Contents
Chapter 46
Overview
Maevyth’s tolerance—and aroused response—to Zevander’s flame confirms her perilous, singular gift, heightening their attraction and his alarm. After an intense kiss, Zevander retreats and sets boundaries. Maevyth then crafts sleep wards with Rykaia, who hints at unburned dead and old grief, while a ghostly woman’s warning not to trust “him” deepens suspicion.
Summary
Maevyth wakes near noon, panics over missing training, and seeks Zevander in his study. She returns his gifted dagger, but he tells her to keep it and questions her earlier reaction to power. Curious about her unusual resilience, Zevander proposes an immediate test.
Hand to hand, Zevander channels flame into Maevyth, escalating its intensity. Instead of harm, Maevyth experiences overwhelming pleasure and control, describing it as familiar, protective fire. Startled by her capacity, Zevander kisses her with sudden, consuming intensity, then abruptly pulls away, orders her to leave, and forbids any repeat.
Later, Maevyth crafts herbal sleep sachets (“weavers”) to ward nightmares. Rykaia joins, asking about the dead and revealing that some here are not burned, leaving grief steeped in the castle. Maevyth describes a white-haired, black-eyed woman who warned her not to trust “him”; Rykaia’s tense reaction implies she knew the ghost and the violent past it signifies.
Who Appears
- MaevythOversleeps, keeps Zevander’s dagger, endures his channeled flame with pleasure, shares an intense kiss, then crafts sleep sachets and discusses a ghost.
- Zevander (Lord Rydainn)Studying an alchemical codex; tests Maevyth’s capacity for his flame; kisses her, then recoils and forbids a repeat; allows her to keep the dagger.
- RykaiaHelps make sleep weavers; probes Maevyth’s ghost sight; implies knowledge of the white-haired woman and the castle’s unburned dead and grief.
- VendryckButler who directs Maevyth to Zevander’s study.
- White-haired, black-eyed woman (ghost)Apparition who warns Maevyth not to trust “him,” prompting Rykaia’s uneasy reaction.