NOMI

NOMI PACED THE tiny room. Two low bunks lined the narrow walls, with one small round window letting in the moonlight. It already felt like a cell.

The boat’s movement twisted her stomach. She stared out at the silver horizon. For a moment, she thought she might be sick.

The door opened. Nomi whirled. A lantern threw light across the guard’s stony face. And beside him…

Asa.

Nomi’s breath caught in her throat.

“Thank you, Marcos,” Asa said, dismissing the guard. He closed the door and hung the lantern on a hook on the wall. Then he turned to Nomi. The space was small, and her voluminous dress took up most of it.

She was so relieved to see him she almost threw herself into his arms.

“Your brother saw the edge of the letter,” she said, a little breathlessly. “I told him it was part of the dress, but when the guard brought me here, I thought it was so Malachi could punish me.”

Asa closed the distance between them, his whip-thin body coiled tight with suppressed energy. “You have to be more careful, Nomi. I don’t like you risking so much. If anything happened to you…”

He was so close. Close enough that he could put his hands around her waist without needing to step closer. She felt the weight of his gaze as surely as she did that imagined embrace. Her own fingers ached to slide up the muscles of his arms, to feel his skin against her own.

The desire frightened her.

“I was stupid, I know.” Her cheeks flushed as she stared into his shadowed eyes. “But it’s worth the risk. I can’t—I can’t be Malachi’s Grace, Asa. I can’t live with my life in the Superior’s hands. And Serina… This will work, and we will all be free. I will be smarter next time, I promise.”

His hands touched her waist, just as she’d imagined. “I’ve never met anyone as passionate as you in all my life.”

Before she could stop herself, her hands were running up across his shoulders. He tightened his grip and then they were kissing, pressed up against the door. Golden sparks flashed across Nomi’s closed eyelids. She slipped her fingers into his thick hair as his mouth opened over hers, deepening the kiss. The boat rocked gently under them, urging them even closer.

If Serina were here, she would be horrified by Nomi’s behavior. But Nomi didn’t stop. She reveled in the spiced heat of Asa’s mouth, the soft-rough slide of his skin against hers, the feelings unfurling deep within her, washing the dark room in red.

With a little gasp, she drew back. A crimson light really was filtering through the dark. Through the window, she saw the vestiges of fireworks die. Another burst of gold and red exploded into the night sky.

“Look,” she said, awed. She’d heard of fireworks, but she’d never seen them before.

Asa wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, and together they watched the show. Nomi gasped at a huge, glittering blast of green and purple, and sighed at the feathery white tails it left as it faded.

Asa kissed the sensitive skin at the back of her neck. The last firework trailed golden threads to the sea. Gradually the smoke cleared, revealing the stars once more.

“They’ll come looking for us soon,” he murmured.

Nomi leaned her head back against his shoulder. She didn’t want to go anywhere. But if they were caught, Serina would never be freed.

She reached into her bodice for the letter. When she tried to hand it to him, he shook his head regretfully. “I’m sorry. I know I said I could deliver it to Trevi tomorrow, but I won’t be able to go into town as I’d planned. Father has scheduled weapons training for me, of all things. My swordplay is as bad as my dancing.”

“What do we do?” Nomi asked in dismay.

He ran a hand down her arm. “I should be able to leave the palace in three days. But I am at the mercy of my father, just like you. He could change his mind about my activities at the slightest provocation.”

Nomi tried to quell the panic rising in her chest. That’s not enough time.

“The Heir is taking us to the city tomorrow, to a perfumery. Where is your contact? Could I deliver the letter?”

He was shaking his head before she finished her question. “It’s too dangerous. If someone were to see you—”

“You’re not saying it’s impossible,” she said, cutting him off.

Asa ran a hand through his hair. “Trevi is in the market in the grand piazza. You’d likely take a carriage from there. So, you might see him, but—”

“I can make it work. Somehow, I will.” Nomi refused to think about the risks. It was her fault Serina was in Mount Ruin. If Nomi got caught trying to save her, then at least she’d be paying for her own crime this time.

“Nomi, I don’t know. If we just wait—”

“We can’t,” she said. “It takes six days to reach Lanos, and six days back. The masquerade is in fourteen days.” She touched his face, tentative fingers on the stubbled skin of his cheek. “There’s already so little room for error.”

He sighed and pressed his face into her hand. “You must promise to be careful. If you can’t find my man, or there’s no chance to break from the group, you must abandon your effort. Promise me, Nomi. If you can’t do it, we’ll find another way.”

She kissed him lightly in answer.

His arms tightened around her as he said, “Trevi is a small man, older than my father. He wears a blue waistcoat with brass buttons. He works a stall of knives in the piazza. You’ll have to find an excuse to wander off a little distance. He won’t get close to the carriages. But he won’t balk at you giving him a note if you tell him it’s from me.”

Nomi nodded.

A sudden burst of laughter outside the door startled them both.

“You have to go,” Asa said, nudging her toward the door. “I’ll follow in a few minutes. If Malachi or anyone asks, tell them you were feeling seasick.” He checked to make sure the note was fully hidden in her bodice. “The man who brought you here, Marcos, is loyal to me. If you need to get me a message, you can trust him to deliver it. He has shifts in the Graces’ chambers. But don’t trust anyone else. Not even your handmaiden. Do you understand?”

Nomi nodded, flustered. Suddenly, everything seemed to be happening very quickly.

“You will see your sister again, Nomi,” Asa murmured. “I promise. Now go.” With a quick kiss on her temple, he pushed her out the door.