Page 47 of A Curse of Breath and Blood

Caiden sighed. “And where is that?”

“I assume Nysemia keeps it on her. I would.”

“Shit.” Caiden paced back and forth across the bearskin rug. “What are we going to do?”

Lucius chewed his nail, lost in thought. “We need a distraction.” He looked at Caiden’s stained shirt. “You can get close to Nysemia. Closer than any one of us.”

Caiden arched a brow.

“She’s infatuated with Gideon, and she’s probably drunk. All you need to do is accidentally bump into her and steal the key.”

“That’s not a very good plan, but it’s all we’ve got.” Caiden rubbed his temples. “Let’s get this over with.”

18AELIA

Tharan caressedmy thigh as I poured enchanted wine into his mouth. We lay on a plush chase lounge in one of the smaller parlors. A lutist played in the background, gently strumming his instrument in a calming melody.

“Why haven’t I seen you at one of these before?” Tharan asked. “I’m familiar with the Wild Courts, and I’ve never seen you before.”

“I don’t get out much.” I took a drink of wine. I needed to have him sedated if I wanted to enter into his mind, but it would look off if I didn’t drink, too.

“Well then, I’ll have to give you a night to remember, mystery woman.” He downed the last bit of wine with a hiccup. His cheeks flushed red.

I had to act fast.

I launched into his mind. A tangled web of vines and trees guarded his precious psyche.

Let me in, Tharan. I’m not here to hurt you.

The vines tightened their grip.

Focusing, I made my mind relax, trying to blend into the surroundings. When entering a mind, you have to be careful notto trip the traps the unconscious mind sets. I ran a finger over the vines. A pink flower with white edges bloomed at my touch. But, instead of a pestle at the center, a large thorn hissed at me.

I took a step back. His mind was trained. Fuck. I was going to have to fight my way in.

Pulling my sword from my sheath, I hacked at the vines. The flowers spit poisonous spikes at me. I ducked, narrowly avoiding them.

The flowers shriveled and died. The vines untangled, opening to a forest of toadstools and tall pines.

I stood in the clearing, contemplating my next move. The mind was my playground. I cracked my knuckles, rubbed my hands together, and created an invite.

The forest creaked around me. The subconscious recognized a foreign presence. I quickly laid the invite on a red and white mushroom before bolting out of his mind.

Tharan blinked at me. “Where did you go? You looked so far away for a moment.”

I smiled. “Oh, I’m just thinking about something I shouldn’t be.”

He curled a strand of my dark hair around his finger playfully. “I hope it was about me.”

A devilish grin made my heart skip a beat.

“Maybe it was, and maybe it wasn’t. Kiss me and find out.”

Tharan bit his lip. “If that’s what you want.”

I leaned in, planting my lips on his. A heat grew between us.

His tongue teased mine while his hands gripped my waist, holding me close.

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