I took a quick look around the corridor before knocking on the door in front of me. The only people were in the few pictures hung on the wood-paneled walls, except for a few guards. Those had been following me around constantly, of course, but they kept their distance. It was quiet, with only faint sounds from the rest of the apartments in the building. We were only one floor down from my own quarters.

“Come in!”

I opened the door and stepped inside, taking a quick look around. The apartment was furnished very nicely. The sitting room we entered held several comfortable chairs, a divan, and small tables, all of it done in expensive wood. It looked the same as for my last visits. But this time, Tia Yarani stood close to one of the tables, obviously just coming out of her bedroom.

She inclined her head and smiled broadly. “Inaris. It’s so nice to see you.”

I took a step inside. “Thanks. This time, the guards should give us a bit more privacy.” I shot a meaningful look at Aston.

He bowed and withdrew into an adjacent chamber. The rest of the guards took position outside. I knew they would still be checking on us, but at least it didn’t feel like we were chaperoned as much.

Tia Yarani leaned against an armchair, raising an eyebrow. “Oh? Did something happen?”

“The guards finally finished their background check on you,” I explained, smiling genuinely at the news. It was more Kariva than the guard in the end, but whatever. “There were no issues and no suspicions.”

She returned my smile. “I’m glad to hear that, of course.”

I stepped closer, taking her in. It seemed like she was dressing more risqué lately. This tight dress certainly didn’t leave her curves to the imagination. Not that I minded, of course. It was good she seemed to be settling in.

“Did you have anything planned for this evening?” she asked.

I leaned against one of the tables, trailing my finger across it idly. We’d talked quite a bit over the last few weeks, played a few games, and gone into the palace gardens. The palace rumor mongers would probably be shocked if they knew we still hadn’t done anything more. Well, I’d stolen a kiss two days ago. The memory made me smile again.

I was trying not to give the impression I was pressuring her, but she certainly didn’t seem to mind.

“First of all, I had a gift for you,” I said. With a flick of my hand, I took it from my spatial ring and held it up.

I owned a lot of jewelry, although I never wore anything that wasn’t enchanted, and not even much of that. The necklace I held wasn’t something I’d use myself. It was made from gold and silver, with intricate details and a few small stones set in. The gemstone in the center was a warm amber color that matched her eyes quite well.

Maybe I didn’t need to act like I was courting her, but I figured showing some attention like that couldn’t hurt. Besides, I wanted to see what she’d look like with it.

“It’s beautiful,” she replied. “Why don’t you put it on me?”

Well, I should have seen that one coming. I stepped up to Tia Yarani, who was lifting her hair off her neck. A little hesitantly, I put the necklace around it and fumbled with the clasp. She wore perfume, judging by the fresh scent I inhaled more of now. I wouldn’t have associated that with the soldier I first met, but it suited her. I brushed my hand against her neck as I closed the necklace, and she shivered slightly.

I took a step back, breathing out. Since I’d come back from awakening my bloodline, I hadn’t had much of a problem with my self-control. But now I had to remind myself I should step lightly.

“You look great,” I said. “It brings out your pretty eyes.”

Tia Yarani glanced at the mirror hanging in one corner of the room, but turned back to me quickly. “Thank you.”

I looked out the window for a moment. The sun was vanishing behind the horizon, with night setting in. “Anything you’d like to do?” I asked. “I don’t have much time, but maybe I could show you around the palace a bit more.”

She hesitated, then visibly took a deep breath. “Actually, I wanted to ask you about something, if you’ll allow me.”

I froze. “Of course, always.”

“I wanted to know what you expect of me. What I’m supposed to do.”

I scratched at my cheek. “There’s lots of things you could do, if you want to occupy yourself. Art, maybe. Or crafting. The palace has a lot of facilities and people who could help you. Or you could even involve yourself with politics or administration. We’d need to sort something out. But you’re free to pursue whatever you like, as far as I’m concerned.”

“Thank you.” She smiled, but there was still a bit of tension in it. “That’s good to know, but not quite what I meant.”

I had to stop myself from playing with my sleeves nervously. “Yes?”

“My lady … what are your intentions with me?” She looked up at me through her eyelashes.

I laughed a little. Wow, this is awkward. “Well, you are my concubine or consort or whatever they call it … right?”

She raised her head, straightening up, and a bit of fire returned to her gaze. “But you’ve never wanted me.”

I blinked, then met her gaze squarely. Okay, stop being an idiot teenager, I told myself.

“I definitely want you,” I assured her, my voice firm, letting a bit of the heat I felt seep in. “I’ve had the urge to take you to my bedroom every time I’ve seen you. To see what you look like in the heat of the moment, to make you cry my name.” I took a step closer. “To be honest, I’ve been looking forward to that a lot. But like I told you, I don’t want you to be pressured. Instead, I’m taking my time, getting to know you, and hopefully building a bit of trust.”

