Page 56 of The Chaosweaver's Daughter
“Nes, we’re friends now. And more importantly, we’re at the symposium. You know as well as I do, and pardon my language here, no one gives ashitabout matters of propriety these next three days.” He eyed her, his gaze unreadable beneath those stupid shuttered lashes. “Not when there are so many other things to be explored and devoured.” With that, he finished his drink and turned back to the bar.
His choice of words sent a Kas-original shiver to her toes; one she chased away by downing the rest of her whiskey in a single swig. Her eyes watered and her throat burned as she eyed that gargantuan, spacious bed. Without shifting her gaze, she cleared her throat and stuck out her hand, extending her empty glass toward the duke for a refill.This is fine. This is good. Friends share beds. It’s fine.
Something like a low chuckle escaped Kas as he refilled her drink.
Claimingbusiness,LordKahothdisappeared for a couple of hours, which gave Nes a much-needed break from the strangetorture brought on by their shared quarters.
She ate the meal he’d sent to their room and tried not to wonder who he’d gone off to meet with. Wandering the space, plate in hand, Nes looked out over the city and nibbled on her third slice of bread and honey, her favorite. A green and gold flag waved from the spire atop the Institute’s massive library, welcoming thousands of Selwassans to town for the coming days. She could not wait to get out there, to learn, to engage in dialogue, to explore their world in a supremely cerebral way.
A man with a rounded belly and a tweed coat, too heavy for the weather, wandered down the road with a little girl by his side. Pausing, he pulled out a map, consulted it, then pointed out the Institute’s admissions building to her.
Nes sighed wistfully as tears clouded her eyes. She’d wanted to attend the Institute too, but Papa said it wasn’t in the family budget, said her experience was good enough, and she didn’t need to be surrounded by a bunch of upper-crust fools earning credits to pat themselves on the back. There’d been more funds when she was young, but somewhere along the way, his pension from the Crown ran out, and he started tutoring regularly again.
Blinking, because she’d forgotten about that—that transition point—she spun away from the window to find the big four-poster staring her down.
Nes groaned.
She needed a bath, something to reset her mood. The tub was on par with the bed—gigantic—and Nes was overcome with a wave of guilt for how easily she was willing to consume the luxury around her.
It’s the symposium. The rules don’t matter here.
Tipping her head side to side, she considered that a moment and decided it was true enough. Glitz and glamor and being swept away were real concerns; but she was on holiday, and three days wouldn’t be the death of her.
Tugging a pull cord labeled for the tub, she expected a line of staff to arrive with buckets. But with a rush, the enormous basin filled withsteaming water from nowhere. In the spirit of Della and Ataht, Nesrina shrieked—but not too loudly—and clapped. The Elk & Heron must have had watercoursers awaiting calls from the guest rooms.What a luxury.She’d never stayed at an inn with such amenities.
Clean and refreshed, with the stiffness of travel soaked from her limbs, she wrapped up in one of the complimentary robes and twisted her hair in a towel. The scent of the gardenia and orange oils she’d used surrounded her like a sweet hug.
In the bedroom, Nes stood before the tall mirror beside the door, turning this way and that as she surveyed her body in the glass. She hadn’t realized how much she’d become a woman, how much her body had changed over the past few years. She was... curvaceous.
She slid her palms down the sides of her robed waist, trying to imagine what Rihan felt when he’d grasped her there weeks before. It had been quite some time since she’d had the opportunity to study herself, so Nesrina dropped her robe, pulled her towel from her hair, and stood bare for perusal. She cupped her breasts, testing them out, then turned with her back to the mirror and looked at herself over her shoulder—she was decidedly, surprisingly well-endowed. Facing herself again, she returned to her bosom and wondered if her nipples were a normal size. They seemed sort of small... not that she’d seen all that many in her life.
The door flew open.
She yelped, wrapping her arms tightly across her chest without even thinking about her naked lower half.
The door slammed shut.
A second later, a low knock reverberated through the oak followed by a ground out, “Are you decent?”
Oh my gods.Nesrina grabbed her discarded robe and quickly wrapped herself in it, knotting her sash twice, to be safe.Safe from what? Are you planning on tearing your mantle off in front of him... again?
She let out a whine of frustration. Schooling her features, Nes replied, “Yes. Sorry, come in.”
nineteen
Kas panics, a couple of times.
Kasreturnedlaterthanhe’d expected from lunch with his friend, Isahn. When he was a few steps from the room, he sent his magic ahead to open the door.
Nesrina yelped.
He slammed it shut, but not before catching a glimpse of her robe on the floor, and leg—bareleg.
Is someone there with her?The fire in himalmosthad Kas flinging open the door again, propriety be damned.
Instead, he knocked and asked, “Are you decent?”
He waited for her response and heard nothing but shuffling. What if shedidhave a visitor? What would he do? Whatcouldhe do?Nothing, really.She hadn’t explicitly agreed to court him; he hadn’t even brought it up. Maybe she didn’t feel the same way? How long could it possibly take for her to cover up or run into the washroom?Wasshe stashing someone away? Helping them escape through a window?
