Page 78 of Court of Talons
“I don’t want you to go,” he murmurs. “Not yet. No one will bother us here. There’s danger, but…my rooms are on the other side of the castle. We might be seen trying to reach them.”
I swallow, but he’s right. There’s no way I could make my way across the castle in Fortiss’s company without drawing the interest of idle eyes. And interested eyes could recognize me—even if they don’t quite know why. We can’t stray far from the shadows…and we shouldn’t be lingering in the shadows at all.
As soon as I think that last thought, I reject it. Instead, I step closer to Fortiss and stare up into his beautiful face.
“No,” I agree softly, taking his hand. “No one will bother us here.”
Chapter 32
Ilift his hand to my face, turn it, and plant a soft kiss upon his palm. He hisses out a breath.
“There’s something different about you, Talia,” he murmurs. “Something I can’t figure out—but I will. You have to know I will.”
Apprehension slithers through me at that, but when I step away, Fortiss follows, not letting me retreat. Somehow, in the space of just a breath, I’ve lost power and position here—given it up willingly, in fact. It occurs to me that Fortiss is attacking me all in one timing, as the way of the warrior dictates, yet I can’t gain the upper hand.
“Do you want to know what I see in you?” he continues, his words a murmured tease.
“No.” My response is emphatic, but it only makes him smile. He curls my fingers into his and tugs on my hand. As if my head is attached to some sort of string, I find myself leaning toward him. He lifts his other hand to ease the veil of chains back from my face, then brushes his lips against mine. Once again, heat suffuses my entire body, yet I’m so cold, I shiver.
Which, of course, makes him draw me closer.
Which, of course, I let happen.
He deepens the kiss and with a faint, strangled moan, I press into him for one glorious moment, savoring the strength of him around me, the taste of his lips on mine, the sound of our hearts beating together. It’s as if sharp rays of light are billowing forth in my mind, and I hear and see and feel everything at once. The wide-open sky on a sunny day, the sound of Gent’s chuffing laugh, the chill of a swollen brook on my bare skin, a burst of midnight-blue-and-white magic, swirling and whirling around me.
I revel in that magic, gathering it all to hold in my heart. I’ll keep it there forever, to box and re-box and bury it in the rich, fertile soil of my memory, one day to unearth, one day to savor anew. One day to…
No!Another flare of warning trills in my mind, forcing me to focus.This isn’t real.This isn’t mine to take. I’m a cheat, a lie—Iknowthis. And if I’m not careful, Fortiss will know it too.
So I’ll just need to be very, very careful.
Fortiss has no such concern but is peering at my servant’s robe. “First we need to get you out of this?—”
“No,” I say, with enough force that Fortiss freezes, his hands hovering over my shoulders.
“Um, I’m not sure how they do things in the mountains, but...”
“I’m serious, no.” I grasp his hands and press them together. “If I’ve learned nothing else in my time as a servant here, it’s that I can’t afford to be caught unawares. The bodice and sleeves of this garment take a full quarter hour to tie into place. I can move it around a little, but I can’t take that part off—I just can’t. If I’m summoned, or if someone comes down those stairs, you will recover from the embarrassment quickly enough, but I won’t.”
“That’s ridiculous,” he protests, but something shifts in his gaze when I don’t back down. “Talia, no one will hurt you here.”
I snort. “Fortiss, everyone wants to hurt me.”
I don’t mean to say it with so much fervor, and I grimace as his mouth tightens. “It’s not so bad, really. You get used to it.”
Still looking dubious, he takes a step back from me, then watches me with heated eyes as I lift my skirts and kick off my slippers. I slide out of my leggings, rolling them up neatly for ready access, lift the hem of my servant’s gown and knot it high?—
Then I realize Fortiss hasn’t moved from the spot he retreated to. In fact, he’s doing little more than stare at me. “Don’t let me stop you,” I say with a grin. He laughs but makes no move to disrobe, appearing transfixed by my legs as they emerge from their covering.
“What, you’ve never seen bare legs before?” I glance down and grimace. “Oh.”
“By the Light, Talia,” Fortiss whispers. “Who treated you this way?”
I blow out a long breath, not sure precisely what he’s talking about, though I can guess. The scars that slash my legs hearken from the same time as the scar that graces my neck beneath its fall of hair, the summer of my seventh year. I’ve blocked most of those days from my mind, and of course anyone from my own holding wouldn’t be surprised to see such proof of my father’s wrath. But I didn’t pause to think…
“I’m sorry,” I groan as my hands twitch to unknot my skirts again. “I’ve embarrassed you and myself, I?—”
“No.” Fortiss practically lunges for me, grabbing my wrists to keep me from moving my gown back into place.