The sharp concern in Lucivar’s voice made her focus her attention. “Hurt? No, I don’t think—”

“There’s blood on your face and neck.”

“Oh.” Her gorge rose. “I must have gotten splashed when…” Keeping her mouth shut seemed like a very good idea right now.

Lucivar looked over his shoulder. “Falonar?”

“Prince Yaslana,” Falonar replied quietly.

“Your sole duty this afternoon is to take care of Lady Surreal.”

“It will be my pleasure.”

“Lady Vania needs a Healer,” one of the escorts said frantically.

“Well, shit,” Surreal said, suddenly feeling a bit drunk, “they really are alive. They can talk and they can move. The way they were sitting on their thumbs a few minutes ago, I’d doubted it. I really had.”

“Shut up, bitch,” an escort yelled.

Lucivar, Chaosti, and Falonar snarled at the man.

“I suggest you ask Lord Beale to send for the Healer in Halaway,” Lucivar said coldly.

“Surely the Hall keeps a Healer,” Alexandra said, sounding outraged.

“There’s Lady Gabrielle and Lady Karla,” Lucivar replied. “If I were you, I wouldn’t ask either of them right now.”

“You could always ask Jaenelle,” Surreal said with a venomous smile.

Frightened silence met that statement.

With Vania supported by two of the escorts, Alexandra and her entourage quickly left the room. Lucivar and Chaosti gave Falonar a hard look before leaving.

Falonar approached Surreal cautiously. “This must have been…distressing…for you.” He looked like he was about to bite down on a toad. “Do you need smelling salts or something?”

Surreal narrowed her eyes. “Sugar, I’m an assassin. I’ve done worse than this at a dinner table.”

“I wasn’t talking about…” He looked at the blood-splashed table.

“Oh.” At least he was smart enough to realize it wasn’t Aaron who had scared her.

He paused, then added, “I meant no insult.”

“None taken,” she replied. It was her turn to pause. “On any other day, I’d be willing to find out what the rules are for inviting a man to have a sweaty afternoon of sex, just to get my mind off this for a few hours. But I don’t think sex of any kind would be a good idea today.”

Surprise and interest flickered in Falonar’s eyes, and his voice held regret. “No, I don’t think it would be a good idea…today.”

“So why don’t we go through another practice round with the sticks? I’d like to get out of this building for a while.”

Falonar nodded thoughtfully. “You can handle a knife?”

Surreal smiled. “I can handle a knife.” She glanced at his groin. “I can also handle spears quite well.”

He actually blushed a little. “A bow?”

Still smiling, she shook her head.

“A new skill requires concentration.”

“So do some old skills…if you want to do them right.”

His blush deepened while his interest sharpened.