Page 14 of Kingdom of Flames & Flowers
Rather than punch her in the face, I stalked to the large wooden doors, grunting as I pulled one open. Dragon’s above, these things were heavy.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Freesia called out snootily. “We’re not allowed to leave.”
I put all my weight against the door and it slowly bulged outwards. “Either I get out for a walk or I break your nose,” I gasped, slipping between the small crack that appeared in the door. The last thing I saw was Freesia’s affronted face, and the look of fear on the other girls’. They probably thought they’d never see me again; I’d get caught and be another dead girl.
And maybe I would. But I wasn’t used to being cooped up anywhere for long. Even a suite as large as that was still a tool to contain us. It was just a fancy cage. In the mud district, I was used to sleeping under the great dome, the air hot but the ground cool against my skin. The dragon came and went as he liked, and at night the glow from his mouth was like a giant night light for the entire kingdom, and the sparks that flew from his snout like little fireflies.
I missed it. I missed being free.
I eased the door closed, shutting off the chattering protests behind me. There were no guards! They truly thought us cowed, then.
With the silk sandals they gave me on my feet, I was a silent wraith in the night. My injured foot barely twinged now, so I knew the injury wasn’t serious. Plus, the prima had put some sort of poultice on it that stopped the bleeding and made the pain go away.
Perhaps they didn’t mean to kill all of us. Just the dumb, useless ones.
That didn’t bode well for Hyacinthe and Heather,I thought, then immediately felt bad. They couldn’t help being here anymore than I could.And at least they had each other, which was more than I had. I wondered what life would have been like if my brother had been a girl, or if he hadn’t been forced to the Seat when he was five. Would we have been friends? Enemies who fought over scraps of food? I’d drive myself mad considering all the different possibilities.
I stalked along the corridor, wondering if there was a way to get down to the gardens myself. That would be a fun place to explore, wouldn’t it? I rounded the corner, lost in my own thoughts, and ran headfirst into a wall of muscle.
ChapterFive
“Well, hello there.”
I nearly had a heart attack as a man rounded the corner at the same moment, slamming into me.
I stopped in my tracks and gawked.The handsome fireguard!
He was practically indecent in just light black pants, boots, and a white shirt with billowing sleeves that fell open down his chest to reveal lithe muscles.
Zariah, he’d said his name was.
I’d never seen him without his helmet, but those silver and green eyes I would know anywhere. And that smile, which simultaneously made me feel safe and irritated with its smugness. Why was he here now, and dressed like that? Was he off-duty? Did fireguards live here when not actively on call? The gold threads around his collar looked far too fine for someone with black hair to be wearing.
I smacked him on the shoulder, more so to calm my nerves than anything else. “You scared me!” I chastised him in a harsh whisper.
He flinched when I hit him, staring at me in shock before grinning like mad.
Dear lord, that smile.
“Have we met?” He asked point blank.
My eyes roved over his face, trying to memorize every detail at once. His hair was black like mine, but the texture was different. Instead of my frizzy mass, his hair curled everywhere, hanging off his head in little ringlets where it was long enough, and curling around his neck and ears where it wasn’t. His nose was proud and straight; his cheekbones were prominent but not sharp. His lips were full and right now parted with slight shock upon seeing me.
Did he not remember me from the girls? Had I imagined the small spark between us? I couldn’t answer him; only gawk in confusion.
“I … what are you doing here?” He continued. “Aren’t the girls supposed to be in their quarters?” His voice was just as I knew it: sensual and dark, but with an edge of confusion and fear I was unused to.
“I was tired of the squawking in our wing. You can’t imagine. It’s like living with a flock of terrified, hungry geese.”
His eyebrow rose. “You’re right. I can’t imagine,” he repeated non-committedly, his eyes raking up and down my form.
Oh, right. I’d stormed out wearing only the thin shift the primas dressed us in. At least I had shoes this time. Self-consciously, I crossed my arms over my chest.
Heavy footsteps sounded from down the end of the hallway. I turned toward the sound, unable to keep the fear from showing on my face. Would I be in trouble for being out? They’d take me somewhere and kill me, and no one would hear from me again. I’d simply disappear, like the girls who fell or the ones who drowned—
A hand wrapped around my waist and another clamped down on my mouth, and he dragged me into a darkened alcove behind one of the massive marble pillars.
“Ssh,” he whispered slowly, voice caressing my neck and shoulders. My body pressed tightly up against his, our shared heat palpable with both of us in such states of undress. My heart beat rapidly in my chest, and my pulse raced.
