Page 100 of A Rose Among Snakes

He rubbed his throat. “Tea. It will help with healing her throat. The Queen suffered similar wounds and used to say it worked wonders. I’ll always regret my inability to do more to help her before it was too late. She was a kind woman.” Our eyes locked and there was such sadness lining his face that there was no mistaking his meaning. Horror seeped through me as I grasped the fate I had escaped. Enverro’s hand tightened on my waist, and I glanced up to see his mouth flatten into a hard line, his nostrils flaring.

“Thank you,” Enverro choked out and pulled us away. Down the hall, we saw Velian disappearing around a corner and scurried after him.

Inside the room, Mihrra was lying on the bed, Velian sitting on the edge, still holding her hand. I reluctantly peeled myself from Enverro’s embrace and approached my brother, placing ahand on his shoulder. He whipped his head around, eyes narrowed, but his fierce expression relaxed when he recognized me.

“Why don’t you clean up? You’re covered in blood.” Mihrra’s blood, I realized. He frowned at me so I said, “I will come get you as soon as she wakes, but it might be best if you don’t look like that when she does.”

His brows pinched in concern as he looked at her, but he heaved a sigh and lifted her hand to his mouth, kissing it. “I’ll be next door,” he said as he stood.

I took his place as he left the room, and Enverro pulled a chair over to sit beside me.

“You were right,” he whispered.

“Of course, I was.” I looked at him out of the corner of my eye. “About what?”

He chuckled under his breath, shaking his head. His gaze shifted back to Mihrra. “There really is something about her that makes everyone love her.” My eyes stung as I looked at my beautiful friend. Blood still spattered her face, and an angry slice cut across her cheek. Bruises were rising to the surface of the fragile skin of her neck, and though it was bandaged, I still couldn’t look at her arm.

“Are you alright?” Enverro asked.

I looked up at him, my body flooding with comforting warmth. I had never known such ecstasy as I had in that throne room when Enverro grabbed my face and kissed me, murmuring,“I love you,”against my lips. His kiss had been intoxicating, proving to be everything I had dreamed of and more. Our surroundingsdisappeared, all the terror and rage I had been drowning in swept away by his mouth on mine. Leoran had never kissed me that way, and there was not a doubt in my mind that I was in love with Enverro Machendren.

I beamed at him, unable to hide the swelling emotion. “I am now.”

He returned the smile before it faltered. “I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

He pressed his lips together and looked at the floor. “For letting him take you. I think—He is… was-” he sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “I’ve had several days to think about it all. I was so young when I began working for him, and I was too scared to run. It seems that fear has stuck with me all these years, and I almost lost the best thing that ever happened to me because of it.”

I reached across the space between us, and he enveloped my hand in his.

“I know, Enverro.”

“I’ll never let anything like that happen again.” His deep-blue eyes were fierce and I believed every word he said. I squeezed his hand in assurance as my throat tightened.

Deciding to change the subject, I said, “Tell me everything that happened since I left you.”

We continued our whispered conversation, and Enverro filled me in on all the details of his time with Mihrra and Velian. An hour passed and beside me, Mihrra began to stir.

I brushed the hair back from her face and told Enverro to go get Velian. She moved her head and then her eyes flew open, her chest heaving with a gasp.

“Shhh, you’re alright, Mihrra. You’re safe.”

Wild eyes landed on my face and relaxed, her breathing slowing. She licked her lips and swallowed, squeezing her eyes shut.

My heart lurched as I realized she must be in pain. “Don’t move. Velian will be here in a-”

The door burst open, and Velian rushed in, hair dripping and his shirt half-buttoned. I moved out of the way and retreated to the back of the room to stand with Enverro. Whispers reached my ears, but I could not make out specific words, no matter how hard I strained. Enverro’s head was tilted toward them, as if he was trying to eavesdrop, too, and I muffled my snort by plugging my nose.

Enverro smirked at me, and whispered, “Let’s go find some food.”

“No, silly, that’s what this is for.” I walked over and tugged on the string to call for the maids.

It took a great deal of convincing to get Velian out of the room long enough for Mihrra to properly bathe, but I promised him I would not leave her side. It was an easy promise to keep since I also longed to stay close to her. She didn’t speak while the maids cleaned her, but she offered me small smiles and nods every timeI asked if she was alright. She dressed in fresh clothes and settled onto the sofa by the crackling fire. The sun had set and a chill had settled in the spacious room. The four of us ate our meal there, and Velian shared how Mihrra had been the one to figure out that something was wrong.

Admittedly, I was rather pleased to hear it was her. It was the confirmation I needed to know our friendship was as solid as I had thought it was. I told them about the letters Leoro forced me to write and my time with Enverro. Velian eyed our intertwined hands but kept quiet. I knew it was only a matter of time before he gave me an earful, though.

I watched as Mihrra took a sip of the tea provided by the physician and observed the way she leaned into Velian’s side. His fingers were running through her damp hair, and I was struck by how natural it looked, like they had been together for years.

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