Page 192 of A Tribute of Fire

I opened my mouth to tell him that he was wrong, but the words wouldn’t come out.

Why were we talking? I didn’t want to talk. It didn’t matter if I’d had some wine. It was unimportant. I was sure I could coax him into kissing me again.

I leaned toward him but he scrambled off the bed and went over to the far corner of the room. “You have to go back.”

“I don’t want to leave you.”

His voice was raspy and tortured. “Go now, before I stop you and convince you to stay.”

My heart was both breaking and beating with anticipation. I sat up on the bed, my bare feet making contact with the floor.

“Now, Lia.” He said my name like it pained him, as if he knew exactly what I was thinking.

I got my sword and sheath and, not able to help myself, took a step toward him.

He shook his head. “If you kiss me again, I will take you back to that bed and not let you go. And you don’t actually want that.”

Jason was rejecting me. Because he thought I couldn’t make my own decisions. That I wasn’t able to think clearly. I marched over to the door and unlocked it, throwing it open as I went out into the alley.

Anger and humiliation filled every empty space inside me. Which was good because my body was urging me to turn around and take him up on his offer to be trapped in that bed with him. There was no need to climb back over the wall as the party had spread. Fortunately, no one seemed to notice me leaving the house and they were all intent on their celebrating. As I came out of the alley and onto the street, someone handed me a cup of wine, filled to the brim. I took it and drank the entire thing down. Warmth flooded through my veins.

I didn’t care what kind of mystery ingredients were in it. Whatever they were, they must have been fast acting because they immediately ate away at my anger, giving the part of me that wanted to turn around and go back a much louder voice.

Only the tiny sliver of pride I had left kept me from doing so. The longer I thought about returning to that little house, the more it seemedlike a good idea. To distract myself I looked for my sisters, but it was impossible to find them in this crowd. I knew I should just go back to my room and fall asleep.

It was embarrassing to admit it, but part of me hoped that when I drifted off, I would see my dream Jason, because I wasn’t very happy with the real one.

As I pushed my way through the throng of women, I came across Io, who was swaying to the music, a cup of wine in her hand. Her eyes were glassy, her cheeks a bright pink.

“Lia! There you are!” she exclaimed, rushing over to hug me. “Where have you been? Did you enjoy your walk?”

I spotted Zalira a bit farther off and she grinned and mouthed the word “Jason?” I turned from her, not wanting to give anything away. I did not want to relive what had just happened.

“The walk didn’t turn out the way I thought it would,” I told Io.

“Your poor hands are so empty. You need a drink!” She grabbed one off the tray of a passing attendant and handed it to me.

When she did she asked me, “Do you think the goddess has a body that you can touch, or do you think she’s made of aether, like the stars?”

“I can either discuss the transcendent nature of the goddess, or I can have more wine. I can’t do both.”

Her smile got bigger. “Drink!”

So I drank quickly again. Another spike of warmth.

She looped her arm through mine. “Come and sit with me!”

I wanted to sneak off to bed. To put my pillow over my head and let this day be over. But I had the distinct impression that drunk Io would follow me and ask me questions until she squeezed the entire story out of me. It was easier to play along.

As we walked toward a bench, I stumbled a bit. I realized that I was unsteady. Maybe I was drunk now, too. That had been a big cup I’d had back there. Not to mention what I’d drunk earlier and what I was currently carrying around with me.

I’d never been drunk before. It was a strange experience. Both Io and I sat down a bit too hard, misjudging the distance, splashing some of our wine on the ground. She broke out into peals of laughter and I couldn’t help but smile back.

“Did you see the horses earlier? I love white horses!” she exclaimed.

“I didn’t. I’ve decided I’m not interested in sacred animals.” Which made me think of the terawolves and something began to nag at the back of my mind. It was a phrase Io had said the night we were attacked by those creatures, and I had overlooked it in the heat of the moment.

When I read about them.

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