Page 85 of Of Withering Dreams
Gavrel’s jaw locked, his gaze never straying from mine. His pulse hammered in his temple.
“Little pet, what are we to do with you? Your ember certainly doesn’t hail from Evergryn.”
“I … I don’t know, Mistress.” The less I said, the better. Easy enough when I didn’t have a clue.
“Ah, but of course. Your mother wouldn’t have divulged anything. So untoward to have lost her at such a tender age. How long ago now?”
My teeth were going to break if I clenched them any harder. “Fourteen turns. I was seven.”
She scrunched her nose, an insincere pout pulling at her bottom lip. “I can’t imagine … being that young again.” Her fingers stopped circling her knee as she glanced to the side in contemplation.
My nails dug into my skin, willing my ember to stay locked within me, its energy incessantly poking at my nape.
Her penetrating gaze bored into the depths of mine. I pulled in air deeply through my nose, counting in my mind and then exhaling.
Seconds ticked by.
Melina was studying me in an unnervingly familiar manner.
It was how I scrutinized others when sparring, waiting for weaknesses or signs of attack to reveal themselves.
“Well, perhaps it’s for the best. You’re the person you are now because of it. You must be someone of worth for our dear commander to be so protective of you.” She moved like a spider, her hand gliding over his shoulder and down his arm. Her claws clamped onto his thigh.
His thick muscles tensed, straining against his trousers. She leaned forward, one arched brow rising as she stretched her other hand out to me. “Come.”
Gavrel started, “Mistress?—”
“Melina!” she snapped, her eyes flashing silver. “If I must remind you again, our little pet will be disciplined.”
My molars ached. I stood in front of them, the pads of my palms bruising.
Gavrel’s lips pressed together so hard that they disappeared entirely. “Melina. I’ve known the girl since she was an infant. It’s only natural we’d be on friendly terms. She’s my brother’s friend and our neighbor. Otherwise, she’s of no consequence to me.”
His tone was steady. Convincing. It cut through delicate threads within my chest, my heart no longer attached, the organ sputtering and plopping into my belly.
She scoffed, smacking his thigh, “Enough. It’s too late for all that. I know what she is to you.”
Gavrel froze, his already stiff body went motionless, and his breath caught in his throat.
A sneer cut across her beautiful face as she continued, the metal in her eyes swirling and scrutinizing my body. “I won’t have it, Gavie. Won’t have you pining for each other like you were the summer before the last Dormancy.”
I shifted my position, confusion pushing my brow downward as I glanced at Gavrel. A quiet breath left him as his shoulders relaxed. His jaw ticking again.
“You’ve been misinformed.”
“Enough,” she hissed. “Not only do I have eyes everywhere, but I already sifted through her mind after her little mare wyrm encounter …” She counted on her fingers, continuing, “And her dungeon adventure … and last winter. She makes it so easy—constantly creeping around the grounds and palace alone. Just like her mother. Some things never change,” she tittered; waving her fingers toward me.
My mouth fell numbly, sagging into a defeated line. Her words weren’t making sense. Memories weren’t clicking into place.
Dungeon? Does this place have a dungeon?
What happened last winter?
Just like my mother?
I reached into the shadows of my mind, scratching at the darkness. Nothing but a blurred murk greeted me.
“Well, aside from her having ember this round.” One delicate shoulder lifted as she twirled her hand in the air. “It matters not. Those memories are long gone, Commander. Along with some other tidbits. I must say, it was quite convenient your brother is so appealing.”
