by Knox, Kim
“Vara…”
Kaede rolled onto his side, his hand propping up his head. His other hand took hers and he ran his thumb over her skin in a slow, even stroke. “I didn’t mean to be cruel.”
She blinked. Had she been so obvious?
“We’re tied to one another now, Vara. I can feel your emotions. In time, it would’ve been something we shared.”
She wiped at her eyes and hoped he didn’t have a hook into her immense and overreacting stupidity. Kaede smiled and pulled her into a hug. Vara pressed her face to the warmth of his chest, inhaling his scent and had to wonder whether Kaede would smell different to her when she lived in Tarou’s body.
She kissed his collarbone and the words tattooed there stung her lips. It brought her sense back and she smiled up at him. “Get some sleep, Kaede, I’ll keep watch.”
His mouth brushed her forehead. “Thank you.”
Vara forced herself away from the solid heat of his body. Her feet curled against the cold stone of the floor and she willed herself to stand. She shivered. She grabbed the underclothes from the floor and pulled them onto her sweat-damp body.
Kaede had stretched across the mattress, his breathing already deep. Her gaze skirted the smooth muscle of his back, following the swirl of his tattoos. She ached to trace them with her fingers, her mouth, but she forced her hands into tight fists. He had to rest. Even now, exhaustion etched his face. She winced and picked up her robe. He needed to sleep because at some point in that day, he had to pull out her soul. Again.
Chapter Seven
“Kaede?”
He jumped awake, batting at the hand on his bare shoulder. His room smelt wrong. The smell of clean sheets, lavender and the unmistakeable scent of sex broke through him. Kaede stared up at the sweep of gold silk dropped into a loose canopy over the bed frame. He stopped himself from groaning. He’d just been monumentally stupid. “How late is it, Vara?”
“Almost the end of the afternoon.” The bed creaked as she sat on it. “I think you have to get me more food. I’ve even eaten the fish.”
Her distaste crawled over him, a sour turn to his thoughts that burned bitter in his mouth. Pressing the heels of his palms into his eyes, he let out a slow breath. Getting used to her in his mind would take time.
He sat up, the sheet falling away from his chest. Heat surged in his gut and his gaze shot to Vara. “What was that?”
A smile tugged at her mouth and there was a hint of a blush on her cheeks. “What? Can’t a woman ogle?”
“Ogle?”
She ran a finger across his chest, following the path of his tattoo as it snaked down across this stomach. She slid lower and he yelped, catching her hand. “Well, touch and ogle.”
Kaede pulled her into a kiss, enjoying the hot spice still clinging to her tongue. Her hand slid lower, wrapping around his erection and he groaned. For a long, long moment he thought about running his mouth, his fingers all over her body…but cold sense killed that thought. He covered her hand and eased her away.
Vara sat back and sighed. She licked her lips and Kaede had to ignore the twitch in his penis that demanded he satisfy them both. She climbed off the bed before his resolve collapsed. Her strength of will fired through his muscles like a hot brand.
“Has the maid not appeared yet?”
“No. I think she’s left the lodge.” Vara stared at the floor. “Sensible girl.”
Kaede pulled on his breeches and tugged the cord tight. “There is nowhere we could hide, Vara. I’m bound to the House of Sang. Leaving would have me dead within a few miles.” He straightened his tunic before he yanked it over his head. “Those who bound us made certain we would stay bound.”
“Except for Annaliese.”
Kaede laughed. “I don’t know what she was…is. What she did,” he waved his hand at her, “I didn’t even know there were Words to do it. Somehow she found them.” He stamped into his boots. “I’ll get food.” He glanced at the turn of the shadows on the wall. “They still have a few more hours of hunting. I’ll scare up another maid to prepare you for the banquet.”
Vara winced, staring down at her loose, open robe. “I suppose it’s essential.”
Kaede smiled, brushed a hand over her jaw and escaped her rooms. In the shadow of the long hall, he let out a slow breath. Solid stone walls and heavy doors separated them, but he could still feel her nerves stretching tight.
