A bunch of hares had to die just so you can visit the city with us,” Gaius said. “Don’t you feel special now, Sera?”

“Nothing more romantic than killing rabbits,” I replied, eying the soul beads the princes had in their palms.

I wasn’t sure if they contained the souls of hares, like Gaius said. Someone else also adept with the art usually supplied the souls for them, and it probably required plenty of concentration to determine what exactly the magic had come from. Rylan had mentioned that, before the lift of the ban on soul magic, they’d found their sources on the black market.

“We can’t go prancing about as princes,” Gaius explained.

“Or a bunch of girls would lose their knickers,” Kael said.

Micah snorted. “They do that whether you’re in disguise or not.”

Jealousy took hold of me. I didn’t like thinking of Kael with other girls.

“Illusio volantaris,” Gaius said, weaving his hands through the air and harnessing the bluish magic. He drew it over himself, and then Gaius wasn’t Gaius anymore. He still had the same bright eyes and dark hair, but his features had morphed. Still handsome, but completely different. His jaw was less edged, and the space between his brows widened. Instead of being electric blue, his eyes had turned a honeyed gold, which contrasted well with his tan skin.

The other princes did the same with their own beads, and morphed themselves into different versions of themselves. Their tattoos disappeared, leaving behind clean torsos.

“Most others wouldn’t be able to do this with so few souls,” Gaius said. “But we happen to be really attuned to the art for some reason.”

I still found it strange that they could use soul magic so easily because they were dragon-kind, but it was simply another mystery for us to solve.

Micah hadn’t carried me recently, so it was his turn. He picked me up, and we flew toward the city center. “She’s mine for now,” Micah said, nuzzling closer.

“Enjoy it while it lasts,” Kael replied.

The palace was inside the city. It’d take an hour to walk from the princes’ quarters to the city center, but much quicker by flying. I hadn’t been out of the palace in years. My gaze traveled to the bustling sights beneath, and as Micah lowered us, the sensations of spices, trade, and bustling crowds hit me. I’d forgotten just how hot the city could be, with so many bodies so close together. I’d gotten used to the warmth of Raynea, and I didn’t sweat much when in the palace. Now, however, I could feel my skin turning clammy underneath my clothes.

The architecture around here wasn’t as grand and expensive as the palace’s, but it still had a certain magnificence about it. Most of the buildings were made with red bricks, squeezed together so tightly that it felt like the walls themselves were struggling to breathe. Most buildings ran about five stories high, and there was dust everywhere, coming from the bustle of people moving around so much.

“So, what first?” I asked, slipping from Micah’s hold.

“You change out of these robes,” Kael said. “We can’t have you walking around in council attire.”

People were staring. What was new?

“Shopping?” I said, feeling a tingle of curiosity. I hadn’t done that before. Not for leisure, anyway. It had always been a chore, to procure basic necessities.

Gaius smiled. “Sounds like a plan.”

We went through a couple of stores, and I had to be extra careful to not bump into anybody. I should have brought a scarf to cover my face, even though that would have been uncomfortably warm. After browsing for about twenty minutes, I found a dress I really liked and took it into a changing room. It revealed my shoulders, and had a gaping slit down my back that traveled close to my buttocks. I was completely unused to it, but it reminded me of the dresses some of the wealthier ladies wore in the palace, and I wanted to try emulating them. I wouldn’t wear this out to the street, of course. I just wanted to have some fun.

I stepped out and did a little twirl. “What do you think?” I asked the princes. Spending time with them in their disguises was somewhat strange.

Kael said, “Perfect. She’s wearing that—”

“Absolutely not,” Micah said.

Gaius looked at me with a contemplative expression. “I can’t decide whether I’m aroused or angry that she’s wearing this in public.”

But Rylan just kept quiet. He was gazing off into the distance, not looking in my direction.

“Rylan?” I asked. “Your thoughts?”

“Hm?” Rylan looked at me briefly. “Oh, yeah. Beautiful.” And then he was gone, his mind returning to a faraway place. Gisiroth’s words came back to me. I felt like I was losing Rylan, and I hated that. The princes were all I had now. Once I got home, I needed to quickly work on that spell for the high summer plants.

Micah stepped up to me. “You’re changing.” He pushed me back into the fitting room.

Kael strode up to us. “But I like her like that!”

“Still deciding,” Gaius said, ogling me.

