Page 74 of Wild Flame

“This maid,” Rakim asked, “did she remember anything useful? What she was given or who gave it to her?”

I sighed. “No, she remembered nothing helpful.”

“Have there been any other incidents of anyone else acting out of the ordinary?” Helene asked, her eyes flitting between Taj, Malik, and me. “In the palace or elsewhere?”

Taj looked to Malik, and Malik nodded before he spoke. Taj explained about the rider that had attacked and burned down part of a town with his dragon a few months back.

“Did you question him?” Rakim asked.

“Of course we did,” Taj said, “but at the time, it just seemed he had a fit of some kind or he was lying. He appeared completely sane. He claimed he didn’t know what happened, that he didn’t remember doing it.”

“Question him again,” Malik ordered. “Now that we know what questions to ask.”

Taj nodded.

“The question that I’m most interested in,” Rakim interjected, “is why hasn’t there been another attack since the one on your city? What is this person, or whoever is behind this, waiting for? What is their goal?”

No one had an answer.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

The castle was still and quiet around me as I walked down the hall, reminding me of the few nights I had snuck out into the city when I first arrived in Zehvi. That felt like it was a lifetime ago. My guards were a few paces behind me, like always, and Azrun walked quietly at my side.

Saying goodbye to my sister had been incredibly difficult, especially after having so little time with her. I would see her in a few weeks when she came for the Halmarish wedding ceremony, but I would miss her fiercely until then. Malik had left us to talk after the meeting ended, but Azrun had stayed, unapologetically lounging on the floor, seemingly to enjoy a nap until we parted ways.

Now I stared down at him as we reached the door to my rooms. “I suppose you’re coming inside?” I asked drawly.

The dragon just stared at me, and my lips twitched as I shook my head and opened the door. I bid the guards goodnight before closing it again. Azrun was already gliding through the antechamber and into the bedroom.

Usually, Malik came to bed after me and if I wasn’t asleep by then, I could roll over and pretend I was. But tonight, when I strode into our room,hewas the one already in bed. I froze when I saw him sitting there, shirtless, with all that bronze skin and those tattooed muscles on display.

His golden-brown eyes met mine, and I paused, trying to pretend I was unaffected by the sight of him. “Oh, I wasn’t expecting to see you—ah—here,” I said falteringly. I immediately wanted to take the words back.

Azrun didn’t share my problem. He walked right past me over to Malik’s side of the bed and proceeded to collapse onto his makeshift horde of blankets there.

One of Malik’s dark brows rose. “You weren’t expecting to find mehere. . . in our bedroom?” he asked. I could have sworn he was fighting a smile.

My cheeks burned. “You know what I mean. Must you torment me?”

He grinned. “Siren, tormenting you is one of my favorite pastimes.”

His words had me blushing even harder and glancing around. “Where are my maids?” I asked. “I need to change.”

“I told them to seek their beds,” he answered casually. “I can help you with whatever you need.”

I shot him an annoyed look. “That won’t be necessary,” I said as I stepped around the tall changing screen that had appeared in our chamber not long after he had moved me in here. A kind gesture that I was ignoring at present.

“Suit yourself.”

It only took a few minutes of struggling for me to realize that I would indeed need his help if I wished to get out of this dress without utterly destroying it. Huffing in resignation, I came out from behind the screen and said petulantly, “If you can help me with these buttons at the back, I can manage the rest.”

Thankfully, he didn’t comment. Without a word, he closed the book in his lap I hadn’t noticed until now and rose from the bed. I tried valiantly not to notice the lithe movements of his body as he walked, or the way the two deep lines of muscle over each hip disappeared beneath the linen sleep pants he favored.

I turned my back to him, pulling my hair aside. I wore a shift underneath the dress, so my back was in no risk of exposure. Not that he hadn’t already seen it. I pushed the thought aside as, in moments, his fingers had deftly unhooked the buttons and the dress sagged around my frame.

“Thank you,” I murmured thickly before dashing back around the screen.

Moments later, I emerged in one of my more conservative night dresses to find Malik had returned to bed. I sat at the vanity and began removing my earrings.

---