Page 44 of A War of Ruin and Reckoning

Outside, Leaf handed her a fresh cup of water from a pitcher and made her drink the entire thing.

“I have sent for more tea and a meal to break your fast.”

“Just say breakfast.”

“Then I will locate the Prime and solidify our plan to speak with her.”

“Understood.” She sat on the bed.

“You should rest for as long as needed.” He clicked his fingers and pointed at the pitcher. “And more fluid.”

His good mood remained as he put on a tunic. But her mood was well and truly curdled. This could all be over by the end of the night. Then she’d likely go to the Order of the Well. Without him.

At least other women were there like her. That had to be a good thing. But the more she thought about it, the less positive she felt, and it had nothing to do with meeting other people or helping them understand her brother’s motives.

Leaf had made a point of mentioning their bargain would soon end. He’d also made a point that even if aroused, he’d scratch his own itch. But did that mean he was doing it himself? Or did it suggest he intended to seek relief from another source? As in, another woman?

Why was she getting anxious about this?

Their dealings weren’t romantic. He made a point to remind her of that time and time again.

“Out of curiosity,” she asked Leaf as he strode to the door. “If scratching each other’s itches isn’t part of the deal, I’m assuming we are free to seek relief from other sources.”

Leaf stopped dead in his tracks. He stared at the door for a long, hard minute. Finally, he turned to her with narrowed eyes. “I’m not sure I understand.”

“You know,” she mumbled, playing with the bedsheet. “I’m saying that I won’t keep you from seeking physical companionship with other people. We only need to fake it for the Prime’s benefit, right?”

“Yes,” he clipped. “Which means in public, as far as anyone knows, we’re mated.”

“But privately,” she stressed. “You should seek out physical companionship if you need it. And the same standard applies to me. We’re both adults with needs a fake romance won’t meet.”

He stared at her, fingers twitching at his side. “I see.”

“I mean, we’re notactuallymates. You made it abundantly clear that you’re not interested in one.”

“I did.”

“And you look like someone I used to know, which is very confusing, so—”

“Yes, Nova,” he snapped. “No need to harp on about it. If this arrangement is so confusing, let me make something else abundantly clear: Who you fuck in private is your own concern, so long as it does not hinder the success of the ruse.”

He slammed the door on his way out.

ChapterEighteen

Nova waited all day for Leaf to return, but he never came. She slept, rested, and ate the food the steward delivered. She bathed, dressed, and tried to communicate with the fire sprites. The grumpy couple ignored her until she fed them kindling and a handful of chestnuts left from her meal. They’d never burned nuts before and had a great old time.

But when that was done, she returned to the bed, staring at the sun setting over the snowy field, wondering if Leaf was getting busy with another woman in private. It would make sense why he was gone so long. She should stop stewing over it because it was none of her business.

Perhaps she should take a page from his book and consider moving on. She felt remarkably better since coming down with the flu. Never in her life had she recovered so quickly.

Leaf had mentioned something about her being Well-blessed, and perhaps that was why she’d recovered. He’d talked about the other women from her time. She’d never felt connected to the Well, so she had always assumed she was as human as the day she was born. But she’d also worn gold earrings for most of the time since she’d awoken. Could she dare to hope she’d receive the gift of immortality like the others?

Even though her twin was someone so vile?

Part of her was excited to meet these other women. But a part of her wondered, what if she had nothing to offer apart from her history with her brother? What if she imparted all that knowledge, and without any other value, she would become a burden? Wouldn’t it be better for everyone if she found somewhere else to live?

Whatever the case, if she sat around and waited for Leaf, she would get nowhere. And she wanted to be armed with as much knowledge as possible before deciding what to do after this deal. Movement outside caught her attention. She tossed the blankets off and ran to the window with delight.

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