Page 44 of A Court of Bones & Sorrow

“Tamsen would have paid the price if there had been any interference,” Nyx said. “It didn’t take long for our parents to figure out that the best way to control us was to threaten the other.”

I’d met Tamsen several times. We weren’t friends, but I respected her. Even more so now that I knew she’d at least tried to protect Nyx. She hadn’t come with the Heirs to see Prince Draven, and it was likely House Corvinus was working with Velika. But that didn’t necessarily mean Tamsen was in on it. She was Heir, but her parents still ruled the House. It was also possible they were forcing her cooperation by promising to harm Nyx if she disobeyed their orders.

Nyx and Tamsen’s parents were fourth-generation like Carmilla, which meant they were in their eighties, but that meant nothing anymore. Carmilla was ninety-five years old but had looked like she was in her mid-forties for as long as I couldremember. The Moroi were still evolving with each generation, and none of us knew how long we would live anymore.

If Tamsen was to rule anytime soon, her parents would have to meet an untimely end . . .

“Samara.” Nyx rapped their knuckles against my leg.

“Hmm?” I blinked down at them.

“Stop plotting the death of my parents.”

My hand flew to my chest, and I widened my eyes. “I wouldnever.”

Nyx chuckled. “You absolutely would, and don’t think it hasn’t crossed Tamsen’s mind too. To say we’re not close to our parents is a bit of an understatement.” Nyx folded their hands behind their head and rested back on them to gaze up at the sky again. “There were a lot of reasons I wasn’t happy at House Corvinus. My parents raised me as a boy and then expected me to fulfill my duties as a Corvinus male, but that never suited me. I didn’t really understand why as I was growing up. Then I met Roth at Drudonia, and I realized maybe the reason I felt like I was always crawling out of my own skin was because I was trying to be something I wasn’t.”

“Never met any chirlìn Velesians growing up?” I asked curiously, using the Fae word for those who didn’t fall in the categories of male or female. Technically, the word chirlìn meant either all of something or none of something. Either way, it seemed fitting, and the Velesians had been using it for some time. It was slowly catching on around the Moroi and Furies as well.

“Are you kidding?” Nyx’s brows rose. “My parents can’t go five minutes without talking shit about shifters. Rynn was the first Velesian I met.”

“House Corvinus is even more fucked than I realized.” I hesitated before asking, “Did you go through with the training?”

“No. I tried for the sake of my sister, but I couldn’t do it.”Nyx rubbed their face. “I didn’t have any experience before the training. I mean, I hadn’t . . . There hadn’t been anyone I’d . . . done things with.” They caught my eyebrows creeping towards my forehead and laughed. “I know that’s crazy, considering most Moroi start humping everything in sight as soon as they hit sixteen if not earlier, but I’ve never really felt inclined to stick my cock into everything that moves. Add to the fact that physically, I’d matured quickly and looked like this”—Nyx gestured at their handsome, masculine face and broad shoulders—“so everyone treated me like I was a typical male, which only added to internal confusion and ensured my sex drive was nonexistent.”

I winced. What a shitty experience. My first time hadn’t been amazing, but it’d been my choice, and it’d been with a courtier who was just as inexperienced. We’d stumbled through it together with clumsy fingers and panted breaths. Nyx had been quiet at Drudonia, but I’d had no idea they’d been dealing with all this.

“My instructors took things slow, but I panicked two weeks into the training, just as things started to get serious. I grabbed a horse and ran, not even caring which direction I was going as long as it was away from everything.” They snorted, a wry grin playing across their lips. “Ran straight into Vail fighting off a pack of howlers. Helped him out, and the rest is history.”

“You do seem happier now,” I said. “It was the main reason I didn’t tear your head off when I saw you for the first time with Vail. I was pissed off at how you just disappeared on us like that, but none of that matters if you’re happy.”

“Ah. I was wondering why I didn’t get the typicalSamara Chewing Out.”

I shoved my knee out to the side so it dug into their hip. “Don’t worry, it’s still coming. I’m just letting it stew a little bit more.”

“Thank you.” Nyx’s eyes flicked to mine. “For being my friend then and for being my friend now.”

“Always.” I wrinkled my nose. “Still think you had poor taste in choosing your ranger unit though.”

“We’ve all decided to not touch what’s going on between you and Vail with a ten-foot pole.” They shot me a pointed look.

“Can I take that option too?” I dropped my head back against the tree.

“Sadly, I don’t think you can.” Nyx nudged the leather satchel between us. “Did you steal some books from Roth? Because I’ll protect you from a lot of things, but there is zero chance of me getting between you and them if books are involved.”

My lips quirked. “I’d never ask you to do such a thing. Besides . . . I kind of like Roth’s idea of punishment.”

A light flush streaked across Nyx’s cheeks, and they squeezed their eyes shut. “I really need to get laid soon.” We both laughed, and after a moment, they peeked one eye open at me. “Is Cali . . . involved with anyone?”

“Nyx Corvinus, do you have a crush on Calypso Rayne?” I gaped down at them, and their blush deepened as they quickly squeezed their eyes shut with a wince. “Oh my gods, you do!”

“I swear to the moon and all that she gives us, if you tell Cali, I will bury your corpse beneath this Fae tree.”

The threat would have landed better if Nyx hadn’t covered their face with their hands and half-mumbled the words.

“Wow.” I cackled. “To answer your question, Cali isn’t involved with anyone.” I thought about it a little more. “Not seriously anyway. You know how Furies are. No serious relationships and all that.”

Nyx made a noise of agreement and tucked their hands behind their head. “Do you mind if I nap here? I’m feeling a little tired, and if I go back to the barracks, Adrienne willsomehow find out, and it’ll only make her worry about me more.”

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