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She swallowed down her food, then popped a fat purple grape into her mouth. “Thinking of Endre?”
“Ugh, how did you know?” I whined, rolling my eyes. Sometimes having an empath for a best friend was a good thing, other times, not so much.
She shrugged, picking up a bunch of grapes and dangling them above her mouth. “You usually only worry about one thing.”
“It’s because I’m so confident in all my abilities,” I attempted to tease, flicking my braid over my shoulder, but the words were as hollow as I felt.
“I’m serious, Liliana,” she said, slowing her gait so she could meet my gaze.
“I know,” I replied, blowing an errant strand of hair out of my face.
“Tell me how you feel,” she encouraged, and as we trudged up the stairs that spiraled to the top of the spire where our apartments were, I sorted through the complex web.
“I know I sound like a parrot, always repeating myself, but I want him to choose me. To choose the right side of this war. We are going to win, and I don’t want him to get killed because he chose to stay loyal to Kazimir.”
The double doors at the end of the hall were a welcome sight, promising a hot shower to wash away my worries and the blood splattered over me.
“Say it as many times as you need to. That’s how you feel, and there’s nothing wrong with that.” Izidora nodded to the sentry stationed outside the apartment doors as he opened it, allowing us entry into the luxurious space.
We placed our leftover food on an end table, then traipsed to the enormous bathroom. Well, it wasn’t the biggest one Ruslan had – the one at Roc was much bigger and much nicer, and I had gotten spoiled using it while Izidora slept through the seasons.
My birthday had come and gone during that time, and the males had done their best to celebrate with me, but while Izidorahad lain in the bed on the other side of the doors to the living area, it wasn’t the same.
Who knew thoughts of Endre would make me so sentimental?
“You can shower first,” Izidora offered, hopping up on the marble counter and kicking off her boots.
“You sure?” I asked, crossing to the knobs and turning them regardless of her answer.
She grinned back at me. “As long as you don’t take all the hot water.”
I shrugged, peeling off my clothes. “I make no promises.”
“That’s fine, if we run out, you can go ask Drazen to heat it with his Dragon fire,” she teased, bringing a laugh from somewhere in my chest.
The water was warm and inviting when I stepped into the glass box. Fog gathered and rolled out of the top, sticking to the glass on its journey. “You know when he breathes the hottest fire, right?”
“When you’re on your knees?”
Laughter bubbled up from us in unison, and I dunked my head beneath the artificial rain pouring from the ceiling. My hair was instantly soaked, the chocolate brown darkening even more and clinging to my body. Reaching for soap, I rubbed it over my body, lathering away sweat and blood that wasn’t mine. “We make a good team,” I called out as a tiny ruby river swept away from my feet.
“That we do. We should have a kill count on the battlefield. Make it a competition,” Izidora replied, and I rolled my eyes even though she couldn’t see me.
“You’re almost as bad as Ruslan,” I teased.
“Well, we’re mated so I think that means we just become more alike as we grow closer,” she quipped.
I swiped at the steam coating the glass so I could see her sitting outside the shower. She faced the mirror, slowly unplaiting her hair. We locked eyes, and something like hurt shone in her aquamarine orbs.
“You want vengeance that badly?”
“It’s more than that. I want them to see my power and fear me.” She chewed her lip and lifted a coarse brush to the ends of her hair. “I am so fucking tired of these males thinking they can scare me or walk all over me. I want it to be the other way around for a change.”
Sighing, I nodded and retreated. I understood exactly where she was coming from. It was hard being a female in the Night Realm, especially a pretty one. There, I was treated more like property or an asset, especially in the eyes of the court. Vadim had tried to provide me with a semblance of control over my life through fighting, but in the end, I knew King Zalan would marry me off to whomever was in his favor when the time was right.
Thank the Goddess that never happened.
In the Iron Realm, I felt like I had far more autonomy and opportunity, and not just because my best friend happened to be the future empress.
