Page 44 of Of Blood and Banes
Cole clears his throat, his grip still tight on my waist, his torso pressed against mine. “Might we…have a moment to tidy our appearances before we return?”
Sethan waves a hand, then turns his face away to give us a small semblance of privacy, and his guards follow suit. Cole sets me back on my feet and grabs the journal between us before quickly pulling his shirt out of his pants. He tugs his waistband down, revealing his deeply chiseled lower abs and the curves down toward his…
I stop and avert my gaze toward Sethan, brushing my hair down the back of my head as Cole slides the journal into the front of his waistband and tucks his shirt over it. The pulsing of my desire slows, and my cheeks heat at how Cole can’t take his eyes off me. Like I’m the only person in the realm. The two of us join Sethan and the other guards. He and his soldiers scan us, but to my relief, don’t pat us down.
Sethan’s glare is an almost deathly promise. “Don’t let us catch you out after curfew again, understood?”
CHAPTER 15
YOUR SIDE
“How’s your side?” Tawny asks the next morning as I open my door. She presents me my sword and scabbard, then glances at my ribs.
I suppose Sethan’s irritation after finding me and Cole out last night wasn’t enough to keep from returning our weapons. I’m not going to question it further. Looping the sheath around myself, I pat my side. I’m still perplexed at the sheer absurdity of it healing overnight. “Thank you. Surprisingly, it doesn’t even hurt anymore.”
“I’m glad to hear it. Sethan will likely want you training with the riders when they return.”
I blink.Riders? There are more of them?
She grimaces. “I’m not sure if that was sensitive information or not. Though, I imagine you’d find out sooner or later, since you entered the blood pact.”
With Darian having been taken by Gavin and Nolan to bathe and eat, I invite her inside with a gesture. She dips her head before sliding into the room with me. I scan her face and the cut on her forehead I stitched up weeks ago, now a scar.
As soon as I close the door, I ask, “Do you have a blood pact with him?”
“I do. But I didn’t need one.”
At least I know if she has a blood pact with Sethan, she can ultimately be trusted. But I’m still not privy to asking her what she knows of Cole’s ring I wear. Marge’s warning to keep the ring hidden at all costs echoes in my head. I ask, “Then why enter one?”
“Because it shows my people I trust him. I was born and raised here, and he was not. It was quite the commotion when he was sworn in—and so I felt it was my duty to seal myself to him. As did many others in the Dragon Lands.”
“But not everyone,” I mumble.
“Correct. Those of us north of the border may share similar ideals when it comes to dragons, but we don’t all agree with what needs to be done in terms of Arterias and King Aaric. We’ve always struggled with unity—even before Sethan came along.”
“So why do you trust him?”
She shrugs. “What other choice do I have? I know our current reality is like a frozen lake, thawing as the seconds tick by. We’re all standing on the surface, so consumed about being right, we push the others to the ground, not realizing if one of us falls and cracks the ice—we all go down. The more we push and shove, the closer we get to drowning.”
I nod, sucking my teeth in thought. “Even the rebels have rebels.”
She narrows her eyes. “You Arterians call us rebels. But we are so much more than that. We go by Vitalans.”
A knock sounds at the door.
“You may come in,” I call.
The door swings open and Corvin enters. Directing his attention at me, he dips his head. “Katerina, my apologies for the intrusion. Sethan requests your immediate presence.”
I take a breath. Great. I can only imagine what this conversation is going to be like after having already broken thecurfew rule. I follow Corvin to Sethan’s office, and he ushers me inside.
Sethan lowers his head upon our arrival, then gestures to one of the tufted chairs on the other side of his desk. “Thank you for coming so promptly. Take a seat.”
I lower myself into the chair, watching him all the while and readying myself to answer questions about my relations with Cole and why I was out so late at night. Sethan’s hands are tucked neatly behind his back as he dismisses Corvin with a dip of his head, leaving us alone.
Sethan lifts his chin in the few seconds of silence. “I’m glad to see you survived sharing a room with Darian.”
I shrug, thankful we aren’t speaking of Cole. Yet. “Or he survived me.”