I nudged Micah away. “I’m not wearing this.” I drew the privacy curtain between us and slipped the dress off. I wasn’t comfortable in it. I didn’t doubt it accentuated my figure—which, thankfully, wasn’t that pudgy, despite how much I was eating—but I wanted to walk around without feeling like I was going to show off my bum at any moment. Plus, there was that thing about bumping into someone and causing a huge scene. I put on another outfit I’d picked, a long-sleeved dress with a collar that reached all the way up my neck, and walked back out.

“Much better,” Micah said.

Kael scowled. “Preferred the other one.”

Gaius rested in his fist on his mouth, as if he were trying to solve a challenging math equation. “Should we just buy it anyway so she can wear it in our quarters?”

“I’m not walking around in that back home,” I said. “It’s not comfortable enough, and probably too outlandish for something like a nightgown.”

Kael grumbled something I couldn’t hear.

They paid for the dress I was wearing, and Gaius added the revealing one at the last minute. I almost jolted from the shock of how expensive they were. Six silvers! I used to take an entire year to earn that much back in Aere Grove, and even now, it was three weeks of work. What kind of stores were the princes taking me to? I hesitated adding the silk shawl I was going to use to cover my face, but bought it in the end. Better to be cautious than frugal.

I tried to not let the price bother me too much as we went through the evening. I sampled so many desserts that my mouth was practically numb from the sweetness, although Micah devoured all of it without a second thought. I hadn’t even known those dessert stores existed. I thought that it was nearly impossible to get sweet things out of the palace, since dragon-kind usually preferred other tastes. We passed by a drerkyn doing a fire dance along the way. I was mesmerized by the fluid way he moved, and how the fires almost made pictures in the air.

A couple of pins decorated my hair—gifts from the princes—and we’d gotten some books from the bookstore. Kael insisted I tried reading some novels, even though I argued not to buy them. I was always too busy with reports to read for pleasure. He bought them anyway.

For once, it felt like I was living. Not just trying to get ahead of everyone, but enjoying the sights and pleasures Constanria had to offer.

But Rylan hadn’t said much since we left the palace. His silence was a reminder of how all this was temporary unless I started fighting my way up again.

“This is the bar,” Kael said, halting in front of a dingy entrance.

“This?” I asked. “I thought you guys would go to somewhere more…”

“Posh?” Gaius said. “Upper class? Stuck up? Nah. Bars aren’t fun unless they’re rowdy.”

Micah pushed open the entrance and let me in. A dim interior greeted me. There were both men and women huddled together in close proximity. Many were playing card games, and others just sat around and talked. A bard was sitting in a corner, playing his lute and singing a folk song.

“Master Kellen!” the bartender, a chocolate-skinned, middle-aged man, greeted Kael. He wore a plain leather vest that exposed his chest and belly. “Master Gage, Renar, and Mirahl? You four know each other?” The bartender finished wiping his cup, set it down, and meandered through the crowd toward us. “And who’s this?”

“They’re my brothers, and this is Sera,” Kael said, not bothering to give me an alias. I probably wasn’t important enough to raise any alarms.

“Aren’t you warm, lass?” the bartender asked. “It’s killing me in here, and I’m wearing this.” He gestured at his torso.

“I’m used to it,” I said, smiling, although he probably couldn’t see the smile through my scarf.

“The usual?” he asked Kael.

“Yep,” Kael replied. “Same seat as always.”

The bartender led us to a corner that had a good view of everything. I slid into the seat after Kael and Gaius. Rylan and Micah followed. Rylan still seemed out of it, and I was afraid about what he was going to tell me tomorrow. I redirected my attention to the bar and its happenings.

The bartender grinned. “We have a new concoction. A Lass’s Kiss, we call it. It’ll give you a good burn.”

“Are you sure?” Kael asked. “Last time I was here, that’s what you promised, and it felt like drinking water.”

“That’s because you’re a draerin, Master Kellen… and one who apparently doesn’t have a sense of taste.”

Kael sniffed. “We’ll have one each.”

I raised a hand. “Not me. I’ll take water.”

“Water?” Micah said. “You’re coming all the way here to drink water?”

“Fine. The lightest liquor you have, then.” I wasn’t even certain if I could stand that.

The bartender nodded. “Understood.” He strode away.

“Why not something stronger?” Gaius asked.

“I’ve never tried alcohol before.”

“What?” Kael said. “That’s ridiculous. You’re nineteen. Most people try it at ten.”

I pressed my lips tight. “They don’t serve alcohol in the council. It makes some of us too tipsy to work.” The hidraes and draerin didn’t have to worry about it because they had to drink copious amounts of it to get drunk.

“Not everything has to be about work,” Micah added. “Learn to relax. Enjoy life.”

