Page 106 of Crown of Briars
“Oh, it does.” Her grin widened. “It gives meanswers. It gives me context. I can do a lot with this information.” She rolled up the sleeve of her cloak, exposing her pale wrist to me. “Starting with giving you my blood.”
Varius stared at me,clearly stunned. “Right now?”
I nodded, my arm still stretched out toward him. “Yes. Now.”
His mouth opened and closed. He gestured to the closed door. “I should fetch Tislora.”
Before he could move, I said, “No. Not Tislora. I don’t trust her.”
He froze, going rigid as his gaze swept over me. I knew he read the underlying meaning behind my words.
Ididtrust him. But no one else.
He swallowed, his throat bobbing. “I’m… not sure I can do it properly.”
My eyebrows lifted. “What, draw blood?”
He rolled his eyes. “Human, I can slice open your thin flesh faster than you can blink. I just don’t know how much volume of blood Tislora will need for the spell, if it’s diluted by fae blood.”
“You can’t tell her I’m fae,” I blurted.
Varius frowned.
“You can’t tellanyonethat I’m fae,” I said. “The secret is too dangerous. It risks my safety, and the safety of my people.”
“Sybelle—”
“You were about to rip out my throat not ten minutes ago!” I argued.
“That was because of the deception!”
“Yes, and what will your people say when they learn about this deception?”
He had nothing to say to that. He sighed. “I do not keep secrets from Tislora.”
I scoffed. “She’s your subject.”
“She’s… much more than that.”
I stilled, then scrutinized him. His mouth was drawn, and a muscle feathered in his jaw. His eyes were full of something soft and molten.
My chest cinched so tightly I couldn’t breathe.
Oh, Stones.Stones.
She’d been his lover. She likely still was.
My throat was thick with emotion. “I see.” The words came out strained.
Varius stepped toward me. “Sybelle.”
I raised a hand to stop him, then drew back a step to put a healthy distance between us. “Kings are allowed their consorts, are they not? It’s none of my business.”
“Sybelle,” he growled. “It’s not like that.”
I snorted. “You don’t need to give me details, Varius. We both knew this marriage was unwanted on both sides. You can seek your pleasures however you wish, and I’ll do the same.”
Varius stiffened, and his eyes narrowed. “What does that mean?”
