Page 52 of Threaded

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Mariah and Sebastian sat at her dining table, their comfortable conversations filling the room while Mikael busied himself in the kitchen, wiping down the countertops after preparing another perfect breakfast. Mariah had invited the cook to join them at the table and eat his fill of the food he’d crafted, but Mikael declined, saying he would be unable to do such a thing with the kitchen looking as it did. “Besides,” he’d said, “I don’t much enjoy my own cooking. Always judge myself too harshly.” Mariah only scoffed and smiled, but hadn’t pushed the issue further and left him to his cleaning.

She heard the doors to her suite click open, too casual steps on heeled shoes sounding down the foyer. Mariah turned in her chair just as Ciana strolled into the room, a comfortable set to her shoulders as if these were her chambers and not Mariah’s. She chimed a pleasant greeting to Mikael before turning to the dining table, eyeing both Mariah and Sebastian with a suspicious gleam in her light amber eyes, her eyebrows rising in blatant curiosity as she sidled closer.

“Good morning, Ciana.” Mariah smiled at her friend, slightly wary about the next words that might come from her often-unfiltered mouth.

“Mariah. Sebastian. Goodmorningto you both.” Ciana’s emphasis on the word “morning” was full of so much suggestion that it made Mariah grit her teeth and Sebastian shift uncomfortably in his seat.

“Did you need something, Cee?”

Ciana grinned, obviously enjoying the reaction she was eliciting from them both. “Actually, yes. Ryenne sent me.”

“I will take that as my leave to go, then.” Sebastian spoke, pushing his chair back from the table and rising to his feet. Mariah twisted back to look at him, and he met her gaze. “Reach out should you need me.” Mariah smiled at him, and he returned the same warm expression before stepping around the table. As he passed Ciana, heading towards the exit and the hallway beyond, he shot the golden girl a blinding smile and a wink.

“Always great to see you, Ciana.”

Ciana’s face flushed beet red, not deigning to give him a response.

It was now Mariah’s turn for her eyebrows to rise to her hairline.Curious. She was hoping Ciana’s response would grant her some reprieve from the onslaught she feared was coming. That hope was dashed in an instant when she met Ciana’s stare again, finding the girl’s expression had returned to normal, her eyes gleaming with twisted curiosity.

The two women stared at each other for a few moments, Ciana searching Mariah’s face for something Mariah didn’t want to show. Finally, her friend rocked back on her heels and crossed her arms over her chest, a smug look on her face.

“You fucked him, didn’t you?”

Mariah groaned and dropped her head into her hands, but she couldn’t suppress her smile. She again wondered, briefly, about Ciana’s response to Sebastian just now, wondering what might truly be going on in the hidden depths of her friend’s mind. She hadn’t known the other girl long, but over the past week and the great deal of time they’d spent together she’d come to see a softness in Ciana, a tenderness that her friend kept hidden from the world behind a wall of sarcasm and boisterous bravado. Mariah had thought long about what had put that barrier there, what pain or heartache Ciana must’ve experienced to keep an entire portion of herself so shut away.

She would ask her one day, when the time was right.

Not today, however. Mariah, though, was now slightly concerned whether she would discover a hint of jealousy in her friend’s eyes as she finally lifted her head from her hands.

“What do you think?”

Thankfully, there was no envy in Ciana’s expression or answering laugh. “I knew it! I mean, given what I’ve heard about the bonding, and howhothe is, I knew you wouldn’t be able to resist.” Ciana moved to the chair beside her, sitting in a flurry of movement, resting her chin in her hands as she stared at Mariah. “Tell me everything. I need all the dirty details.”

At that, Mikael coughed an uncomfortable laugh, quickly dismissing himself from Mariah’s chambers with an awkward, flourishing bow. Mariah couldn’t hold back her giggle.

Nor could she hold back the question that slipped past her lips.

“He’s‘hot’, is he? Care to elaborate on that?”

Again, to her shock, Ciana blushed furiously. “I … I mean … your entire Armature is ridiculous. Just look at them. It’s outrageous. And as your best friend in this Goddess-blessed palace, I require—no,deserve—all the behind-the-scenes information from you so I can try my best to live vicariously. It’s the least you could do for stealing me away from my family and sequestering me here in the palace.”

Mariah’s grin was wide and bright. This was a conversation they’d had before, and Ciana’s attempt at a guilt trip couldn’t goad her into a response.

“Isn’t the queen waiting for me? I think it’s best we get ready and not keep her waiting.”

Ciana slapped her palms on the table, throwing her head back in exasperation. “Ugh! Alright, fine, bitch. Play coy with me. I will, however, expect a full debriefing with all the details that would make our ancestors roll over in their graves later this evening.” She rose from her chair, grabbing Mariah’s arm and dragging her up as well. “Let’s go get ready, then.”

Quickly, Mariah dressed in her favored soft black leggings and a shimmering gold sweater, teasing Ciana the entire time for caring far too much about the clothes she chose to wear. “I can dress myself, you know,” she told her friend, rolling her eyes at her in the mirror.

Ciana only waved her off. “Yeah, sure you can. But don’t deny that you love having a friend help take these decisions off your hands.”

Mariah couldn’t, and she was glad of it.

CHAPTER24

Mariah’s run that morning was more frantic than usual, the turmoil in her head nearing a breaking point.

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