Page 60 of Unfinished

The crowd parted for Ivekth and Neevish, who came bearing a large metal wrapped barrel on a giant tray. Ivekth hit something on the side of the tray, and legs fell into place, transforming it into a table. Several Xithilene came up to help them, and they opened a spigot and started filling up small glasses and passing them out to the gathered crowd.

“The glasses are made from honey, so you need to drink quickly. We’re the closest to the fire circle, so we’ll receive our portions last,” R’kash explained to her, sliding an arm around her waist and pulling her close.

He hadn’t had a drop of alcohol yet as far as she knew, but he was more relaxed and loose than she’d ever seen him. She glanced up at his face, and he smiled down at her. The fire had grown enough by now that she saw the flames reflected in his eyes. She reached for his face and pulled him down. When their lips touched, it all faded away, leaving her floating, spinning to the beat of the drums. Brisk air and campfire smoke filled her nose as she breathed in deeply, not wanting to break away from the kiss. His tongue slipped between her lips, and she clutched the feathers at the nape of his neck as her knees weakened.

His hand was warm and steady at her back, and she sighed into his neck as she lowered her face. It just kept getting better. She looked out over the fire, at the air wavering from the heat, at the happy faces all around them, and she tried to take it all in.

Veesha pressed up against her skirt, folding herself into their embrace, and R’kash dropped his hand down to pat the tops of her wings.

“Hello,k’vasha. Happy harvest,” he said softly.

Ivekth walked towards them, two of the little honey glasses in his hand. “For you, high priest and Lady Sienna,” he said, sliding his leg back into a little bow as R’kash took them.

He handed her a glass. The liquor was a warm, reddish amber. She held it up to her nose and smelled honey and smoke with a hint of licorice.

“We use wood fromnavalthtrees to flavor themaesta.” R’kash raised his glass. “A blessing first?” he asked.

Sienna lifted her glass towards his.

“To the Lady’s bountiful harvest. May we reap the fruits of her blessings for years to come,” said R’kash.

“To Evathi, my new home,” Sienna added, pleased to see the shocked delight on R’kash’s face.

She drank half hermaestaand held the liquor in her mouth, letting it bloom. She’d been unfair. It was like a fine bourbon, but different from anything she’d ever tasted. The fiery sweetness was there, but the other flavors were uniquely Xithilene. She swallowedand looked back up at R’kash. He took another drink and finished his, tossing the glass into the fire. Tiny sparks flew up as it melted and the scent of caramel spread through the air.

Others were throwing their glasses into the fire, too, and the sweetness almost became cloying. She drank the last of hermaestaand smiled at him. The drums were louder again now, and the musicians started to sing. R’kash held out his hands and waited for her.

She looked around, but no one else was dancing yet. Sienna glanced back at R’kash and set her hands in his, feeling lighter than air when he pulled her out into a space beside the fire. He never looked away as he started to lead them in a simple dance. He stepped to her side, and she moved forward past him, and then they stepped back again. Then they moved with the opposite feet. Over and over again, they stepped to the beat of the drums before he started to turn them.

Others began to join them now, a few children with their parents, but mostly couples. Bright sparks made the ropes with the fertility dolls glow as they started to burn. The sky had grown dark, the only light coming from the fire and the stars above. Somehow they both ended up with moremaesta,and it burned just as sweetly this time around as the first.

She only had eyes for R’kash, but as they turned again, she saw that almost everyone was dancing now. The air smelled like burnt sugar and her mouth still tasted like smoky honey. Her head felt heavy, but her limbs were loose and she was ready to stay in his arms dancing until the fire died away, even if it took all night.

The way he looked at her—it made her hot and cold all over. It made her tremble with anticipation and intimidated her at the same time.

“Sienna,” he whispered against her ear. Somewhere along the way, they’d stopped holding hands. He had one arm around her waist and the other pressed against her upper back. Hers were wrapped around his neck. “Sienna—please stay. Please,” he rasped, his mouth falling to her neck. His breath was hot against her skin, and when he started kissing his way down to her shoulder, she inhaled, holding tighter to his neck.

The night was pure magic. This was a fairy circle and she’d danced her way to a different world of sugar, spice, and smoke. The couples beside them weren’t all dancing any longer. Other men held their women just as close as R’kash held her, their hands roving across scale and feather.

Sienna shook her head and only succeeded in making herself dizzy. “Veesha—where is she? She shouldn’t be out here any longer,” she whispered against R’kash’s jaw.

His deep laugh vibrated against her lips.

“Don’t worry,k’lallsa. She’s safe inside the temple with Faseeth, probably already asleep.” He bent his head to rub his nose in her hair the way he liked to. He laughed again as he plucked thev’tushliflower from her hair. “The flowers are pretty, but you don’t need them. You don’t need any of it.” The stem fell to the ground, and they probably trampled the violet-blue blossoms beneath their feet, but she couldn’t bring herself to care. “I can’t believe you came to me, that you’re really here. Sometimes I wake at night and expect it to have all been a dream.”

He spun them, and they lurched dangerously close to the fire. R’kash grinned toothily at her, his fangs bright in the light of the flames. He lifted a hand to touch her hair. “Like fire,” he whispered.

“Take me back to the temple,” she told him. Others around them might not have cared about privacy, but even with the warm glow of themaestaheating her veins, she still wanted her first time with R’kash to be in their own bed, away from prying eyes.

“Yes,” he said, drawing out the S-sound into a long hiss. He still preferred to speak to her in English, even knowing she could understand him just as well in Xithilene.

He grabbed her hands and swung her around, dancing them away from the fire. His giddiness was infectious. They stumbled as they made their way down the straight, wide path to the courtyard’s open doors. Tiny lights glowed along the edges to guide them, but they still brushed against the corn stalks when they lost track of time, bodies interlocked as R’kash pressed heated kisses to her lips. It seemed as necessary as breathing to stop and taste him, to tangle her fingers between his stiff feathers.

He half fell against one of the doors when they finally reached the courtyard entrance. His back hit the wood, and he stared at her like he was seeing her all over again for the first time. “I’m blessed—blessed.” His lips were parted, his voice raw and faint, his eyes full of wonder. “Daughter of the Lady,” he said as he slid to his knees, almost taking her with him. “You’ll leave me. You will—I know it.” His chin had fallen against his chest and his hands grasped the folds of her skirt. “Don’t deserve—”

She couldn’t understand him well enough to make out the rest, but the pleasant giddiness from themaestawas fading as his words penetrated.

“R’kash, get up. Please, take me to your room.” He looked up, red eyes blank and defeated. “I want you, R’kash,” she said. “Get up now.”

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