Page 194 of A Tribute of Fire

Her face broke back into the smile I was used to. “I’m so glad!” Her smile faded again. “You won’t tell our sisters about who I really am, will you?”

“I won’t tell them. I promise. Will you promise that you won’t tell them about me, either?”

She held a hand over her heart. “I swear I won’t tell our adelphia.”

With a nod I thanked her and put my cup on the ground. I was very tired and needed to use the washroom and then head to bed. I leaned over and gave Io a loud kiss on the forehead. “Good night, almost-sister-in-law.”

“Good night, my fellow princess turned priestess. Well, princess turned acolyte,” she amended, giving me a cheery wave.

It took me longer than it should have to find my way back to our dormitory. After I had used the toilet, I went into our room. Kunguru was on the windowsill and he squawked at me but I ignored him. So, so tired.

I climbed into my bed and turned on my side to fall asleep.

My own thoughts from earlier returned to me. Like I’d missed something.

Io can read.

If she could read, that meant she could have taken the book. She would have been able to read it herself and personally gone over thecontent. She had been so upset when I’d told her what I’d discovered about priestess marriages and their dowries. What if she had wanted to hide the truth? And had destroyed the book to do so?

I couldn’t believe that of her, though. She didn’t seem the deceptive type.

Demaratus’s voice filled my head.

Stupid girl! She cheated to become an acolyte and hid her true identity from everyone!

That was true. And if she was willing to cheat to get what she wanted and lie about her background, she might have been willing to steal to protect something she believed so strongly in.

I woke with a start, having heard a noise coming from the window. I sat up and saw that there was a man on the windowsill, about to jump into our room.

My sword was missing. I frantically fished around under my pillow but it wasn’t there. What had I done with it?

Then the man was on the move and he ran over to my bed. I pulled in a deep breath, intending to scream so that I could draw the guard to help me, wake my sisters up.

“I told you I would sneak in.” Jason’s voice immediately calmed me and my shoulders dropped as I relaxed. He sat down next to me on my bed and it took every bit of strength I still had not to throw my arms around him.

I was angry at him for his rejection. I needed to remember that.

“Antiope will kill you,” I said.

“Who?”

“My battle master. She’s a Scythian who—” I shook my head. Why was I explaining this to him? “You have to go.”

“Not yet. I think we have some unfinished business.”

My traitorous heart leapt with excitement. “You’re speaking too loud. You’re going to wake everyone up.”

He glanced over his shoulder. “Who?”

All my sisters’ beds were empty. I reached up to my head and felt the long strands of my hair against my fingertips.

Oh. This was another dream. It wasn’t real. It was only my fevered imagination bringing Jason here so that we could finish what he’d so skillfully started.

This was what I’d hoped for when I’d gone to bed, but instead of feeling excited, I just felt pathetic.

“Go away,” I told him. “I need to sleep.”

He reached for my hand and held it with his own and it had the desired effect. I didn’t tell him to leave again. I let him breach my defenses once more.

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