A Promise of Fire by Amanda Bouchet

Author:Amanda Bouchet [Bouchet, Amanda]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Published: 2016-08-02T07:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 17

All that fire made me sweat. The women’s bathhouse is small, half the size of the royal one, but the water is clean, and it’s late enough to be mostly empty. Three women occupy the far end, but the rest of the pool is deserted. I slip into the water, wash quickly, and then wrap myself in my outrageously flamboyant drying cloth. I’d stay longer, but the Sintan women keep throwing me dirty looks.

As I’m tying off the end of my braid, the women emerge from the pool and pad toward me, naked.

“Nice cloth,” a tall blonde says.

I ignore her. Ignoring her sarcasm is harder.

“You’re the new member of Beta Team?” another one asks.

When I nod, she looks incredulous. “How did you get invited to dinner?”

Before I can answer—or not answer—the first one spits out, “She’s obviously spreading her legs.”

I narrow my eyes. Snarky gets my temper up.

One of the other women lays her hand on the blonde’s arm. “Griffin will get tired of her. You’ll see.”

A thorny sensation spreads through me. I study the woman with chiseled features, legs about eight inches longer than mine, and long, sleek hair the color of honey in the sun. My hair is unruly, wavy, and dark, and I’m smaller and curvier despite the weight I’ve lost since leaving the circus. Like mine, her eyes are green, but the shades are nothing alike. Hers are dark with flecks of brown. Mine are elongated, and the light, clear green of magic and the north. I hate that I’m even comparing us, but since I can’t seem to stop… In spite of my unusual eyes and decent looks, I just feel short.

I turn to leave, consoling myself with the knowledge that I can kill her with one breath.

She stops me with a question. “What’s your name?”

I only half turn back. “Cat. What’s yours?”

“Daphne. Watch your back, Cat.”

“Why?” I’m actually curious.

“Because I’ve got my eye on you.”

I can’t help it. I laugh. “I’ll let you know when I’m scared.”

Her eyes flash with anger a second before she lashes out. I duck on reflex, and her punch sails over my head. I come up, landing an uppercut to her gut. She grunts, her exhale warming my face. I would keep going, but the other women grab the blonde’s arms, and I don’t hit people who are tied down.

“Watch your back, Daphne.” I trace a finger down her cheek, leaving a thin red welt from the corner of her left eye to the curve of her chin. I rein in the hottest part of the Chimera’s Fire so it won’t scar, but when I smile, I don’t hold back on the maniacal. “I just love the way burns sting for days.”

The other two women pale, but Daphne just looks spitting mad. My first enemy in Castle Sinta. Great.

“Griffin will punish you for that.”

She sounds so sure that something sour unfurls in my stomach. “No, he won’t.” I am the Kingmaker. I am a thousand times more important to him than Daphne, even if I’m not spreading my legs.

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