Page 179 of Anathema

“Yes.”

“Then, I will speak with him.”

“I’m coming with you.”

“You will do no such thing,” he gritted, and even through the mask, I could tell his teeth were clenched. “Stay with Rykaia until The Becoming has commenced, then slip away. No one will notice the two of you have left.”

I tipped my head to the side, looking past his massive body, to see Rykaia dancing with a man. “Wouldn’t I be safest with you?”

In my periphery, the erotic dancers moved faster, and I turned to see the man’s loincloth was flipped up. I quickly looked away, realizing they were actually engaged in the act not far from where we stood. A hot blush crept over my face, and as though he’d noticed it, Zevander stared down at me for a moment, his chest rising and falling. “Fine. You’ll come with me, but do not say a word.”

“I will not say a word, so long as you inquire about Aleysia.”

“Doing so would mean I’d have to kill him.”

“What? Why?”

“Because asking him about her would inspire him to think of you.”

“Neither of us know his motivations. Thinking is not speaking.”

“Thoughts can be extracted by a skilled mage.”

“Even past thoughts?”

“Even past thoughts. But I suspect he hasn’t stopped thinking of you since he saw you in this dress. Pairing you with Mortasia creates too much of a link.”

I sighed. While his reasoning made sense, I certainly had no intentions of having the man killed. “I have to know, Zevander. It’s killing me.”

He traced his thumb over my lips and across my jaw in a way that felt intimate, affectionate. “The prince will be escorted to his chambers soon. I’ll have the opportunity to slip away then.”

“You make it sound scandalous.”

He lowered his hand from my face, only to take hold of my waist with a possessive grip. “Return to Rykaia until then,” he commanded, ignoring my comment. “I’ll have Torryn keep watch of both of you.”

The moans from beside us begged me to peek, but I refused.

As if sensing my temptation, he glanced toward them and back. “They make you uncomfortable?”

“I wouldn’t call it discomfort, per se.” I swallowed past the lump in my throat. “How are you so unaffected?”

“I wouldn’t call myself unaffected.” A downward sweep of his gaze, and he pushed away, releasing me from his muscled cage and his greedy clutch. “I’ll find you after the ceremony.”

As Zevander strode off, a woman dressed in gold armor, shorter, but equally muscled, stepped into his path. Clearly a Solassion, given her long, sunny locks and bronze skin.

His back rippled with tension, seen even through the tight jacket.

The woman’s lips stretched to a smile, and Zevander strode past her. When her gaze lifted to mine, I scampered toward Rykaia, who stood talking to the princess.

“Ah, Princess, this is Lady Anadara.” Rykaia took hold of my arm, and I schooled my face to avoid reacting to the fact that she’d introduced me with the wrong name.

I’d never formally met royalty before, had no idea how to greet her, but I curtsied, bowing my head, to which she offered a kind smile.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. Rykaia has spoken very highly of you, Lady Anadara.” The delicate tone of her voice hardly carried over the obnoxious conversations around us, further reminding me of her innocence.

Clearly, she had a much closer relationship with Rykaia than I had originally imagined, using her first name to address her. In my world, the princess was untouchable and rarely seen by the public. It made more sense why Rykaia would want to be present at the ceremony.

“The pleasure is mine.” I smiled, my nerves slightly on edge after the encounter with Zevander. “I had no idea you and Rykaia were close friends.”

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