He forced himself to move forward. The kitchen would be in uproar. His presence, though unwanted, would be tolerated. Shouts and the clatter of the horses and men pulled him into the narrow window. Lolling-tongued wolfhounds padded through the courtyard to the kennels. Servants held the bridles of the hunting horses as Tarou’s party dismounted. Kaede cursed. They were back early.
Now they would bathe and feast. Shit.
His lord flicked a narrowed glance up and Kaede stepped back on instinct. There was no time for him to find Vara a maid to help her dress and paint her face. He turned back to her room and rapped on the door. There was the faint scrape and twist of bolts, the hinges creaked and Vara’s face appeared. Her gaze narrowed on him. “You have no food, witch.”
He pushed his way into the room. “No time. Tarou is back early. They’ll wash and start the banquet straight after. You have to be ready now.” He flicked a hand at her face. “I’ll have to paint you.”
“Is that wise?” She grimaced. “Sorry. It has to be better than me doing it.” She rubbed a hand over her stomach. “At least when I’m trussed the pain overwhelms the hunger.” Vara caught his look and she shrugged. “I’m used to four meals a day. The emperor always feeds his soldiers well.”
Kaede turned back to the bedroom and the large cupboard storing her clothes. Vara lit a lamp, casting a bright glow of golden light around the small room. Able to see, he lifted out a white silk robe and handed it to her. “This. Whenever I saw the Lady Annaliese at a banquet, she wore white.” He laid the robe across the bed.
Vara picked up a leather box from a cabinet and carried it into the sitting room. “The light’s better through here…though you should bring the lamp too.” Kaede followed her. He willed down the thud of panic through his body. He’d been stupid to sleep, stupid. He should have been preparing her, preparing himself. He pushed away his anger and focused. Vara was speaking. “Sorry?”
“I did what I could with my hair. Rethreaded the gold. Is it right?”
Smooth curls wrapped with gold tumbled over her shoulders. He remembered its dark mass splayed over the white pillow... He swallowed. “Fine. It looks fine.”
He turned to the leather box she’d opened and he stared at an assortment of jars. Pointing Vara to a stool, he opened the first jar and sniffed it. He wrinkled his nose. “This stinks worse than the body in my laboratory.”
Vara laughed. “She started with a white cream. Smelt of chamomile.”
Kaede was glad that she had paid attention when the maid first painted her face. He was used to the intricate painting of gold for his Word patterns and webs and he hoped the creation of a mask of makeup wouldn’t be a disaster.
Vara turned her face up to him and he smoothed white cream over her skin. He tried to think of nothing as he rubbed it over her throat and neck and not let his fingers slip down further… Vara’s heated thoughts burned through him and his hand shook. “Can you think of something else?”
She blinked and then her mouth twisted into a wry smile. “Why?”
“Vara…” He almost growled the word and then changed tack. There was no point in arguing with her. “Which jar is next?”
She handed him a glass jar half full of milky-coloured gloop. “Spread that over the cream. She had some sort of cloth.”
Kaede hunted through the box and pulled out a linen square. He dipped it into the jar and spread it lightly over her softened skin. Powder and a sprinkle of gold over her cheekbones followed. Under Vara’s direction, he darkened her eyes with kohl and spread something that smelt of old meat on her mouth. She caught his
grimace.
“You only have to smell it,” she said. “So, how do I look?”
Kaede held up a small, silver mirror and waited for her verdict.
Vara turned her face from side to side. “All right, not bad.” She looked up at him and her eyes gleamed. “It’ll be dark, won’t it?”
Kaede ignored her and brought her robe and belts from bedroom. He slipped the robe over her shoulders and settled it as he had seen the maid do.
“Handy that you were watching so closely, Kaede.”
He stopped himself from rolling his eyes. Her humour was there protecting her because he could feel the tearing of her nerves in his own gut. “A lord’s wife is demure and silent.” Vara stretched and retied her white socks, then held out her arms for the robe. He wrapped it over her body and moved her hand to hold it in place. Picking out the first of the belts, he tied it around her waist. “You’ll sit on his left side, and you must put the food on his plate. Tarou eats like a wolf. Pile his plate with meat.”
