Page 23 of Wild Flame

He shook his head, a piece of his dark, cropped hair falling to rest beside his temple. “None at all. Except for the fact that she simply won’t stop going on about you. 'Leida said this. Leida did that . . .'” he mimicked with a smile. “Realms, one would think you were The Maiden incarnate for how much she carries on. Though I will admit to being surprised.”

I looked at him sharply. “Why should my befriending your sister be surprising?”

“I simply find it an unlikely pairing,” he answered without hesitation. “Though, not unwelcome.”

I had no reply to that, and so instead took a drink of my wine.

“Zara told me you sparred with her on the practice field,” Priya spoke up once more. “In adress.”

Prince Amir made a scoffing sound, as if he found the idea of sparring in a dress ridiculous. Either that, or he was scoffing at the very idea of my sparring at all.

“Was that a question, Lady Priya?” I asked, perhaps a little too sweetly, but this woman was getting on my nerves. I had hardly said two words to her since our introduction, and for some reason she seemed to want to antagonize me.

The woman shrugged, her bare tan shoulders gleaming in the candlelight from the chandelier above. “I was merely making an observation.”

“Yes, we did spar. And yes, I happened to be in a dress at the time. I hadn’t been planning on participating, but Zara can be quite convincing.”

“Zara said you have skill,” Malik noted. That dark, focused gaze never moved from me, and my blood thrummed in my veins as our eyes met and held for a brief moment.

Before I could respond, another voice from across the table piped up. “She’s more than skilled. She nearly beat Zara during a few rounds,” Ramin stated. I tried to fight my blush as he continued speaking. “It was impressive when you consider she’s not a dragon rider herself.”

“Zara is only a trainee,” Priya argued. Then she glanced my way. “Not to impugn your skill, Your Highness,” she clarified, though the comment lacked sincerity. It was also the first time she had used my title when addressing me. I wasn’t one to stand on ceremony, but it also irked me that she was being purposefully disrespectful.

“She held her own when we sparred,” Ramin rebutted, eyeing the other woman. “And I am no trainee.”

The conversation moved on after that, but I caught Ramin’s eye and gave him a slight nod of thanks, which he returned.

Sometime later, dancers came in along with a group of musicians. By this time, the food had long since been clearedaway and people were mingling and having discussions over glasses of wine.

I moved to the side to watch the performance, so I was well out of the way. Leif came to stand beside me as we watched the half-veiled women move through the crowd, dancing provocatively around the guests.

“Aren’t they wonderful?” Zara asked with a wistful tone as she came to stand on my other side. “I wish I could dance like that.”

“Me too,” I found myself saying, and I was stunned to find it was true. Zara giggled, and I allowed my eyes to travel over the dancers. They snagged on one dancer in particular, who was now swaying before Prince Amir. The prince’s eyes were glazed, and it was obvious he’d had too much to drink; even his dragon was swaying slightly. Dragons couldn’t get inebriated like their riders, but they could be affected by their rider’s state through the bond. For this reason, most riders were very disciplined in how much they drank and what they put into their bodies. Nothing good came of a rider—or dragon—with impaired reasoning.

Shaking my head and dismissing the prince from my thoughts, I decided it was now or never. “Zara,” I said, clearing my throat. I couldn’t stand the idea of this innocent girl getting hurt if there was something I could do to prevent it.

She turned to me, and I could see I had her full attention.

“I have something for you.” Reaching down, I unclasped the silver bracelet I had bought for myself after being inducted into The Order of Assassins and held it out to her. It was a simple chain, with only a small shimmering scale suspended in pale amber at its center.

“It’s a scale that came from an ocean sprite,” I explained as she took it from me. “One of the rarest creatures in Halmar. Its scales are said to be a protection from harm and bad luck as long as you wear it.” It would also protect her from the Nakkipoison that The Order always used in some form during their assassinations if another attempt was indeed made on her life. It was the only protection I could offer Zara right now without revealing what I was and what I had done.

Mesmera, who I had failed to notice until now due to the fact that she had been hiding in Zara’s long hair, began fluttering above her, staring at the glimmering bracelet with rapt attention. Dragons were notorious for having a fixation with shiny things.

Zara stared at it, too, then her eyes met mine. “It’s beautiful, but—but why give it to me?”

I shrugged ever so slightly, trying to make it seem like it wasn’t of great importance. “It is tradition in my land to always wear protective charms or talismans. Usually, they are tied to one of the Nine, but not always, and they always hold significance to the wearer.” I looked at her. “I want you to have this one, as a—as a sign of our friendship, and to thank you for being so kind to me since I arrived.”

For a moment she didn’t react, and I worried I had made an error. My mind scrambled as I tried to come up with a way to backtrack, when without warning, Zara flung her arms around me in a hug.

“Thank you, Leida! Thank you!” she cried excitedly. “I shall treasure it.”

Startled by her enthusiastic response, it took me a second to return the embrace, and as I did, I tried not to feel the guilt that assailed me. Pushing that aside as she pulled back, I smiled at her. “You’re welcome.”

Thankfully, I was given a reprieve when the queen beckoned Zara over to her. I grabbed a glass of wine from a passing servant and took a drink.

“That was very kind of you,” Leif noted from beside me and I jumped, nearly sloshing my drink on the floor. I had forgotten he was there. The man was so quiet.

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