Chapter 43

Alone in her bath, Maevyth notices raised bumps and a silver-glowing symbol on her back, unlike her other hand glyphs, signaling new, painless changes. Dressing in a bold black velvet gown, she tests her freedom, finds the halls unguarded, and chooses the kitchen over escape, offering to help Magdah prepare supper.

Wishing to feed Branimir, Maevyth carries meat to the dungeons, where she collides with Zevander. He bristles at her unsupervised visit, crowding her against a wall to demand what she felt during training. Embarrassed but honest, Maevyth admits arousal. Zevander orders her back to her room and warns he’ll lock her in if she returns alone.

Later, Zevander escorts her for one sanctioned song. Maevyth performs a darkly comic tune, drawing a smile from Branimir before he withdraws. On the walk back, she teases out Zevander’s other “talents,” and they exchange blunt truths: he sometimes enjoys killing and could kill her; she once crafted poisons, blurring innocence and danger. He likens everything—including her—to poison by dose, flirting through the metaphor.

At her door, they trade fears: Maevyth dreads being alone; Zevander fears the unknown and the whims of fate that defy his need for precision. Their attraction peaks in a near-kiss as he strokes her throat, then he pulls back, claiming he breaks what provokes his impulses, and leaves, cementing both boundaries and escalating tension.