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I FELT A BIT guilty leaving Nikolai behind. But as my right hand trailed on top of the banister of the curving staircase, I glanced at my ring. Then I wondered why I haven't taken it off yet. And I wondered what it meant now.
The banister ended and I looked back to my surroundings in the sunken garden. It didn't take me long to find Mal. He was leaning against the trunk of a large oak, scanning the manicured grounds.
I settled beside him against the trunk. "You should have joined us at dinner."
Mal snorted. "No thank you. From what I could see, you looked positively miserable, and Nikolai didn't look much happier. Besides," he added with a glance at my kefta, "whatever would I have worn?"
"Do you hate it?"
"It's lovely. A perfect addition to your trousseau." Before I could even say anything, he snagged hold of my hand. "I didn't mean that," he said. "You look beautiful. I've been wanting to say so since I first saw you tonight."
I gently pulled my hand away and Mal noticed my reservation.
"Thank you," I said. "Though using my power also helped."
Mal frowned. "You were even beautiful with soot on your face. When you were on the battlegrounds and in the infantry."
I knew Mal was referring to our time as soldiers in the First Army. I remembered how I met him. He was into sparring, like most of the other men. Won every match. Then, when I entered, I won against him. I was quicker and more lethal. Not to mention my superior training in the Little and Grand Palace.
