."

It's Orna's turn to respond with a dramatic eye roll. "Whatever you say, miss. Enjoy having him at your mercy this evening." She winks at me, grinning, before she bundles up my dirty laundry and leaves me to go and find the girls. I enter our living space, where the girls are waiting for me. They all look beautiful in their dresses. We'd all agreed that we didn't want to overdo it for the local inn, so we've opted for clothing that was pretty but casual.

"Ah, behold us." Tyria grins, coming over to me and wrapping an arm over my shoulder. "Gather in ladies. Tonight, we are going to dance, drink, and maybe flirt with a scath or two!"

"Here, here!" Alora chimes, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "I've never been in an inn before. Will there be cake?"

We all laugh at her cuteness. "No cake, I'm afraid. It will mainly reek of sweat, stew and spilled krim, but the atmosphere can be quite something," I inform her, and she wrinkles her nose at the mention of sweat.

Tyria waggles her dark brows. "I plan to get to know that handsome Jasiel better this evening. Have you observed how well-defined that man's buttocks are in those jodhpurs?"

"You are terrible." Saveya chuckles, playfully slapping Tyria with her shawl. "But he does have a very pert bottom."

"Okay! Enough talk of bottoms. The night is ours, ladies," I say, ushering them towards the door. My mind isn't on Jasiel's bottom but instead on the panty-melting eyes of the Lord Commander.

J asiel and Raegal and two of their soldiers, Finor and Kymil, are waiting for us in the hallway with Moryen as we descend the stairs. Whatever conversation had been taking place ceases when they see us. I dare to lift my head, and I find his eyes eating me up as I close the distance between us. Those same eyes that held mine prisoner as he claimed me last night.

"Ladies," Jasiel greets, coming forward to take Tyria's hand as she steps off the stairs. "You all look absolutely ravishing."

"I'm still not happy about this," Moryen says with a grumble. "But the Lord Commander assures me you will be under their constant supervision. Ladies, please remember that you represent this school and everything we stand for."

We all nod. Willing to agree to anything for a night of freedom.

"I want them all back no later than midnight, Lord Commander, and in one piece." Her eyes land on me. "And I want no trouble."

I roll my eyes. Why does she always fix her attention on me when she talks about trouble?

The men shadow weave us down to inn and when we enter, it's bustling with revellers and those enjoying a well-earned drink after a day's work. Raegal nods to the inn keeper when we enter, and he gestures over to a table right at the back near the stairwell. Folk notice us as we make our way through the room. It's hard to miss Raegal and Jasiel and then add in five purple eyed females and it's enough to cause plenty of stares. However, once we're seated, the occupants of the room seem happy to return to their own evenings.

The inn keeper strides over, warmly greeting the men; he clearly knows them well. He tells us it is an honour to have us in his inn and that anything we desire we need only ask. A server brings a jug of krim and Braeberry juice over to our table. Raegal reaches for the juice, and I reach out and stop him from pouring some in my cup.

"Come on, Lord Commander," I say, my eyes darting over to the jug of krim. "You said tonight we could celebrate our win."

Raegal doesn't respond straight away, but I watch as he puts down the jug of juice and pours me a mug of krim. "Just pace yourselves, is all I ask."

I nod my head and side glance at the girls, who all grin in anticipation. "I've never tasted krim before," Alora confesses. When Jasiel pours her a mug and hands it to her, she lifts it to her nose and smells it. "Ugh, that smells vile."

Tyria reaches out to take it from her, telling her she'll take it off her hands, but Alora swiftly snatches her arm back out of her clutches. "I didn't say I wouldn't drink it." She lifts the cup to her lips and takes a big drink. Her eyes widen and she places the mug down, spluttering. "It tastes like dead men's feet."

This has everyone around the table laughing loudly. I take a drink and sigh in contentment. Being here felt as close to home as possible. The smells, the noise, it reminds me of one of the few places in Terleigh where I had felt accepted.

Over by the window, a man takes a seat on a small wooden stool and strums on his Cithara. A man joins him with his accordion and sings of the lure of a woman with blue eyes and wanton lips.

