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“Interesting,” I murmured, and he raised a brow. “Anyway, I’m okay. I thoroughly enjoyed that bath. It was a surprise—a very nice one. As were other things.”
“Other things?”
Like what came after. The talking. What he’d said as I fell asleep. I couldn’t make myself say any of that, though, no matter how hard I tried—or how much I wanted to push past the feelings of vulnerability. “You were very good at what you did with that tongue.”
Nyktos stared at me. There was no flash of smug, male pride. Just a faint flush and a look of surprise as if he couldn’t believe I thought that. He cleared his throat. “I fear the food will grow cold if we linger any longer.”
My gaze swung to the table by the balcony doors, where only one covered dish usually sat.
Tonight, there were two.
My breath snagged at the sudden thumping of my heart. Two covered dishes. Two glasses. A bottle of wine.
“You said you didn’t want to eat your suppers alone,” Nyktos began as I stared at the two plates, a knot lodging in my throat. “It’s late, so I thought you might not want to go to the dining hall,” he added in the silence. “But if you changed your mind or would prefer other company, I can—”
“No. Don’t leave.” I lurched to my feet so fast my face turned the shade of the Red Woods. “I mean, I haven’t changed my mind.”
“Glad to hear.” A faint grin appeared. “Otherwise, I was starting to feel rather awkward.”
I didn’t think it was possible for him to feel as awkward as I did just then. I hurried to the table like I was afraid he’d be the one to change his mind. And I was. I busied myself with getting seated. “How was Court?” I asked, praying to the Fates that this wasn’t one of those moments where I was projecting my emotions all over.
Nyktos followed far more sedately, taking the seat across from me. “Nothing too eventful.” He leaned over, lifting the lid from my dish and then his. “A handful of minor complaints between neighbors.”
“I’m kind of surprised that such things are brought before a Primal.” I unfolded my napkin, placing it on my lap.
That grin of his returned, deepening as he picked up the bottle, showing a hint of fang. My stomach twisted in the most distracting way as he pulled the cork, and an aromatic, sweet scent hit the air. “I’m actually glad they bring these issues to me.”
“You are?” I watched him pour the deep red wine into our glasses.
“Yes.” He picked up a carving knife as he relaxed into his chair. “It means they’re comfortable enough to do so. That they don’t fear me, and they feel safe enough to come to me.”
“I didn’t even think about that.”
“Were the people of Lasania not comfortable enough to bring such concerns to the King and Queen?”
“They used to be. They’d hold town halls where things could be voiced or asked for.” I eyed the fine tendons of his hands and fingers as he finished carving the thick breast, pushing the slices into a neat pile beside the glistening mound of vegetables. “But as the Rot grew worse, the complaints got louder, and more things were requested. They stopped the town halls. The protests began shortly after.”
“And how was that received?”
“Not well,” I admitted. “The Crown dealt with the protestors quite severely. And instead of stockpiling food or moving farms to lands untouched by the Rot, they did nothing.” Old anger returned. “They waited for me to…”
“Stop the Rot?” He set his knife aside.
I nodded. “So, they did very little to prepare in case I failed.”
“You didn’t fail, Sera,” he said, drawing my gaze to his. “Becoming my Consort wouldn’t have stopped the Rot.”
What he said wasn’t new. I knew that the moment I learned that the Rot had nothing to do with the deal. But what that meant, what Eythos had done, didn’t fully set in until now. I sucked in a sharp breath. “I haven’t failed.”
His brow rose. “That’s what I said.”
“No. I mean, you know how Holland talked about the different threads—about my duty?”
Nyktos’s eyes narrowed. “If you’re talking about going after Kolis—”
“Not that.” At least, not now. “I can still save Lasania simply by staying alive long enough to transfer the embers to you. That will stop the Rot.”
He eyed me. “I believe we already discussed that, Sera.”
“I know. It’s just—I don’t know. It didn’t really hit me until now,” I said. “I guess I’m just used to…”
“Blaming yourself?” he said, and I shrugged. “Because your family blamed you?”
“Ezra never did,” I whispered.
“And this Ezra, she will rule better than the ones before her?”
“Yes. She already is. Ezra is the Queen they deserve.” I smiled as he lifted his plate and stretched across the table.
“I expect you to live longer than the time it takes to transfer the embers to me, by the way,” he said. “And I suppose I will discover for myself just how deserving this stepsister of yours is.”
“I can visit her?”
“That’s what you want, is it not?”
“Yes, but…”
His gaze flicked to mine. “We will go tomorrow, but we ca
I thought of the creepy Gyrms that had found their way to my lake, but they had been looking for me and not him. “I know.”
“And you must be selective in what you share with her,” he continued. “I know you may want to tell her the truth about Kolis, but that kind of knowledge will be a death sentence for her if discovered. You can speak to her about the Rot, but not the cause.”
“I understand,” I said. “I don’t want to endanger her.”
“Good.” He switched out our plates. “Eat.”
I glanced down at my plate and then to the one he’d taken, befuddled. “You didn’t need to do that.”
“I know.” He began carving the untouched piece of chicken. “And before you point this out, I know you’re more than capable of cutting your own food, but there was far more meat to that breast than this one, and you’ll need all the protein you can get.”
My brows pinched as I glanced between my neatly carved pile and the one he worked on. They looked nearly identical in size and quality, but the intent behind his actions was…it felt thoughtful, not infantilizing. So, I stopped myself from making a caustic retort.
“You may not feel it, but your body is using a lot of energy as it ramps up for the Ascension.”
I thought about how I’d dozed off after waking up and picked up my fork, shoveling several chunks of meat onto the thin tines. I was definitely feeling it. “Thank you,” I murmured.
“You don’t need to thank me.”
“Well, I did.” I ate the forkful of chicken as I peeked at Nyktos. His head was bowed, the hair I’d cut in the courtyard brushing his jaw. The grin was there again. Peace. I squirmed in my seat. “And what of the Pools of Divanash? Have you given any thought to that?”
“I have.” He chewed his food as neatly as he carved it.
Trying not to get my hopes up, I took a sip of the sweet port wine. “And?”
“And it’s also a risk,” he said. “That hasn’t changed.”
“Just because it’s a risk doesn’t mean something will happen.”
He raised one eyebrow as he looked over at me. “True, but I’ve learned to be cautious—overly so.”
I bet he had.
“But,” he continued with a deep breath, “we have no idea when Kolis will summon us. It could be tomorrow. It could be a week from now or even longer. Time isn’t a luxury.”
I nodded in agreement. “But maybe Kolis delaying the coronation is a blessing. It will give us some time to remove the embers before Kolis summons us.”
“I’ve considered that, even before this afternoon.”
I speared a carrot. “But you were being overly cautious?”
His glass partially hid his smile. “I talked to Nektas after returning from Court,” he continued, and I really hoped the draken hadn’t mentioned what he’d said to me. “He’s on board.”