Page 97 of What Fury Brings
“No, you’re to stay by my side the entire evening.”
He supposed there were a few men on the main floor. They had their heads in the laps of their women or could be found offering massages.They weren’t talking. They were silently performing, just like the men dancing.
Olerra and Sanos were meant to be selling a romance, yet she hadn’t asked anything of him. Aside from the chaste arm-holding when they walked places, they always stood apart.
He looked at her now, wondering where he might touch her to put on a show. She wore her hair down for once. Thick braids pulled the strands away from her scalp, but the majority of it trailed down her back. It was beautiful and thick, and he wanted to put his hands through it.
So he did.
He threaded his fingers at the back of her scalp, where the braids ended, and massaged lightly as he swallowed more ale.
Olerra startled at the contact. She looked at him out of the corner of her eye, then leaned into him. “How is your drink?”
“Good. It would seem the Amarrans are vastly superior to the Brutes in fermentation. It’s the only superiority I will concede to.”
“Really, now? The only one?”
He grinned against his cup as he took another sip.
And that’s when Daneryn showed up.
Olerra barely managed not to groan aloud. She and her prince were enjoying themselves, talking,touching, and then Daneryn just had to appear. She thought to ignore him. Daneryn wouldn’t dare speak to her first a second time, but Andrastus had other plans.
“I don’t think we were properly introduced last time. I’m Andrastus.” He tilted his drink toward Daneryn in acknowledgment.
Daneryn swayed lightly on his feet to the music, and he had a dreamy smile for Olerra. He took Olerra’s other side, daring to stand close, asthough he had a right to be there. Andrastus’s fingers felt lovely as they massaged her scalp. She curled her fingers against his hip, showing him that his company was the one she preferred.
“I’m Daneryn, but you already knew that.”
Olerra wanted to chastise him for being rude, but the moment she said a word to him, she was giving him leave to speak to her. She didn’t know what ridiculous things he’d utter this time, but she knew it would ruin the moment she and her prince were having.
“I did,” Andrastus said. “I just wanted you to acknowledge that I was real.”
Daneryn honed in on where Andrastus had his fingers in her hair. “I see you’ve changed your mind about my princess.”
“Your princess? I don’t recall her screaming your name at night.”
Olerra kept her face carefully blank, but she wanted to squeal in delight at the way he was handling Daneryn.
The countess’s son swayed in place again, and Olerra realized that it wasn’t in tune to the music. He was drunk.
And that’s when he put his hand on her.
It was a gentle touch to the side of her face, but Olerra smacked his hand away before Andrastus could even react. She said firmly, “I have declared Andrastus my seul. What are you doing?”
Daneryn pouted and blinked as though everything was out of focus. “Glen said you wanted to see me. She said I should go to you now.”
Olerra did a sweep of the room, but she couldn’t see her cousin anywhere. “Why would you listen to her? Youknowhow she is.”
“I don’t feel so good.” Daneryn put his hand on Olerra’s hip to steady himself as he bent at the waist.
She knew he was about to vomit, so she carefully removed his hand and rotated behind him to offer support as his mead came up.
“I think he might be drugged,” Andrastus said. “Especially if Glen sent him over here.”
“I think you’re right,” Olerra said. “Don’t drink anything unless I hand it to you.”
Her prince nodded.
