Riven by Mindee Arnett

Author:Mindee Arnett
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2023-01-10T00:00:00+00:00

Sixteen

Three more days passed before Mars finally got the chance to investigate Katrìn’s room. Though it wasn’t one he manufactured.

“What do you mean I’m not invited?” Mars asked, staring over his cup of coffee at Fura, who had finally joined him in the solarium, where he’d been waiting for her for nearly an hour this morning.

Although the solarium was central to the Torvald apartments, it was rarely occupied, having little inside it to lure would-be visitors. A single slender birch tree was the only green and growing thing inhabiting the area, the flowerbeds as empty as freshly dug graves. The only color came from the yellow cushions the Torvald servants had placed atop the stone sitting areas, and the only warmth from a thin swath of sunlight penetrating the birch’s leaves.

Well, that and the warmth of the delicious coffee. Mars inhaled the revivifying smell as he waited for Fura to answer.

“It was Christel’s idea. And probably Liv’s as well. You know the two of them.” Fura rolled her eyes as she bent toward the tray set next to Mars’s chair and poured her own cup of coffee, topping it off with two sugars and a splash of cream.

Mars had no trouble imagining Liv, heir to the Jens Kith, and Christel, heir to Hadder, scheming this together. Those two were like squirrels fighting over the same nut.

“A women-only trip to the sacred springs, though?” Mars arched an eyebrow.

“Indeed.” Fura took an unladylike slurp of her drink.

Mars hid a smile behind his own cup. He’d heard tales of the springs, the very place where the Titans once took their leisure. The water there sprung from the earth hot as a bath, pure and fresh. He understood the appeal but disparaged the design, the opportunity it might provide Fura’s enemies. It had been quiet the past few days—too quiet.

“Is there no way to get out of it?”

Fura shook her head. “My mother is going. She believes it will be all right. The guards on duty at the springs are some of Riven’s best. Apart from them, only the dòttras and their daughters will be there, as well as our lady’s maids as servants. Ones with proven service.”

“To ensure none of them is like me,” Mars said, and Fura nodded.

He supposed that would make it reasonably safe, and it would give him the chance he needed to finally explore Katrìn’s room. That made the risk worth it. Still, he knew better than to just accept the situation easily, lest he raise suspicions.

“I could always follow from a discreet distance, keep an eye on things.”

Fura snorted, a hint of amusement in the sound. “Nice try. But you know perfectly well we’re going there for nude bathing.”

Mars grinned back at her. “All the more reason for me to follow.” He was only teasing her, as he’d been doing more and more often the past few days, but her answering blush caught him off guard. Memories of the way it had felt to kiss her crept into his mind, but he shoved them away at once.

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