"So, Lord Commander, what did you think of Reya's run of the gauntlet today?" Tyria asks Raegal as he pours himself a mug of krim. He leans back in his seat and observes me with a slow, lazy perusal from across the table.

"I think she did incredibly well. In fact, her time may have beaten some of our Asen soldiers' attempts."

I try not to flush under his praise but fail. Tyria nudges me and winks.

"Have you run the gauntlet, Lord Commander?" I ask him, curious to know if he has partaken in what seems to be a tradition for all the soldiers here at the valley.

He smirks. "Of course. It would be poor taste for an army's own commander not to undergo a test all his men are supposed to complete."

I place my elbows on the table and lean closer. "And what was your time?"

With slow confidence, he leans forward, our eyes meeting across the table. "Half your time, Terror."

I arch a brow. "Impressive."

He nods, leaning in closer. "I aim to be impressive in everything I do."

And that you are , a voice says in my head. I internally chastise myself. It is the krim talking. I can't. No, I don't want this man. He is my enemy, the bad guy. But even as I say the words to myself, I find myself immediately doubting them. Time and time again, he proves his capacity for acts of kindness and support.

"Ladies, the night is young, and I have a desire to dance. Who's with me?" Jasiel asks, placing his mug down on the table and getting to his feet. Tyria is straight up.

"You can count me in, Captain," she informs him with a cheeky wink. Imrie agrees and drags Alora up with her. Saveya looks at me to see if I'm going to join and I shake my head. "Go. I'll join you soon," I promise her, and she follows behind the others until they all reach the centre of the room and sing along and dance to the cheery music.

"I must say, Terror. You are looking beyond beautiful this evening," Raegal says, leaning his elbow on the table. His eyes drop to my chest before they drag over my lips. "Your beauty intensifies when you're naked and writhing beneath me."

"Raegal!" I exclaim in a breathless hiss. I can't believe he is talking to me like this in such an open space.

He smirks. "No one can hear me, Terror." He drains his mug, and rising to his feet, he holds his hand out and waits. "Come. Time to put those dance lessons to the test."

I look at his hand and then across the room at my friends. "Must I?"

He smirks in response. "Scared, Terror?"

Of being close to you, yes, I want to say. I'm terrified I'll forget who I am and my allegiances and beg you to kiss me.

"Of course not," I say with a frown as I place my hand in his and he helps me to my feet.

"Go, dance with your friends," he says, handing me over to Saveya, who grabs my hand and twirls me around, and I laugh. This type of dancing I can deal with, where we just move however we wish to the rhythm of the music. We dance for a few more songs and I search the room when I realise Raegal is no longer keeping an eye on us from our table.

"Dance with me," his deep voice says against my ear as he comes up behind me and places a possessive hand on my waist. A slow sultry melody plays, and I watch as others couple up. Tyria grabs Jasiel's hand and tugs him towards her with a flirtatious waggle of her brows. Imrie bows to Alora and offers out her hand and laughing, she takes it, and they sway together. I watch with interest as the shadow soldier, Eryx, we met when we delivered a letter to Raegal, appears before Saveya and bowing his head, and he offers her his hand. My friends blushes crimson before she slips her hand in his and he pulls her closer. Raegal takes my hand in his and spins me around, pulling me against him. My heart thunders in my chest as I find his eyes. He wets his lips as he stares back at me, and we sway to the slow, hypnotic music. It's like the world slips away and there's nothing but him and I. He leans in closer, and his warm breath brushes my cheek like a caress. I'm aware of everywhere that we touch, my body humming with excitement. Fighting this attraction between us is like fighting the need to breathe. I relax against him, placing my head on his shoulder. I close my eyes and allow myself to embrace this moment. One that in weeks to come, I will look back on and cherish. The beautiful song ends, and I reluctantly open my eyes, and we step back from each other. When I gaze into his eyes, they are ablaze with desire. Tyria appears beside me, breaking the moment, her eyes brimming with mischief.

"The night is young, and I think a game of Rublas is in order!"

I grin, nodding my head in agreement. While working at the inn, I frequently observed and engaged in the game.