“Will it go that far? Won’t your,” she waved her fingers in a vague way through the air, “magic have swapped us?”
Kaede tapped his skull. “I have her Words here.” He picked up the last wide belt. Vara’s hatred of the thing buried a spike in his gut. “But I need time to work the weaving. I’m not certain how long it will take.” He pulled the thick belt tight, stretching the white, embroidered silk.
Vara hissed and arched her back. “At least Tarou’s clothes look comfortable.”
“There are rumours that he wears a corset.”
Vara snorted, winced and rubbed at her side. “Don’t make me laugh, Kaede. It hurts.” Her shoulders straightened and the humour dropped from her face. “I need a quick etiquette lesson. I know to keep my mouth shut, well as much as possible, but how the hell do I bow in these clothes?”
“Slowly?”
Vara glared at him. “That is not helpful.”
“But it’s true.” He put his hand on the thick padding of her belt and the other at her spine. With light pressure, he moved her. “Keeping your back straight, you bend from the hips, until your neck is exposed.”
Vara groaned. “Bloody belt’s stabbing right into my gut.” But she didn’t move. “How long do I stay like this?”
“Count to five and straighten.” He stood back from her. She was ready. Vara looked like any other lord’s wife, gracious perfection. “So I should say goodbye...”
Kaede didn’t know whether the sudden cramping in his gut was hers or his. It was almost as painful as one of Tarou’s Words. He winced. Maybe several of them.
Vara let out a slow breath and held his gaze. “It’ll be strange, being a man.” A smile twisted her mouth and despite himself, Kaede echoed it. He would miss Vara Haradt in this body. “With all my bits in different places.”
His hand hovered over her cheek, not quite touching. He couldn’t disturb the delicate sheen of powder and gold dust making her skin shimmer. “Vara, I—”
A rapid knock on the door broke off the words he needed to say. He breathed out a pained sigh and his hand dropped from her face. He turned to the door, pulling back the bolts. A liveried servant stared at him, his jaw dropping. The boy shut his mouth with an audible snap and performed a florid bow.
“The attendance of the Lady Annaliese is requested at our lord’s banquet.”
Kaede forced himself to nod. He glanced back at Vara and found only serene blankness in her face. Her nerves ran hot through him.
They were out of time.
The end had begun.
Chapter Eight
Vara walked at a sedate measure behind the page. She was aware of Kaede, silent and steady behind her. He knew what she was feeling, had seen it reflected in his gaze. She stopped her mouth from twisting. Yet another strange thing in an utterly bizarre day.
She forced herself to focus on the young boy walking at a strained, formal pace several feet in front of her. At least he wasn’t hurrying her to her fate, she supposed. She ignored the tightening of fear in her gut. She was fortunate, she had to remind herself of that. Wolves had eaten her whole...and wasn’t that a pleasant memory...she should be dead. But she was here, with the bittersweet knowledge that she could lose something precious with Kaede, a man she had known for only a few hours.
All too soon, she stood outside carved ebony doors that stretched to the ceiling. Guards saluted and Vara’s hand tightened into a bloodless fist. Yes, she’d almost returned that salute with her own, giving herself away in the first few seconds.
She eased the riot of nerves in her stomach.
Vara ached to grip the warm, leather-bound hilt of her sword, but willed herself to relax, her shoulders dropping, her hands loose at her sides. The guards pulled at the ornate, iron rings in the centre of each door, heaving them open. The hinges groaned, but the wood slid smooth over the deep grooves worn into the ancient flagstone floor.
The page moved forward and she followed him.
Washed with golden lantern light and the flicker of a great fire, the banquet hall stretched out before her. The vaulted ceiling, stained a sooty brown through the centuries, swirled with pale smoke. A great curve of a table stood in the centre of the room, already groaning with gold and silver plate. Servants lit yet more candles.
Vara’s gaze shifted over the still-empty dishes and bowls and she tried not to think about food.
The last of the evening light slipped through the doors that opened out onto a long balcony and shone over a loose knot of men and a single woman. Crowns and jewels gleamed. She recognised Tarou’s tall frame as he stood with his back to her, in conversation with a small, old man she presumed was the king.
