He wrestled back his climbing panic at her hesitation, staring her down as he waited for her answer. No matter what Yenni said, nothing could change that she’d let him hold her and kiss her. Nothing could erase from his mind the rich, intoxicating scent of her desire. She wanted him, he knew she did. De woman is a confusion, his grandfather would have said. On the one hand, she was a rebel who very much disliked being told what to do. On the other she was fiercely loyal to the idea of this marriage, if not the man she was intended to marry. What would it take to get her to shift that loyalty to him? Was the decree of the almighty not motivation enough? What could this other man provide her that he, a dragon, could not?

Yenni glanced away. “No,” she admitted, answering his question.

Triumph bloomed in Weysh’s chest, but instead of lunging across the table to embrace her as he wanted to do, he simply nodded. “And you never will. No man will match you as well as I will. We are Given.”

“Carmenna will no longer tutor me because of you,” she said angrily.

“En? Byen, I’m sorry about that, lovely. Truly. But I’m always available to help you. And I’m sure Harth and Zui will pitch in as well. And what of your friend Diedre? And you can always get another tutor.”

But her face was long with sorrow, and she stared at her palm.

“Why are you always looking at your hand?” Weysh asked her. “You do it all the time, even before you were injured.”

Suddenly she thrust both her palms in his face. “This is my mother,” she said, waving her right palm. “And this is my father.” She waved her left palm.

“En?” What was she talking about?

“Do you see these runes?” she asked him. Indeed, two white runes twisted along her palms. The one on her right hand was solid, the one on the left quite faint, split by an ugly red welt. “These runes represent the lives of my parents. The one on the right is my mother’s, the one on the left my father’s.” She stared at her left palm again. “Every day my father’s rune fades a bit more,” she said softly.

Ah, poor thing. “I’m sorry, my heart. What can I do? Should I fly you to see him? I can make arrangements to leave as soon as possible—”

“Stop!” Yenni said, and it came out strangled, pained even. “Stop being kind. You cannot help me. My father’s death will affect not only my family and me, but the entire Yirba tribe, as he is our chieftain. And my marriage will affect not only me, but the entire Yirba tribe, as I am their princess.”

Weysh sat back, positively blown away. He looked Yenni up and down and slowly pointed at her.