Page 115 of Shadow Kissed

“Conclusions!” Raegal snorts. “I think we all can see they are lovers.”

Saveya steps forward and pulls her shoulders back. “You’re right, My Lord. We are lovers.” Eryx panics and tries to cover her mouth. “Stop! Eryx. They caught us. We may as well be truthful with him.” She takes Eryx's hand in hers and smiles at him and he gulps nervously. “The truth is we are in love. He is the man I want to spend my life with and I’m sorry if it breaks the rules.I’m sorry if some random, entitled stranger wants to select me at the reaping, but I love him, and I won’t stop loving him because your rules say I should.”

For a second Raegal is silent, and then he turns his eyes on me. “Did you know about this?”

I flinch, and he swears under his breath.

“You know this isn’t allowed, Terror. Did you encourage this?

I narrow my gaze at him and prod his chest with my finger. “No, I did not encourage it. I only found out recently.” I place my hands on his chest. “Look at them Raegal. They’re in love. And at least he’s not an Asen, so she’ll still pop out your precious shadow babies,” I say with a hopeful smile.

“This isn’t a smiling matter, Reya. This is serious,” he retorts, glaring at me.

“Begging your pardon, Lord Commander, but well,” Eryx pauses and fidgets with his jacket. “But aren’t the two of you also breaking the rules?”

Raegal’s eyes turn as black as night, and I grab hold of the lapels of his jacket. “Raegal, help them please, for me?”

His jaw tics as he glares at Eryx. “First, if you ever refer to Eretreya as ‘her’ again, I will rip you to shreds. Second, the difference between our two situations is that I can choose her at the reaping.” He shakes his head, and his gaze turns from one of anger to one of sympathy. “The chances of you getting a spot at the reaping are slim, Eryx. You know this. You are setting yourselves up for a world of heartache.”

“I won’t do it!” Saveya says firmly, stomping her foot on the ground. “If Eryx can’t choose me, then I’ll refuse.”

“There is no option to refuse, Saveya!” Raegal says with a frustrated growl. “And I’ll be left with no alternative except to enforce the rules.”

“There must be a way,” I say, clutching at his lapels and pleading with him. “You’re the Lord Commander.”

He looks down at me and sighs, running a hand through his dark locks. “You’re in the top five, Saveya. Even if I worked miracles, I can’t get a soldier into the top five suitors.”

Saveya looks grief stricken. “What do I need to do to lose points with immediate effect?”

I gaze optimistically at Raegal, and he swears quietly to himself. “Make a scene in the ballroom. Pretend to be intoxicated and accidentally spill a drink on a senior officer.

“And then will I be knocked out of the top five?” Saveya asks, her eyes lighting up with a sliver of hope.

“I’ll make sure of it, but Saveya, I have limited influence over the men chosen. I’ll do what I can, but I can’t make any promises.”

She places her hands together in prayer. “Thank you,” she says, bouncing over to him and reaching up to kiss him on the cheek, leaving Raegal stunned. “Okay, we should go. I have a scene to cause.” She pulls Eryx to her by his army tunic and kisses him. “Go, my lover, I’ll see you soon.”

Eryx grins at her like a lovesick pup. “My love.”

Saveya grins and watches as her man walks away, back to his barracks. She turns her gaze back to Raegal and I. “Well, are you coming back inside, or carrying on…you know…”

Raegal glares at her and I try to stifle my laughter, giving her a cautionary expression. She winks at me in response. “Go,” I tell him. “We’ll follow behind you.” He offers Saveya a final scowl before he strides back towards the mansion.

“I’m sorry for getting you in trouble with your commander,” she says as she links me by the arm, and we walk back towards the ballroom. “Oh, and there’s a twig in your hair,” she informs me, reaching out and plucking it from my curls.

“You let me worry about Raegal. You just concentrate on getting out of the top five,” I suggest, and she nods her head, adetermined expression on her face. “Mother always said I had a great flair for the dramatics.”

44

REYA

Saveya lives up to her mother’s praise, and she indeed plays the perfect drunk, staggering and waving a drink around in the air. She made me promise to be nowhere near when she staged her downfall, as she didn’t want me implicated, so I watch from across the ballroom with amusement as she stumbles into one of the army generals and pours her drink all over him. Raegal swoops in looking displeased and reprimands her whilst apologising profusely to his comrade. He hands Saveya over to one of our teachers and then walks over to speak with Moryen and whispers in her ear and she disappears out of the room to no doubt change the details of the top five ready for the announcement. Raegal catches my eye from across the room and winks at me, causing me to smile back at him. I know he did this for me, because I begged him to, and it means everything to me. I frown when Shalia steps into his path and places her hand on his arm and he leans down to hear her speak. Who does she think she is touching him like that? Jealousy rushes through meand I’m thinking of how I’d very much like to yank her away from him when an arm appears at my elbow.

“Lets’ dance, miss, before you box the lovely Shalia in the face.”

Jasiel comes up beside me, holding out his hand to escort me onto the dancefloor. “She can talk to whoever she wishes to. I don’t care.”

Jasiel grins as he twirls me onto the floor. “Whatever you say, miss.”

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