“You guys are teaching me that.” I smiled. “I’m just afraid to be left behind sometimes.”

“Life isn’t a race.”

But it felt like a ladder.

Kael stretched, then leaned back. “Even Rylan here has his downtime every so often, but I say he’s almost as strung out as you are. Aren’t you, Rylan?”

The corners of Rylan’s lips curved up, but his smile didn’t reach his eyes. “You’re probably right.”

“Four cups of Lass’s Kiss, and one of Morning Dew,” the bartender said, setting the mugs down in front of us. “Would you like me to call Mariah and Santia over, Master Kellen?” His gaze darted to me. “Or is it inappropriate because you’ve brought your sister along?”

Who in Aereala’s name were they? That was when I spotted two women at the opposite end of the bar. Their dresses were so low cut they might as well just let their ample breasts spill out. They had tied their hair up in an elaborate fashion and stuck far too many tacky accessories into it. They were waving at Kael and giggling at each other in a way that made my stomach turn. I draped an arm around Kael and pulled him close. I didn’t want to share, because I was possessive like that.

“I’m not his sister,” I told the bartender.

“Oh, uh. I thought… well, since they were brothers…”

I wanted to tell him that they were all mine, but that might strike him as odd. “Well, I’m not related to them, and Kellen’s with me.”

“Oh, then… Really sorry, Master Kellen.”

Kael shot him an annoyed look and waved him away. And then Kael chuckled, nuzzling into me. “I like it when you get jealous.”

I grabbed his hair and dragged his lips onto mine. I kissed him as hard as I could before pulling back, then shot a satisfied grin at the two whores. They looked at me with flabbergasted expressions, which sent a spike of contentment through me.

“I really like it,” Kael said, wrapping his arm around my waist.

Gaius took a gulp of his drink. “Gah, it burns.”

Kael did the same. “Really? I can’t taste anything.”

“Burns in a good way,” Micah said, setting down his mug.

Rylan sipped his and didn’t comment.

I picked up mine and brought it to my lips.

“Go on,” Kael said. “This will be interesting.”

I took my very first sip of alcohol, then flinched. Morning Dew had a sweetness to it, but mostly an acrid taste. I stuck out my tongue. “This tastes absolutely terrible.”

Three of them burst into laughter, and even Rylan cracked a smile.

“One of our many firsts with Sera,” Micah said. “What else haven’t you done before?”

I scratched the back of my neck. “Lots of things. Watched a play? Do one of those stay-overs I’ve been seeing noble ladies do. I always wondered how long it took to get their nails painted like that.”

Gaius squinted. “Not sure if we could do that with you. I mean, I could try painting your nails. But I’d rather not, and I think I’d make a huge mess out of it.”

“Yes,” I agreed. “Let’s not do that anytime soon.”

The customers in the bar started slamming their mugs on their tables.

“What’s happening?” I asked. It sounded ominous.

Kael downed his drink and waved for another. “Oh, it’s starting.”

Then the knocking didn’t sound ominous anymore, and it morphed into a rhythm that reminded me of drums. I could bob my head to the tune. The bard stood up, and started with a loud “Ooohh!”

And everyone in the bar began singing an upbeat tune:

Let us drink to our youths

And our days’ abandon

With not a care in the world

Let our thirsts be the proof

Of our hearts’ desires

Splayed out on the bar and unfurled

We drink to our sorrows

We drink to our joy

Our worries thrown to the morrow

Forget our regrets

Our pain and our debts

In this tavern

No room for laments

The whores who were waving at Kael earlier stood up, grabbing a few lads as they did, and kicked their feet into a dance. Suddenly the whole bar was on its feet and dancing. The bartender took out a tambourine, accompanying the tune.

Kael leapt over the table and joined the fun. He did a twirl and even took a jolly, pudgy-looking boy who looked like Frederick as a momentary dance partner, before soloing the rest of his dancing. My eyes widened at how well he could move. He was just as fluid in his movements as he was when walking, reminding me of the wind.

He pointed at me. “Sera, come on!”

Gaius and Micah slipped from their seats. Gaius tried to move to the rhythm but ended up tripping and catching himself, while Micah just leaned on the table and crossed his arms, tapping his feet to the tune.

“Rylan?” I asked the crown prince.

“Go ahead without me,” he replied.

“You’ve been sulking all day.” I took his hand in mine and dragged him to his feet, before tugging him to the middle of the crowded dance floor. I adjusted my scarf over my face, making sure there was no chance of me touching anyone else.

“You’ve done this before?” I asked him.

“Yeah.”

