MasukSeraMina froze. I frowned. She sighed. "Jace."I stared at her, my mind grasping for purchase. "What do you mean, Jace?"Mina swallowed. "I can still reach him on that thing sometimes. Even out there. It's weak and it comes and goes, but it works enough.""How long have you had it?""He gave it to me," she blurted, the words out before she could stop them. "Years ago. We were kids."My brow knit. "When you were little?" I said slowly. "I thought you two met at the border market a year ago.""We did." She was already talking over herself, hands moving. "We did meet there, Sera, that part is true, I'm not lying about that, it was the market, it was the same market, I just meant that before that we, it isn't..."She ran out.I held her gaze. "But as a kid?"Mina opened her mouth. Closed it again. Her shoulders came down."Please don't tell my brother," she whispered. "I beg you."I stared at her. Jace had known Mina when she was a small child. And he had stood in front of Fenris and me
SeraI made my way to the kitchen, phone in hand, thinking through how to get rice without drawing attention to what I was actually doing.Upon entering the warm, bustling space, I scanned the area. A stout woman was working at a counter, chopping vegetables, while a lanky young man stirred a large pot over the stove. I approached the woman."Greetings, Luna," she said, setting down her knife. "What brings you to the kitchen?""I'm hosting a luncheon for Lord Vane and his family," I improvised. "I need a bowl of raw rice. Do you have enough?""Of course, my lady." She wiped her hands and fetched a bowl and a sack of rice from the pantry. Spooning some into the bowl, she asked, "Anything else I can assist you with?"I gave her a warm smile. "No, that's all. Thank you."She bowed her head. "Enjoy your luncheon, Luna."I took the bowl and headed back out, careful to keep my movements natural and unfettered. Once I was alone in the corridor, I slipped the phone down into the rice, burying
Sera"She's standing, can't you see that??"And then Mina's eyes went wide, staring at Amara. "Oh fuck," she breathed.For a second, it was like she had forgotten all about the phone she was still clutching. But then her face shifted, like she had remembered she was supposed to be panicking about something else. She hissed, turned away from me again, slapping the device in the air and shaking it like a terrier killing a rat.As I watched Mina slap the phone against her palm, water droplets flying, I felt my teeth clench. "It has to work," she muttered under her breath, like saying it enough times would make it true. 'This is what happens when you ignore the real emergency,' I almost said, and bit the words back before they could slip out.I watched her fumble with it, all thumbs, like it was some foreign creature she didn't trust. It never would have looked that awkward in my own hands. Phones like this had been ordinary things where I grew up, in the South, something you carried wi
Sera"I'm coming in."I pushed the door open, already talking mid-sentence: "Mina, I swear you wouldn't believe what just happened..."The living space was empty...But I heard splashing water from the bath area. I looked towards it. Still holding Amara, we walked towards it."Hey Mina, I—""Ah, what the fuck!" Mina yelped, startled; something she had tucked near her ear fell into the churning water. She froze, eyes wide with panic, staring at me like she'd just seen a ghost.The words died in my throat as I caught sight of Mina in the stone bath tub.I stood there, staring, trying to reconcile what I was seeing. Mina looked away, her hands plunging into the tub's depths, fingers splayed open. She searched frantically, still cursing under her breath, at me, at herself.Her eyes went wide. She'd found it. She pulled out a small black object, dripping wet. Her expression was filled with worry as she held it gingerly in front of her face. "No no no... please no..."Still begging, she sto
SeraI guided Amara out of my chambers and through the halls toward Mina's, her legs still unsteady under her, my hands ready to catch her if needed. "Good job, keep going," I murmured, her neck flushing pink at the praise. She squeezed my hand in response, her eyes never leaving mine.We passed guards and a few others in the halls. They greeted me with real respect, dipping their heads in deference. Their eyes went to Amara, curious, trying not to make it obvious, but I could tell anyway: I noticed the slight double takes, the furtive glances, the suppressed questions about why I was walking the castle with a young woman in my own shift. I didn't much care what they thought.I was more focused on Amara than on any of them, playing with her, encouraging her steps, delighted by her still."Hey, look at this floor," I said, tugging her hand and leading her in a little jig."Watch how shiny it is. What do you think they use to polish it?" Her free hand reached out, almost bending down to
Sera"Fuck, you're standing!"She stared back at me, a hint of confusion in her unfathomable eyes. I took a slow step closer, not wanting to startle her. Amara stood there, watching me, waiting.Water dripped from my skin onto the stone floor. I could feel the heat of the cavern seeping into my bare soles, warming my feet. Amara's gaze followed a droplet of water as it rolled down my shoulder blade to my breast. I stopped. She looked up at my face again, her head tilted slightly, but she didn't move.I shook my head in disbelief, then broke into a genuine smile. "You need to come here," I told her, my voice soft and warm. "I want you to walk to me. Can you do that?"Her brow furrowed in confusion. I could see the gears turning behind her eyes as she tried to understand. Her attention flickered between my outstretched palm and my face. When she still didn't move, I stretched my arms out to her in invitation.Amara looked at my hands for a long moment before finally taking a tentative s
SeraNight fell fast, and with it, the temperature plummeted. We had three fires going, but the heat didn't seem to travel more than six inches past the flames. I sat on a log by the middle fire, pulling the wagon fur around my shoulders, shivering so hard my teeth were literally clicking together.
LyraShe ignored me. She dropped to her knees, her hands sliding down to the waistband of my trousers. She shoved her fingers inside the fabric, gripping my hips tight. With one sharp pull, she dragged the pants and my underwear down to my ankles. I stepped out of them, kicking my boots off in the
Lyra"Tell the girl to step into the room," he said."Leave her out of this," I said. My voice came out as a pathetic, raspy whisper. I cleared my throat, trying to find some spine. "She didn't do anything. It was my idea to come in here.""Tell her to step into the room," he said, his eyes going d
LyraThe voice didn't belong to Nadia. It didn't belong to me. It came from the metallic object resting directly behind my hip.Nadia froze. She pulled her mouth away from me and yanked her fingers out of my body. She stood up quickly, wiping her wet mouth with the back of her hand, her chest heavi







