CHAPTER 44

Tianna held up the dress for Tril’s inspection. She had shown up at Tianna’s apartments mid-afternoon with her usual cheerful attitude and her maid so that the two of them could get ready for the banquet together. It was a relief that she hadn’t been dissuaded by Tianna’s snapping the night of the star gazing party.

“It’s beautiful,” Tril ran her finger along the collar where tiny black threads were embroidered into delicate flowers.

“That isn’t even the half of it,” Tianna told her, laying the dress on the bed and pulling out the necklace. Tril gasped as she held it out, her delicate hand flying to her throat.

“Are those rubies? They look like rubies.”

“I think they are.”

“Do you have any idea what this would cost?” Tril gestured weakly to the ensemble. “And someone gave this to you? Anonymously?”

“There was this,” Tianna handed her the note, watching her face closely. The look of shock on Tril’s face as she read it told her everything she needed to know.

“It is from Xor’annan, isn’t it?”

“It is his writing,” Tril admitted. “Tianna, I’ve never seen him do anything like this. I don’t even know where he would have found those,” she gestured to the necklace. “And the dress, it isn’t one of Miss Inaz’s creations, but someone good made it. This must have cost a fortune, not to mention taken a very long time to acquire.”

“Part of some game, maybe? Could he believe that it will somehow draw out whoever has harmed Eveera’s parents?”

Tril shook her head.

“I don’t think this is a game...I think this is much more serious.” She turned to Tianna, “are you going to wear them?”

Tianna had thought about it all night. Deep in the innermost part of her heart, she knew it had been Xor’annan who sent them. All of her stupid girlish hopes and dreams had lit up with the thought. Yes, she knew it was him that sent them, but she didn’t know why. That part of the explanation was conveniently missing from the note, and it left that niggle of doubt that had kept her awake for hours. The only thing she could do, she had decided, was to play along and see what happened and do her best to keep her expectations from flying away with her. Should this be some form of scheme, then she could return the rubies and learn from a hard lesson.

“Yes,” she said at last. “I will wear them.”

***

The banquet was set out in the same room that Tianna’s introductory banquet had been held in. This time, tables had been arranged within the circle of arches, leaving a large open space in the center. When Tianna and Tril arrived, the floor was already filled with Daemon conversing and laughing in small groups. Even the Queen and her ladies were in attendance, caught in some animated tale an older gentleman was bestowing on them on the far side of the room.

The dress and rubies were not as openly shocking as some that Tianna had already worn, but she gathered her fair share of stares anyway. Most started on her dress, with a sort of odd look, and then landed on the rubies and widened with shock before looking away.

Tril smiled and greeted those that she knew, and Tianna smiled at them, too, but her mind was whirling. Was Xor’annan even there? What if he had sent the dress and rubies but wasn’t coming to the banquet himself? Would that even make sense?

They had traveled through half the room when they came across a group of men, a familiar figure among them.

“Torgux of Cedworth,” Tril raised her voice, “I do hope you don’t plan to ignore me again. At our last encounter, you left me alone to stuff my face with your appetizers. I had to comfort myself by eating far too many.”

Togux turned and smiled, but it wasn’t the same charming smile Tianna was used to, and he kept his eyes resolutely on Tril.

“Sweet lady, I am ashamed. I pray you will let me make up for my mistakes by joining me at the table tonight?”

Tril looked from Tianna to Torgux and back again.

“Of course,” she said cautiously. “I would be delighted.”

Torgux gave her another smile and moved off without even acknowledging Tianna. Wow. What had she done to make him so mad? Surely he wasn’t this put out because she hadn’t been home when he called?

“What was that?” Tril voiced the same confusion.

“Trilola,” a woman in a snow-white gown sauntered over. She greeted Tianna politely but only seemed interested in discussing one of the upcoming balls. Since Tianna had very little input in that area, she found herself free to look around the room. To her distress, the only thing she found was Mizare, heading straight for her. There was no way the woman was still ignoring her.

How rude would it be to simply disappear into the crowd? Or pull Tril from her conversation? She looked at the two women to find that they had wandered off a little. Okay, great. Time to pull out her backbone.

“Binessa Tianna,” Mizare greeted when she stopped in front of her.

“Mizare,” Tianna returned the nod, careful to keep it respectful.

“I wanted to tell you how glad I am that you have accepted my invitation,” Mizare smiled, and Tianna was reminded of a shark baring its teeth. “I wasn’t sure your constitution was up for it. Your people do tend to be rather skittish. But it will be so nice having another woman along, the hunt is too dominated by men, in my opinion.”

There was a slight in there somewhere, but it was well-hidden, and Tianna chose to ignore it.

“I’m sure it will be fun,” Tianna lied.

“Well, it’s bound to be interesting in the least,” there was that smile again. Her eyes caught on Tianna’s throat and lingered there, and then widened in surprise.

Tianna’s entire body tensed, a visceral reaction to the man she suddenly sensed right behind her. He crowded in close to her side, a hand gently touching her nape.

“Do you like your gift?” Xor’annan asked in her ear.

What did he think he was doing? They were surrounded by Daemon, and not just a few were staring. She tried to pretend that the light touch of his fingers wasn’t sending thrilling shocks through her entire system.

“It was nice, I suppose,” she breathed.

“Nice?”

“I liked the flower.”

