Page 78 of To Dance with Death

“You are angry,” I call out after him. “Is it because I kissed you?”

He has no right, not after begging me to come to his bed. And I had been delirious.

“Has this happened before?” He gazes at me. “A fever? Headaches? Anything of the sort?”

I open my mouth but pause. If I tell him the truth, he will make me leave. But why hasn’t it happened to him? Has Moranya granted him some kind of shield or power, as she made him the ruler of this place? Or is it simply that my body was already ill and weak?

“It’s normal,” I lie. “Nothing to worry about. I am sorry for causing concern.”

“You nearly fell off the palace wall.”

Is that the reason for his mood, then? That I didn’t tell him how I felt?

“It won’t happen again,” I say. “Neither will the…the rest of it.” The kissing. Heat blazes across my cheeks and neck.

His lips press together before saying, “I know.”

I run a palm down my sleeve, only to realize I’m in a silken nightgown, the lace-lined bodice cutting open along the dip of my chest. “You changed me.”

“Should I have left you in sodden clothes?” At my withering glance, he says, “Relax. I didn’t look.”

I lift a brow. “You didn’t?”

“Much.”

Finally, his composure breaks, if only a little.

At least I’d taken the pendant off beforehand. Still, I fold my arms, heat flushing the back of my neck. I feel as if he can see through my clothes—past my ribs, even, to my longing, palpitating heart.

His gaze follows the bob of my throat. Then he slips a hand through his tousled hair, and I notice he’s fully dressed—a fine green tunic beneath a similar sleeveless garment embroidered with silver thread. A buckle sits low at his hips, and his usual emerald earrings glint aqua from the light outside.

“You should know I slept on the divan,” he says. “Anyway, you should still go gently for the day; it may take time for the grogginess to subside. It goes without saying that I don’t expect you to dance for me, either. I will honor our terms regardless; you may stay without worry.” He rubs the back of his neck. “I’ve noticed your condition, you know. I assume that whatever ails you is heightened by the atmosphere of this place.”

Always so observant. I open my mouth to argue, but he says, “By the Fates, Vasalie, ask for what you need. I would never have expected you to dance if I had known. Consider that part of the bargain fulfilled. You need not perform for me again.”

“But I—”

“You should go back to bed,” he says, striding back inside, and I follow. I can’t rest, not when there arefour daysleft…

“I must attend the appeals this morning, but I will be back by the afternoon.” He retrieves a key from a necklace hanging around his neck, uses it to unlock the drawer in his nightstand, then snags something and tucks it quickly into his robes.

I eye the drawer as he bids me farewell.

The moment he leaves, I rush to the nightstand despite the stars blinking in my vision. Again I attempt to pick the lock. I spend half an hour on it, all to no avail, then peer through the keyhole. It’s too small, the drawer too dark for me to make anything out.

What didn’t he want me to see?

Before I can think too long on it, a heavy fog settles over me, my exhaustion mounting once more. I resolve to rest, if only for a little. Just until my mind clears.

An hour or two at most, I promise myself.

Only, I end up sleeping most of the day, waking after the sky has dimmed into evening. Panic suffuses me, but the effects of the duskrose still linger if the haze wrapping my vision is any indication. And yet it feels like the fever returned at some point, my forehead damp with sweat. Without my consent, my mind fades in and out. I only briefly register the figure that comes and goes. Every so often, a hand brushes my forehead and cheek, and later, when I squint my eyes open, I see Anton on the chaise nearby, a book in hand. But my eyes loll back, my exhaustion mounting once more.

It isn’t until the next morning that I feel somewhat recovered, and all the worry comes rushing back.

Another day. I’ve lost yetanotherday.

“Your breakfast is on the tray next to you.”