My fingers itched to continue cooking as I slipped out of the dining room, my stomach already full after eating the food I’d cooked, but I didn’t have a kitchen. Besides the large one in the dining room, the only one I knew about was Namir’s, and no way was I going to ask him to let me borrow his room. He’d assume I was asking him to ignite our bond or something, if that was even possible.
Knowing Namir would come looking for me soon, I had the urge to make a run for it—to slip into the forest for a bit of peace and some time away from the king. He was sweet, and I liked being around him, but our connection was really damn intense.
But he had gone out of his comfort zone with leaving me alone as I cooked that day, so I headed toward the training room instead. Namir’s throne was in there still, pressed up against the corner.
There was a crowd inside, so I leaned up against the back wall, watching with reluctant interest as Namir fought four other fae at once. Jesh was barking out orders, advice, and insults to the men fighting the king, but Namir’s shadows moved like they were a part of him.
A sleek woman with long, dark red hair leaned up against the wall beside me, catching my attention. Her eyes were lined with makeup, her lashes longer and darker than they’d been the last time I saw her, and the golden dress she wore was clearly made to emphasize both the strength of her muscles and the softness of her curves.
The last time I’d seen her, she’d been wearing white and silver. I couldn’t help but wonder if like Namir, she’d dressed the way she did because she didn’t want to trigger my darkest memories.
Lavee murmured to me, “Impressive, isn’t he?”
A sharp anger had my monster bursting to life. I managed to shove her down, just barely. “Excuse me?”
She glanced over at me. “Jesh, I mean. See how he keeps up with all four of the other fighters, instructing each of them? Namir only honed gifts he was born with; Jesh had to develop his from nothing.”
Her words surprised me, but my wolf dissipated completely, which was a damned relief. “Magic is not easily honed. I don’t think Namir controls his without a fight.”
She nodded. “Touché.”
There was a beat of silence as we both watched the fighters dance. “I can do your hair, if you’d like. Jesh suggested I talk to you about sex, anyway.”
My eyebrows lifted, and I looked over at her again. “Why would I need you to talk to me about sex?”
She shrugged. “We don’t know what you know about it.”
I scowled. “Penis goes in vagina. Bodies exude fluids. Supposedly it’s pleasurable, somehow.”
Lavee snorted. “We need to be friends.”
I rolled my eyes. “Because I know about sex?”
“Because you don’t take anyone’s shit, and I’m all for that.”
I supposed that was a decent enough reason.
“There’s more to sex than just the physical aspect—and more to the physical aspect than that. Why don’t I cut your hair tomorrow morning, and I can explain more while I do? Considering Namir’s a virgin, you’ll want all the information I can give you before you take the plunge.”
“You’re probably right,” I admitted. “Will it matter that I’m a virgin, too?”
“Nah. It just means you’ll figure that shit out together, and neither of you will realize that it’s not good at first.” She winked at me, and I rolled my eyes.
The men disbanded, and Namir strode over to me with a massive grin. Beads of sweat dripped off his soaked hair, and his chest gleamed with more evidence of his exertion. He scooped me up off the ground, and I grumbled into his shoulder, “You’re all sweaty.”
“And now you are too.” He was still grinning as he pulled away. “I want you to tell me all about your day while I shower.”
“You peeked at me more than two dozen times,” I pointed out, as he towed me toward the shadowy doorway off to the side of the stairs.
“Damn straight. I had to make sure Errh wasn’t flirting with my female.”
My eyes rolled. “And?”
“And he kept a respectable distance. Especially after he noticed me glaring at him.”
“I’m sure he appreciated that a lot,” I drawled.
Namir laughed, flashing me a playful grin. “Not losing his head for trying to make a move on you? Yes, I’m sure he did appreciate that.”