Page 129 of City of Snakes
Your friend,
Asterie
I smiled at the familiarity of her cursive. We’d written often, with me providing guidance on everything from the sheep trade to land disputes between nobles in the Central Corridor. With her keeping me so well apprised of the goings-on in my Corridor, it was as though I’d never left.
Yet my heart yearned for home.
“Hold still,” Elsedora said, feigning annoyance as she tied the fabric around my body in ways I couldn’t imagine ever repeating.
I glanced down at the rust-colored dress she had wrapped me in. It was a too-sheer silk ensemble that gathered into a flowing skirt and showed off far more skin on my torso than I felt comfortable with.
“Dancing skirts!” El exclaimed and spun me around by my hand. Her own golden wrap dress caught the wind as she twirled too.
My Luz-blue ribbon lay across the bed. Instead of pulling my hair back with it, I left my curls down over my shoulders. It didn’t match this particular ensemble, and wearing the Sahlms’ colors for their annual celebration seemed more fitting.
A rap at the door startled us. I called, “Who is it?”
“It’s Ryn—are you ready, Princess?”
Feeling guilty about not carrying the Luz color on me, I stuffed the silk ribbon into the bust of my dress. Elsedora burst out a laugh, watching me.
“Yes, come in!” I called out.
Ryn pushed the door open. He stilled and gave me an appreciative once-over. “You are absolutely bewitching. Are you sure you want to marry this grump?”
Krait stepped up behind him. “I suppose swapping out a King for a Prince is still on the table. What dowry do you come with, Ryn?”
Elsedora stifled a giggle, and Ryn glanced her way with a sheepish shrug but the lines around his eyes pinched when they landed on her.
The brooding King looked entirely unamused with the ribbing as he shouldered Ryn. Krait was dressed in a deep-red formal tunic that had gold-threaded seams; the way it hugged his shoulders and tapered at his waist caught my attention.
Source-damned man with his Source-damned muscular build. Everything he wore suited him.Yet I’d bet a good number of coins that he looked divine innothing.I’d only gotten a good view of the backside…
It was time to leave this place because lust made me a damned fool.
“I’d like to keep my head,” Ryn said. “And I make a better tryst in the dark.” He winked but it wasn’t at me. He was dressed similarly tidy—a cream silk tunic and dark breeches tucked into leather boots.
“Enough,” Krait grunted at his friend, which only caused Ryn to give me a wide-eyed, knowing smirk. He wanted me to listen.
I obliged. “It really is too easy to get under his skin when it comes to you.”Ryn’s thought slipped into my head.
I smirked back and curled one brow up.
Krait observed us and let out an exasperated huff of air. “First Elsedora, now you too? Can at least one of my officers remain loyal to me?”
“With an attitude like that, I wonder why,” I teased before meeting Krait’s stare.
The slow drag of his gaze down my body felt like a hot brand over every inch of bare skin. Which was quite a lot of skin since I wore one of Elsedora’s dresses.
“Is it too much?” I asked, picking at one of the fine crystals that lined the seam at my bust.
“No,” Krait answered too quickly.
“Told you,” Elsedora mused as she marched out of the room.
Ryn cleared his throat and before trailing after her, he said, “We’ll make sure the carriage is ready for us.”
“Why are you looking at me like that?” I snapped as soon as Ryn and El rounded the corner.
