Page 57 of Of Beasts & Vengeance

She backs away from our kiss, the barest hint of a flush rising in her cheeks.

“I also require access to a few of your alchemical ingredients.”

My brow furrows. “Decide I wasn’t worth the trouble after all?”

I am teasing, but there is a level of frustration there as well. Zaina is so secretive and close-mouthed, even now, and I wonder if she will ever learn to be any other way.

She gives me a disparaging look, her flush deepening.

“I thought that until things were more settled, it would be wise not to complicate matters further.”

I blink a couple of times, and she sighs.

“I believe that at this particular point in time, an heir would qualify as a complication.”

Oh.That’s more than fair, considering she’s supposed to be dead, among a whole host of other issues.

A small pang of remorse hits me for doubting her, but she isn’t the only one who needs time to work on her gut instincts. I tick off a list of ingredients typically used in contraceptive brews. She adds one more, and I leave to gather them for her.

I want to trust her, and I can only hope that she wants to trust me, but we’ll both have to build that bridge one plank at a time.

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Zaina

Itake a sip of my now-lukewarm tea, and Einar raises his eyebrows.

“You’ve stopped testing everything for poison,” he comments.

“I never testedeverythingfor poison,” I bristle a little.

It’s true, though. I test things from new or questionable sources, but it wouldn’t be feasible to suspect poison around every corner every day of my life. Here, no one besides the guards, Leif, and apparently Sigrid, knows that I’m alive. I suspect if one of them wanted to poison me, they would have done it by now.

“So only the things I brought you, then?” he clarifies, his features pinching in mock offense.

I shrug, giving him a half smirk. “You were the only one here with cause to kill me.”

“I’m sure that’s not true,” he says with a wry twist of his lips. “But in any event, I’m glad to see you at least trust me that much.”

“Well, I suppose the king’s consort can hardly go around suspecting him of poison all the time,” I tease, and he winces.

“In fairness to me, I only put that in the contract as a way to get out of it. I didn’t actually dream you would agree to it.”

“In fairness to me,Ididn’t agree to it,” I remind him.

“I nearly fell out of my chair when the messenger delivered the signed papers,” he admitted. “It was my last chance at a way out, a way to say I had tried to give my people what they wanted, tried to stick to my word.”

“No wonder you were so happy to see me when I got here.” I can’t help but smile a little, knowing more of the story now.

“Regardless of our beginning, I am glad you’re here, Zaina,” he says, pulling my hand to his mouth and pressing a kiss to my knuckles.

“And why is that?” I ask.

“Because,” he answers in a serious tone, “now, I’m the only man in the Western kingdoms with a consort.”

I try to pull my hand away, but he grins wickedly and pulls me on top of him.

“You’re soon going to be the only man in the Western kingdoms who is tragically murdered by his consort.” I laugh, and he pulls my head down toward his, skating his lips across mine.

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