His eyes darted back to the nasty wound on her shoulder. She’d need to heal it soon, not just because it fucking hurt, but because it’d also hurt him to do it.

“Jaren,” she said, chewing on her lip. She remembered the glint of the buckle on the stranger’s sheath, the family name she’d seen engraved along the edge. “I don’t think they’re just dreams.”

He sat back, brows drawing low as he focused on her. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, I think they’re visions of things that are real. Or, were real a long time ago,” she said, aware that what she was about to say was completely crazy. But she couldn’t fight off the feeling that she was right.

“I think I just saw Queen Alean steal the crystal.”

Chapter 21

VERA

Finished healing, she shot up, energized, and rolled to the edge of the bed, slapping her hand on the side table in search of a pair of clothes. The past few nights, she’d been leaving a set there to throw on before getting up since Jaren had a habit of ripping them off if she even dared climb in wearing anything.

Her hand hit nothing but solid wood, and she groaned, forgetting they’d all been taken away to be laundered. The only tunic and leggings left in the room were the ones she’d worn the day before, and she’d rather strut naked through the palace then put those back on.

Gods damn Reniya had her sweating like a pig each day.

“Do you have any clean tunics?” she asked, looking over the shoulder that was still covered in residual blood to the frozen male staring at her like she’d lost her mind.

“Not besides the one I’d be putting on my own body, no. Why?”

She threw her head back and groaned again, louder this time and significantly whinier. She was in too much of a hurry to try to convince Jaren to go buy her more—since she wasn’t allowed to wander Naris yet—so she’d just have to settle for something else for now.

Rolling her head down, she glared at the closet on the other side of the room. The one King Vesstan had made sure was filled wall-to-wall with dresses of every color and numerous formal gowns.

She tried not to let it bother her, since he was just trying to be thoughtful, but the idea of him having someone estimate her size and choose what she was, and wasn’t, allowed to wear, rubbed her wrong. It reminded her far too much of Emperor Sulian demanding she dress up for their dinner.

She hadn’t hated that dress; she’d actually felt more beautiful in the shimmery lilac gown than she’d ever felt, especially with how Eithan hadn’t been able to keep his eyes off her. She just hadn’t appreciated being forced to wear it just because Emperor Sulian wanted something nice to look at.

Part of her wondered if the servants would even bring her tunics back, or if they’d all somehow magically disappear while being washed.