In the city of Corregal, sword fighting is a way of life - unless you're a girl. While young men compete for prestigious positions within the ruling Houses, young women have to rely on others to protect them from the dangers lurking in the streets...
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Standing in the foyer of Averre House, Romeric Esard listened to the argument going on upstairs and could not suppress a smile. The angry words did not drift down the two flights of stairs so much as ricochet, reverberating off the marbled floors and paneled walls, off the life-size statues of bronze and copper, and mirrors hung strategically to cast light throughout the vast, imposing entry hall. It was a house designed to amplify the status of the family who lived there. Right now, it only amplified their discord.
Cael's words were the only ones he could make out distinctly, his anger sharpening his words to a sword's point. "He's lewd and treacherous!" "He tried to murder me! Twice!" "He's nothing but a lecherous Jurati--the only thing he's interested in is what's under her skirts!"
He was talking about Romeric. By rights, he had cause to challenge for such insults, though the rules were somewhat squishy for situations like this, when the words were spoken in presumed privacy. And anyway, Romeric was more amused than offended. He'd known what he might expect when he'd set out this morning to keep his appointment with Calette. To be honest, he had been looking forward to it.
Calette, though quieter than her brother, was intractable in the face of his ire. He couldn't hear what she said, but he imagined her, stubborn and willful, defending his honor, insisting that he be allowed to stay despite Cael's objections. He imagined her gray eyes flashing, her delicate chin tilted up in defiance, lips pursed and firm. Ahh... He hoped he would have a chance to kiss those lips soon. He imagined that, too. Her mouth softening against his. The sweet taste of her breath as her lips parted. The heat of her body, pressing into his...
A door slammed upstairs, jolting him out of his reverie. There were footsteps on the stairs, hard-heeled boots slamming angrily against the marble, and he knew it must be Cael. He straightened his shoulders and pretended interest in the large portrait hanging in the foyer, a look of mild interest plastered on his face. Cael stopped on the first landing, and Romeric counted in his head to five before turning to meet the expected scowl with a bland smile.
"Is this your sister's work?" he asked, gesturing at the portrait. It showed a middle-aged man, hair going gray at the temples, in a suit of clothes that was surely two decades out of date.
Cael snorted. "Not hardly." His eyes never left Romeric, as if he could sear him with his gaze alone. With obvious effort, he forced himself to say, "You can come up." His lip curled with annoyance. "Calette always gets what she wants."
"Pretty girls usually do!" Romeric smiled brightly, genuine this time. He headed for the stairs with a spring in his step, excited that his reunion with Calette was imminent. He took the steps two at a time, but Cael blocked his path at the landing.
"I'm warning you, Jurati cur," he growled in a low voice. "If you touch her, I'll kill you."
Romeric managed not to laugh in his face, but he couldn't help grinning. The thought of Cael laying a hand on him was ridiculous, as was the idea that he had any say over who his sister could or could not be intimate with.