"Have you played before, Lord Commander?" Tyria asks him as we all make our way back to our table, where a fresh jug of krim awaits us.

"Only once or twice. I am a fast learner, so I'm sure I can keep up," he says with a confident smirk as we all sit down. This time he takes the seat beside me, sitting close as we squeeze into the small space.

Tyria asks one of the serving girls to fetch us the dice and wooden chips, and she explains the rules to everyone as she divides out the chips. Imrie rolls first and scores a hundred a nine with her roll of the dice, and we continue round the table. Raegal takes his roll and I groan in annoyance when he rolls, and he shouts out ‘Rublas' and gains the top score available. We continue playing the round and I score a respectable second place. Alora, scoring the least, ends up with a hefty amount of chips. We drink as we play, and I can feel a fuzzy warmth envelop me. When we get to the final round, it is just me and Raegal with one chip each, both of us so close to winning.

"Let's make this interesting," Jasiel says with a wiggle of his brows. "A forfeit for the person who loses."

I glance beside me at Raegal, who smirks at me. "I'm game, given I'm going to win."

I chuckle. "Always so arrogant. You're on. If I win, you must sing a song to the entire inn."

He bobs his head. "Deal." He gives me a wolfish smirk. "If I win, you sit on my lap for the rest of evening and hand feed me." I hear Saveya giggle beside me as I place my hand in his and we shake on it.

Tyria claps her hands together. "This is it. Final round." She offers the dice to me, and I lift them to my lips and kiss them before I toss them onto the table. I wait in anticipation as they come to a stop.

"Ooh! A respectable double two and a three, seven points!" Tyria says, gathering up the dice and handing them to Raegal.

He holds the dice to his lips and kisses them with a mocking smirk before he releases them, and they bounce across the wooden table.

A two

A three

A four

"Nine points!" Tyria announces and our table break into applause and commiserate me. Raegal moves back in his seat and with a lopsided grin he points at his lap.

"I'm waiting," he croons and waits with that cock-sure smirk on his face.

Gritting my teeth, I stand to my feet and drop myself down on his lap rather unceremoniously and he grimaces. He soon gets me back though, placing his hands on my hips and tugging me further into his lap.

"Comfortable?"

I breathe through my nose and glare at him. "I'm glad you're enjoying this."

He releases a dark chuckle. "Oh, I am indeed. Now, I'd like some nuts, please." He gestures at the small bowl on our table. I'm half tempted to pick the bowl up and drop them over his head. I glower at him as I reach across the table and grab a handful of nuts. I move them to his mouth, and he leans back and shakes his head. "One at a time, terror. I don't want to choke after all."

"Yes, that would be a terrible shame," I reply dryly, with a false smile. I hold out a single nut and as he leans forward to take it, I snatch it back away from him and he quirks a brow, his grey eyes fixed on me.

"Play nice, Eretreya. No one likes a sore loser."

I furrow my brow. "I'll make you sore if you don't take the damned nut."

Slowly, he leans forward and seals his mouth around my fingers, and slowly sucks the nut into his mouth. I follow the movement with far too much interest and shake my head to knock some sense into me.

"Delicious," he says, licking his lips and giving me a knowing smile.

I huff, and folding my arms across my chest, face away from him. Our table occupants are oblivious to our little display as Tyria is challenging Jasiel to an arm wrestle. This should be interesting.

I spend the rest of the evening sitting on his gods forsaken lap. The heat of his body surrounding me and his scent enveloping me and making it hard for me to concentrate on any of the conversation and frivolity going on around us. Every time I feel his breath on my neck and face I shiver, and every time he adjusts his position, his thighs press against my bottom. I felt torn between slapping him across the face for purposefully attempting to torment and distract me and being half tempted to wrap my arms around his neck and ask him to take me somewhere we can be alone.

Just before midnight, Jasiel and Raegal escort us back to the mansion. We ask to walk back so we can take in the valley's beauty under the blanket of the stars. The krim has left me feeling merry and relaxed. When I fall into bed and he joins me shortly after, I don't protest when Raegal pulls my body against his and I fall into a peaceful slumber.