“You’ll have to lead me, then, because I’ve never.”

“Just try and move to the rhythm.” He took both my hands in his and lifted it them to chest level. “Your feet should follow it naturally.”

I tried to move to the beat. “Like that?”

“You’re horrid.” His walls were breaking down, and joy began to seep back into him.

“Don’t make fun of the beginner.” I attempted to mimic a spin I saw one of the other women doing, but ended up missing a step and falling. Rylan caught me before my face hit the ground.

His eyes met mine. Hints of sadness lingered there. I didn’t want to look at it, so I pressed my lips into his.

“Sneaking in more time with Sera, I see?” Kael said, pulling Rylan away. “I’m the better dancer.”

“You’re amazing at it,” I told Kael.

He took me from Rylan and led me through the music. It was almost like I didn’t have to do anything, because Kael had control of the activity and showed me exactly where to put my feet.

I haven’t had such a blast in forever.

Gaius and Micah took turns. With them, I was back to feeling like an awkward duck with my terrible dancing moves. Gaius and I were trying too hard not to fall together, and Micah didn’t have any rhythm, like me. I didn’t care that we were horrendous at it. It was still the most fun I’d had in my nineteen years.

I was thoroughly exhausted after the night was over. We stepped out of the bar after the music ended and we’d had some time to settle down. The brothers had called for more drinks, and the table was piled with rows of empty mugs by the time we were done. I was contented sipping on my single mug of Morning Dew through the night.

My fingers were interlocked with Gaius’s and Rylan’s as we stepped out.

“So who’s giving Sera a lift back?” Gaius asked.

“Rylan,” I said in a heartbeat.

Kael shot a look at me. “What? But Rylan’s had his turn. Too many turns.”

“It’s not that… It’s just… Rylan’s been out of it. Haven’t you?” I asked Rylan.

“Sorry,” he replied. He rubbed a thumb over my temple and kissed it. “I’m still caught in my thoughts.”

“We’ll be okay,” I said, not believing myself.

We paced down the street for a while longer. I didn’t want to go back so soon because the night was so much fun.

“Hey, isn’t that…” Micah squinted.

We followed his gaze, seeing a gray-haired woman carrying a toddler in her arm. She was holding another child at her side. She was tall—at least a head above me—and had a svelte figure despite her age.

She ambled toward us.

“Josephine,” Gaius said.

“She’s old,” I said, not quite thinking through my words. My possessiveness had taken over again, and my grip on Gaius tightened. I didn’t want him to look at her. Just me.

Rylan nodded. “A darmar ages more quickly than most dragon-kind.”

She stopped beside us, noticing all of us studying her. Time had weathered her figure. She was still gorgeous, but the raven hair Micah had described was gone, and wrinkles were etched into her face. “Uh, excuse me, gentlemen.” She shuffled aside and quickly scampered off. It occurred to me she wouldn’t recognize the princes because they were all in disguises.

“You’re not going to talk to her?” I asked Gaius.

He shook his head. “She’s my past. I don’t see any need to reopen those wounds.”

“But you loved her.”

“I did. I loved her. But I’ve set her aside.”

“And me?” I wanted to cover my lips, hating how needy that sounded.

“You’re all I think about these days.”

My chest constricted. I couldn’t hold back my grin.

Rylan took me into his arms and lifted into the air. The other princes followed him. When they were high enough in the skies, their illusions shimmered, and they were back into looking as how they should.

I was so tired and comfortable that I might have nodded off in Rylan’s arms.

But then he spoke, waking me. “We haven’t seen Josephine in years. I didn’t expect her to be that… aged.”

Kael added, “She’s a darmar. What else could we have expected? She lives on a different timeline. When she was with us, we never thought she’d follow us to the end of our life span. Then again, I don’t think any of us cared about that, except for Gaius.”

“And Sera?” Micah said. “Will she age as Josephine did? Perhaps faster.”

Gaius looked at me. “I don’t know. I guess we never considered it.”

I hadn’t either. What if… because of my being human, I’d grow old and gray, while the princes remained just as gorgeous as they’d always been? “I can use soul magic,” I said. “If I use it enough, it’s said to extend the life span of witches.”

“Let’s hope so,” Kael said, looking solemn. “You’ll have to use it a lot. And even then, maybe it’ll give you an extra fifty years, unless you dabble in the dark art, which I doubt anyone would want to.”

I pursed my lips. “An extra fifty sounds nice.”

“It’s not enough,” Gaius said.

Nothing ever was for me.

I clutched myself closer to Rylan, and we flew back to the palace in silence.