Page 47 of A Reign of Embers

I’d like to punch his scar-blotched face right off.

How the fuck has he persuaded her to warm up to him enough that she’d set aside all the awfulness of their past? To consider actually getting close to him?

Gods only know how much intimacy she had to feign inthe past. They’ve shared plenty of kisses and more. But none of itmeantanything. She avoided anything beyond what was absolutely necessary.

For all her sharp mind and ruthless determination, she’s got a soft heart at her center. I can’t let him exploit it.

This new façade of his has to crack sometime, doesn’t it?

Before I can follow that train of thought any further, the guard who was posted outside the meeting room door nudges it open. “Prince Neven would like to speak with Her Imperial Highness.”

Aurelia makes a beckoning gesture. “Of course. Let him in.”

My youngest foster brother hustles into the room. Aurelia steps off to the side to consult with him, their voices hushed.

I’m guessing he’s reporting some impression he’s gotten from Sabrelle. Whatever it is, the slant of Aurelia’s mouth suggests it doesn’t involve sunshine and roses.

When is the godlen of war going to get her head out of her ass and recognize that our current empress is twice the fighter anyone in the imperial family was?

As Neven turns to go, Captain Evando clears his throat. “You haven’t been by the training room lately, Your Highness. Did you decide you’ve elevated your skills enough already?”

There’s a slight edge to the words I don’t totally like. Neven bristles, so he must have picked up on it too.

“I have a more important duty to attend to,” he says brusquely. “It’s easier for me to focus on Sabrelle’s influence when I’m on my own rather than surrounded by other people.”

Evando raises an eyebrow. “Really? I’d have thought being around a lot of dedicated soldiers, especially whenmany of them are dedicated toher, would be the perfect setting to watch for her involvement.”

Neven scowls. “What does it matter to you, anyway?”

“I’m just surprised, after how committed you were to seeing that your empress learns every possible strategy.”

Aurelia steps closer, looking as if she’s considering intervening, but Neven breaks the tension of the moment with a bark of a laugh. “If that’s still bothering you, we can settle it pretty quickly. Sparring match, fifteen minutes, in the main training room? We’ll see whether politeness beats determination.”

Evando hesitates as if he didn’t expect to end up quite so committed to Neven’s training himself. Then a gleam lights in his eyes that I’m not sure what to make of. “Yes, we will.”

Aurelia cuts a glance toward me with a bemused expression. I can almost hear her saying, with a dollop of exasperation, “Men!”

I doubt she’d appreciate my recent hostile thoughts, so I keep them to myself other than a quick gesture.We’ll come. Your room. Soon.

She can piece together my meaning well enough. As she heads to her chambers with her guards, I set off to find Lorenzo.

Several minutes later, I confirm it’s only Aurelia and Marc in her bedroom and step out past the sliding panel with the prince of Rione beside me. From the tic of his face, Marc wasn’t expecting us.

Good. Let him remember that no matter how much he’s wriggled into our woman’s good graces, she doesn’t tell him everything.

Aurelia is sitting at her desk, petting the cat that rarely leaves her side when she’s in residence. “I’m guessing this isn’t just a social call.”

I flex my hands. “I’ve been thinking more aboutcombining gifts. How we can ward off talents like Valerisse’s that rely on ferreting out other people’s intentions rather than carrying out their own. Most shielding gifts only work with physical attacks. Marc’s gift is along more analytical lines too, isn’t it? We should see whether we can deflect it.”

Marc’s mouth tightens even more. “I suppose that’s accurate. How do you imagine you’d ‘ward it off’?”

He’s game, then. Let’s see how he reacts if this works—if we can strip him of even more power.

I let myself grin. “It won’t be much of a gift for long, I suspect.Mygift can obscure what’s around us. Lorenzo’s can warp perceptions. Between the two of us, I figure we could create a sort of smoke screen against other magic. A secret shield that both conceals and diverts.”

Lorenzo signs,I’ll try, and swipes his hands together. I filled him in on my idea while we made our way to the apartment.

Aurelia glances between the three of us and appears to resign herself to the impromptu competition. “It’ll certainly be interesting to see the results.”

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