Page 101 of Blood and Fate

“He hit me, so I scratched him.”

Tessa pulled back to look Satori in the eye. Her expression was one of horror and pride. “Satori, he’ll—“

Satori placed a hand on Tessa’s arm. “Don’t worry about that. What did my father want?”

Confusion crossed Tessa’s face. “What?”

“You told Henrik that my father wanted to see him.”

“Oh.” Tessa’s head rolled to the side as her eyes found the ceiling. “I may have made that up.”

Satori let out a breath with a slight shake of her head. They were playing a dangerous game with Henrik.

Tessa met Satori’s gaze, seeming to read her thoughts. “I know. But I had to get him out.”

Satori took Tessa’s hands in hers, touched by her friend’s willingness to put herself in harm’s way. “Thank you.”

Tessa shook off Satori’s thanks, her eyes lighting up as a smile spread across her lips. “Come sit, I have something for you.”

They moved to the small sofa, sitting side by side as Tessa pulled her bag around in front of her. She handed it to Satori with a proud smile.

Satori took the bag, hoping she knew what it contained. She opened the flap. Inside, coiled in a loop, braided and shining black, was a new whip. She breathed deeply, inhaling the leather scent as her heart clenched. The memory of Kais was so strong she could almost see him beside her, examining the weapon.

“Tessa,” Satori breathed the other girl’s name, awe filling her voice. “Thank you so much.”

“I hoped it was what you wanted. I’ve never seen one before.”

“This is perfect.” She pulled the whip from the bag, letting her fingers drift over the braid. “Absolutely perfect.”

“What does it do?” Tessa reached out, running a hand over the handle. “I mean, what do you do with it?”

Satori looked up into Tessa’s eyes, suddenly feeling a bit foolish. What could she do with this? Nothing. Why had she even asked Tessa to get it? She had put Tessa in danger, and for what? She let her gaze drop again to the whip in her lap, imagining Kais there, running his hands over the leather and then over her.

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t know what to do with it?” There was shock in Tessa’s words.

When Satori spoke, it was so quiet she barely heard the words herself, “Kais had one, he showed me how to make it crack. I—“ Her voice broke.

Tessa slipped an arm around Satori’s shoulders. “I’m so sorry.” A moment of silence hung between them before Tessa spoke again, “Kais was the one from the ball? Did you and he really . . .? I mean, there was talk among the servants that you had fallen for him.”

One painful sound, half laugh, half sob, punched out of Satori. “Yes. I never believed in fate. I thought I would live my life, marry, and rule the Kingdom when my father was gone.” She turned her head toward Tessa, though she didn’t look at her. “Have you heard of blood mates?”

“My mother told stories of Shala and Miram and their blood bond. Myths. Tales to entertain children,” Tessa answered and, after a pause, looked more closely at Satori. “Satori, you’re not saying that . . .?”

Satori swallowed, her blood seeming to roar in her ears. “It’s real. It’s all true. I never believed it, but . . .”

The memory of Kais’ head broken open and gushing blood over the pillow hit her. Her imagination quickly replaced that image with one of what Kais must have looked like shot through with arrows. She’d saved him only to lose him in the end, anyway. She dropped her face into her hands as another round of tears began.

“They’re true. My blood, it healed him. Healed him, Tessa.” Even now, after seeing it happen twice, she was in awe. “It healed him, and he was mine, and I knew it. I knew he was mine. I was for him, and we were for each other. And, Tessa!” She looked up, wide-eyed, the image of Tessa blurred by her tears. “He was a prince! His father had written to my father to ask for my hand. Before we even knew any of this. It was all real, and it was perfect.” Tears ran again. “And Henrik killed him, and now I’m marrying a monster. I would be better off dead.”

“Satori! Don’t talk like that,” Tessa scolded, pulling her closer into her embrace.

Satori said nothing else, but Tessa had to know she was right. Surely, she saw that marriage to Henrik was not the better choice. And if she was dead, she could be with Kais. How was he gone from the world? Tears fell down her face as her throat seemed to close up. Her fist closed again around the whip. If this was all she had left to remember him, she had to hide it. If Henrik found it... She stood, pulling free from Tessa’s hold and moving around her bed, the whip clutched tightly in her hand. She lifted the heavy mattress as much as she could and pushed the whip underneath, right beneath where her head would rest. She couldn’t risk placing it under her pillow. No doubt Henrik would be sharing her bed from now until . . . well, until one of them was dead.

Satori turned back to Tessa. “You have to go. You can’t be here when he gets back. He’ll be angry.”

Tessa stood. “Satori, I can’t leave you here with him. What will he do?”

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