I turned and took the curving staircase down to the sunken garden.
It didn’t take me long to find Mal. He was leaning against the trunk of a large oak, scanning the manicured grounds.
“Anyone lurking in the dark?” I asked.
“Just me. ”
I settled beside him against the trunk. “You should have joined us at dinner. ”
Mal snorted. “No thank you. From what I could see, you looked positively miserable, and Nikolai didn’t look much happier. Besides,” he added with a glance at my kefta, “whatever would I have worn?”
“Do you hate it?”
“It’s lovely. A perfect addition to your trousseau. ” Before I could even roll my eyes, he snagged hold of my hand. “I didn’t mean that,” he said. “You look beautiful. I’ve been wanting to say so since I first saw you tonight. ”
I flushed. “Thanks. Using my power every day helps. ”
“You were beautiful back in Cofton with jurda pollen in your brows. ”
I tugged self-consciously at a strand of my hair. “This place reminds me of Keramzin,” I said.
“A little. It’s a lot fussier. What exactly is the point of teeny tiny fruit?”
“It’s for people with teeny tiny hands. Makes them feel better about themselves. ”
He laughed, a real laugh. I reached into my pocket and fished around inside the black velvet pouch.
“I have something for you,” I said.
“What is it?”
I held out my closed fist.
“Guess,” I said. It was a game we’d played as children.
“Obviously, it’s a sweater. ”
I shook my head.
“A show pony?”
“Nope. ”
He reached out and took my hand, turning it over and gently unfolding my fingers.
I waited for his reaction.
His mouth tugged up at one corner as he plucked the golden sunburst from my hand. The rough brush of his fingers against my palm sent a shiver up my back.
“For the captain of your personal guard?” he asked.
I cleared my throat nervously. “I … I didn’t want uniforms. I didn’t want anything that looked like the Darkling’s oprichniki. ”
For a long moment, we stood in silence as Mal looked down at the sunburst. Then he handed it back to me. My heart plummeted, but I tried to hide my disappointment.
“Put it on me?” he asked.
I let my breath out in a relieved rush. I took the pin between my fingers and pressed it through the folds on the left side of his shirt. It took me a couple of tries to get it hooked. When I finished and made to step back, he took my hand and pressed it over the golden sun, over his heart.
“Is that all?” he said.
We were standing close together now, alone in the warm dark of the garden. It was the first moment we’d had to ourselves in weeks.
“All?” I repeated. My voice came out as little more than a breath.
“I believe I was promised a cape and a fancy hat. ”
“I’ll make it up to you,” I said.
“Are you flirting?”
“I’m bartering. ”
“Fine,” he said. “I’ll take my first payment now. ”
His tone was light, but when his lips met mine, there was nothing playful in his kiss. He tasted of heat and newly ripe pears from the Duke’s garden. I sensed hunger in the hard slant of his mouth, an unfamiliar edge to his need that sent restless sparks burning through me.
I came up on my toes, circling my arms around his neck, feeling the length of my body melt into his. He had a soldier’s strength, and I felt it in the hard bands of his arms, the pressure of his fingers as his fist bunched in the silk at the small of my back and he drew me against him. There was something fierce and almost desperate in the way he held me, as if he could not have me close enough.
My head was spinning. My thoughts had gone slow and liquid, but somewhere I heard footsteps. In the next moment, Tamar came charging up the path.
“We have company,” she said.
Mal broke away from me and unslung his rifle in a single swift movement. “Who is it?”
“There’s a group of people at the gate demanding entry. They want to see the Sun Summoner. ”
“Pilgrims?” I asked, trying to get my kiss-addled brain to function properly.
Tamar shook her head. “They claim to be Grisha. ”
“Here?”
Mal placed a hand on my arm. “Alina, wait inside, at least until we see what this is about. ”
I hesitated. Part of me bridled at being told to run off and hide my head, but I didn’t want to be stupid either. A shout rose from somewhere near the gates.