“Your Majesties, your Highness, Lords…the Lady Annaliese,” the page announced in a clear, ringing voice.
Her feet moved forward.
Somewhere in the back of her mind, she was aware of Kaede. He slid off to the side and she caught him at the edge of her vision as he stood beside the great hearth. His fingers twitched and his mouth moved, uttering fast, silent Words.
Tarou turned and his sharp, black gaze burned over her. Vara willed herself to look knowing, to look prepared. She had no idea if that was the look she achieved. She focused solely on him and put Kaede out of her thoughts. He didn’t need her feelings for him as a distraction. She was sure her fear had him wound tight enough already.
“My lady.”
Tarou strode across the flags and Vara steeled herself. She had faced worse than Tarou today. She held his fierce gaze, saw the thin line of his mouth and the way his hand hovered too near to his belt-dagger. Her gut cramped. Those wolf-men could only dream of being as intimidating as this lord.
He took her hand, his grip a little too tight for comfort. He leaned in, pressing a cool kiss to each cheek. He smelled of soap, spice and something that shot a shiver through her. He drew back and his eyes narrowed. “Ready, lady?”
She forced a smile. Her voice was no more than a whisper, “Are you ready…Majesty?”
Tarou’s firm lips twitched. “Good.” He turned and offered her his arm. She slid her fingers over the cool leather. “The king is eager to see you again.”
“And I him.”
“Majesty,” Tarou performed a sharp bow, “my wife is finally here.”
There was a joking lightness in Tarou’s voice that surprised her. He performed as much as she did.
“Lady Annaliese.”
Vara bowed as Kaede had taught her, bending low before the little old man. Her hair fell forward and the gold tinkled. She counted to five and straightened, fighting to keep the action smooth as the belt dug into her gut in exactly the wrong way. “Majesty,” she murmured.
The king took her hand in both of his. Warm and damp, they made her skin crawl. Hot eyes bored into her. “A pleasure as always.”
She gave him a small returned smile. “Thank you, Majesty.”
“Lady Annaliese.” A woman stepped forward, her hand slipping over the tight grip the king s
till had on Vara’s fingers. With a scowl, he dropped them. The fine gold silk of her embroidered gown and precious stones studding the wide belt screamed money. Her hair wove through a white-gold crown and it glittered in the lamplight. Eyes almost as cold and as dark as Tarou’s fixed on her. This had to be the queen. “I compliment you on the fineness of your house.”
Vara bowed again. “Thank you, Majesty.”
She looked up into the queen’s flawless face and something flickered there. An odd thought hit her. Annaliese. Annaliese had jumped bodies. She wasn’t the king, but was she the queen…? Did they have it wrong? Tarou slept with the queen. Had jealousy spurred Annaliese’s actions? Vara pressed her lips together and the sour taste of the lip balm almost made her wince. But Vara couldn’t know, couldn’t test her belief. No, she couldn’t risk exposure.
Tarou put his hand to her spine and she stepped back. She kept her face calm and tried to ignore the bubble of panic pushing through her. If Annaliese had jumped into the body of the queen, what did that mean for herself and Kaede?
“Lord?”
A liveried servant bowed low before Tarou and muttered something in his ear. Tarou nodded. “My cook has announced his food ready. If you will sit, Majesty?”
“Even such a short hunt has given me an appetite, Sang,” the king said, leading the way to the great horseshoe table, his queen on his arm.
“Hopefully tomorrow won’t be spoiled by the over-enthusiasm of a young dog.”
Servants pulled out chairs and Vara surreptitiously watched the queen, copying her as she waited for the king to sit before allowing the servant to push in the seat. Vara sat as smoothly as she could, rearranging the folds of her robe.
A stream of servants filed into the room, struggling under the weight of covered platters. The man sitting on her other side rubbed his hands together and a grin cracked his face. Vara had the sudden urge to stamp on his foot. Lucky him. He got to eat and she got hunger and a belt wrapped so tightly around her that her ribs and gut ached.