“I had help.”
“Are you always this modest?” He winked.Winked. Was he flirting with me?
Three drinks in, and I was too buzzed to care. “Do you make it a habit of flirting with mortal women?”
He blinked, and I could tell the question threw him. Good. “No. In fact, I’ve never met one as striking as you before. The most exquisite females of Dalhur could not compare.”
I rolled my eyes. “Does that line actually work?”
He grinned, flashing perfect white teeth, his lips inching closer to mine. “You tell me.”
I was being reckless and stupid, and with how I felt toward Kilian… I was so fucking hurt. I did not think. I pressed my lips against Ayden’s.
He did not hesitate before sweeping his hands across my waist, dragging me closer. He nudged my mouth open, his warm lips moving against mine. His tongue traced the seam of my mouth, tentatively brushing against my own.
It felt… weird. Not good. Not bad. But definitely wrong.
Those were not Kilian’s hands brushing along my collarbone, and it was not Kilian’s lips against mine. But thosewereKilian’s eyes that I saw two seconds before Ayden was ripped away from me and thrown across the room, the loud music coming to an abrupt halt.
“Touch her again and I’ll fucking kill you.” Anger was too light of a word for the expression on Kilian’s face. He looked positively murderous.
Septimus stood behind him, observing the bar with disgust written plainly on his face. Lana chose that exact moment to step out of the bathroom. I could have heard a pin drop in the silence. It only lasted a second, though, before Septimus groaned at her. “I asked yousonicely not to come here alone.”
“I’m not alone,” Lana muttered, and Septimus rolled his eyes.
Ayden clicked his jaw, rising to his feet. “I don’t understand what the problem is, Kilian. You said you didn’t want her.”
If my metaphorical wounds hadn’t already been bleeding, that would have cut them right open again.
Septimus winced in Ayden’s direction. “I’d go back to the house if I were you, buddy. This is not a fight you want to pick.”
“Whatever.” Ayden shrugged. He picked up his own cloak and left the tavern without a backward glance.
I chanced a look at Kilian again and instantly regretted it. He was so beautiful it made my heart ache. Even angry as he was, lightning skittering off his forearms, I only wanted him. But I hated him, didn’t I? He would use me and hurt me before I died in the Trials, if I let him.
Kilian reached across the table for my drink. He lifted it to his nose, scenting it. “This is tainsberry leaf. Who the fuck put tainsberry leaf in your drink?”
Lana’s eyes flickered to the bartender, who had slunk so far behind the counter he was barely visible.
Septimus leaned casually against the bar, the ever-present amusement in his tone unwavering. “Do you like your life, good sir?”
“I – I’m sorry. The girls… they wanted to have a good time,” the male stammered.
“That’s not what I asked,” Septimus drawled. “The mortals in Lomask are under the protection of the Mortal Trials, surely you know this. By giving them tainsberry leaf, you’ve broken the sacred oath of protection.”
“No harm can come from giving them tainsberry leaf,” the male protested. “It’s completely harmless.”
“For elven,” Septimus corrected. “It’s harmless for elven. For mortals, it can cause hallucinations, the bending and warping of light and color, and extreme lightheadedness.”
That explained why Lana had looked like a colorful rainbow.
I wasn’t sure if I was imagining it, but a thin, golden rope of light flowed from Septimus’ index finger, snaking through the air and wrapping around the bartender’s wrists. “Someone will be along to collect you to stand trial.”
“It’s not his fault,” I said. “We’re perfectly fine.”
“I’d like to see you both walk in a straight line first and then still tell me you’re fine,” Septimus muttered sternly. “He should know better.”
With the bartender taken care of, Kilian’s attention returned to me. “What are you–” He crouched down before me, eye level with the table, and I had a sudden, extreme urge to run my fingers through his hair. It looked silky and soft, and I wanted to hear what sounds he would make if I tugged gently at his curls. “Whatare you wearing, Lirah?”