Xor’annan laughed and she had to fight to keep her lips from raising in a grin. But she didn’t look at him, she was watching Mizare and it was obvious the woman didn’t like what she was seeing.

“Well,” the Overa of Bexitan smiled tightly and gave a stiff nod to the two of them, “I look forward to the hunt, perhaps you will consider coordinating outfits with me, too, Binessa Tianna.”

What?

Tianna waited until the woman had left before turning to Xor’annan. Yup. Coordinated. He wore a long jacket and smart looking pants the same color...actually, they looked to have been crafted out of the same material as her dress. Xor’annan had dressed them like a couple….well, at least it explained why Torgux was angry.

“Why would you do this?” Tianna indicated their clothing.

“Some people needed a reminder of who you belong with,” he looked pointedly in the direction Torgux had gone.

And she was caught in the dark intensity of his gaze. He held her there for a long moment before flicking a glance at her lips.

“If you want to surprise people when you show up to the hunt, you are in danger of losing that edge.”

“I am finding there is something more important that I want.”

He was still staring at her. The others around them had turned, someone was making noise at the front of the room, but none of that mattered because Xor’annan was looking at her like she was the only one here. The only one in the entire world.

He leaned forward, and Tianna was sure he was going to kiss her, right there, in front of everyone. She froze, not sure if she was ready for such a public declaration, not sure she could hold herself together, either, not after his last kiss. Her mind had played that moment for her over and over until she had nearly drove herself mad. If he kissed her now, she didn’t think she could stop from leaping on him and giving back as good as she got.

He lowered his head past hers, until his lips were inches from her ear.

“I cannot wait to taste you again, it has been driving me mad for days. But until then, we should enjoy this banquet.”

Tianna flushed. There it was. There was no doubt now that Xor’annan was trying to seduce her. And he didn’t care who saw.

“Sit next to me,” he demanded. His fingers trailed down her arm and tangled with hers as he led her to a seat at one of the tables. It surprised Tianna that there seemed to be no assigned seating, no notation of status at all. The Queen sat halfway down one side, Ar’miel, the woman who had been so kind to her in the Queen’s chambers, on her right and a man Tianna didn’t recognize on her left.

The meal began, servants bringing out trays of foods until the tables were piled so high there was no way the Daemon would be able to eat it all. Tianna frowned, the thought reminded her of those who were camped out before the city gates in the cold. In all her pampered finery, she had forgotten them. How could she forget human suffering? Guilt swamped her, and even when the entertainment, the same group she and Xor’annan had witnessed on their way here, began she found her enjoyment was gone. She had been planning to travel with her wealth; she’d been wearing dresses that cost more than the simple houses of the village. But she hadn’t once worried about those people whom she had witnessed outside the gates. What had she become?

“Is something wrong?” Xor’annan asked.

“I can’t keep these,” she fingered the rubies.

Xor’annan stilled, though his expression didn’t change.

“And yet you wore them tonight.”

“Yes, but they are far too excessive, all of this is excessive. Think about how many meals they would buy.”

“Meals?” a small pucker appeared between his brows.

“For the poor that linger outside the city gates, not to mention clothing and blankets and other needs.”

“You want to trade your rubies to feed the poor.” His tone was flat.

“Well...yes, I can’t live like this, in this luxury, while other people suffer.” She turned to face him, willing him to understand. He had his unreadable mask on, but she thought she detected a hint of a frown.

“There will always be suffering,” Xor’annan told her. “It won’t matter if you give away all your wealth to feed the poor and live in squalor, there will still be suffering and any help you’ve given will be forgotten in months. Or worse, they will be angry when you can no longer provide what they have become entitled to.”

“So you think I should linger here, be pampered, and just ignore the fact that people are starving literally right outside the city?”

“That is not what I said,” he studied her. “If you are serious about this, then it requires some careful thought and not just impulsive action. A true difference might be made, but not through handouts. You must decide how you might help those people to help themselves. It will require a true commitment and effort, and will be far more difficult than simply throwing money at them.”

Tianna frowned again. He made sense, of course. There was some saying on Earth about a fish that said the same thing...still starving people would only be worried about one thing, and it wouldn’t be how to improve their lot.

“You aren’t going to tell me not to waste Eveera’s money?” It was the girl’s fortune, after all. She might be Eveera’s bonded, but she amounted to nothing but a guardian. She doubted either Xor’annan or the Queen would allow her to squander it away.

“If you are smart about it, the difference to Eveera’s future will be negligible. I would not stand in the way of that which makes you happy. If it is important to you, then you should attend to it. I am certain the Queen will see it in the same light.”

Huh. She studied him. He was entirely serious.

“What?” he asked.

“I didn’t expect that from you.”

“Didn’t expect what? Compassion? Or that I would see you happy?”

“Well...both, I guess,” she admitted, causing him to frown.

“I am not heartless, Hellcat, despite what others would say of me.”

No, she was truly beginning to understand that he wasn’t. She thought of the serious young boy in the family portrait, of how he grew up to be hunted, to lose his parents, and then his brother, to grow so guarded that none could get in.

Maybe Xor’annan was alone in this world, as she sometimes felt. She thought about it long after the banquet ended and she had returned to her rooms.

***

She received two letters early the next morning. The first was from the Dowager, canceling their tea for the next afternoon as she had fallen ill. And the second was from Xor’annan. Her heart sped up and her fingers trembled a little as she pulled open the folded parchment.

Disappointment filled her. He was leaving.