Tia Yarani shook her head, a wry smile on her lips. “It might have been better if you’d told me that.”

I shrugged. “Well, I’ve told you now.”

She took a step forward as well, until we stood close together. “Perhaps you’d consider skipping ahead a little?” she murmured, raising an eyebrow. “You’re not the only one who’s been feeling frustrated, Inaris.”

I blinked. That’s pretty clear, right? Maybe I have been an idiot, but I’d say that’s trust built.

“Alright,” I said, grinning at her. “Since you’re asking nicely.” I put a hand to her head and pulled her in for a kiss.

After that, it didn’t take long until we ended up in her bedroom, and I took it from there.

 

---

 

I leaned back into my beach chair and enjoyed the warmth of the sun on my face. It was a pale imitation of the real thing, just like everything else in my dream. But what else could I do?

Ever since I awakened my bloodline, I’d been unable to dream normally, or even what had been normal for me before. Instead, it was always alert, lucid dreaming, with total control over my dream and perfect recall of everything later. I was pretty sure I could also influence other people’s dreams. It was easy enough to find them. But none of the people I’d be tempted to peek on were asleep right now. So I’d made myself a nice beach scene and tried to relax.

Well, except for the woman sleeping beside me. I’d taken a peek at her mind, enough to know she had pleasant dreams, but not any details.

I glanced up at the palm waving its fronds in the gentle wind, echoing the sound of the surf. It didn’t feel quite real.

I knew the Moon was associated with dreaming, I thought with a mental pout. Should have been a clue. But this is a little annoying. At least less useful than you might think.

I was just considering getting up when I felt my body stirred awake in the real world. Someone was knocking on the door of the apartment, and flaring their qi. My dream shattered, and I blinked, sitting up.

It only took me a moment to recognize Tenira’s presence. I flinched, before I reminded myself that I had nothing to be ashamed of. So what if I slept in the bed of my new mistress?

Still, I couldn’t help but feel uneasy as I quickly got up and located my clothes. They were scattered over the chair at my side of the bed, but at least their enchantments meant they would look good. I quickly got dressed. As I belted the robe, I glanced out the window. It was early morning, the sky just brightening with pre-dawn light.

I’d thought I’d be out of here hours ago. I must have been more tired than I thought.

“Going already?”

I turned to see Yarani still in bed, one hand propping up her chin. I shrugged and gave her an apologetic look. “Sorry.”

She smiled and shook her head lightly. “I understand. You’re a busy woman.”

I really was. Between cultivation and research work, it was already a good thing I didn’t need much sleep. I’d also kept my promise to Ling Ta and trained with him a few times. Then there were Mother and the political meetings she called me to. Maybe I needed this little break.

I smiled at her, then turned around and quickly crossed the bedroom and her sitting room. A guard was waiting by the door and pulled it open for me. I smoothed out my robe and went into the corridor.

“I hope you don’t mind me coming to get you,” Tenira said, straightening up from where she was leaning against the wall. There was a small crease between her eyebrows. “I figured you might forget.”

“Of course not,” I hastened to assure her. “Let’s go. Seems like we still have plenty of time before the meeting.”

We started walking at a casual pace, while I took out a comb from my storage ring and tried to get my tangled hair in order. I probably had enough time to call a servant and get a better style and some makeup done, but I didn’t want to bother.

“Do you know what Mother wants?” I asked to break the silence.

“Probably just to discuss how our projects are going,” Tenira answered. “Why else would she invite me, Lei, and the chief engineers, but not many other people?”

I shook my head. “One of these days, I’ll discover how people find out these things.”

“Don’t worry,” she grinned. “That’s what you have me to help you with.”

I turned serious again quickly. I hadn’t been alone with Mother since I’d shown her my shapeshifting, and we’d kept our conversations to business, but my emotions were still a little unsettled thinking about her.

“Is everything alright between you two?” Tenira asked. “I don’t mean to pry, but you seem a little tense every time you’re to meet her.”

I sighed and scratched my cheek. “I guess. You know what happened, I’m still a little bit upset.”

Tenira raised an eyebrow. “But didn’t you say you understood what she did?”

“I do. This is more about our relationship.” I frowned and shook my head. “I never said anything, but I always appreciated that she took me seriously. Didn’t treat me like a little kid.”

“That’s good, right? I mean, I wish my mother treated me more like an adult sometimes!” Tenira chuckled.

I smiled. “Yeah, I guess. It’s just …” My smile faded. “I get the feeling that for her, I’ll always be her heir first, her child second.” I grimaced and made a dismissive gesture. “I guess I’m just processing that.”

Tenira tentatively laid a hand on my shoulder. “I’m sure your Mother loves you, Inaris.”

“Yeah.” I exhaled. “Anyway, what’s up with your mother? You think she doesn’t take you seriously?”

Tenira clicked her tongue. “Oh, it’s nothing that bad. Just how parents can be.”

I nodded. By now, we were nearing the meeting room, and more people moved through the corridors. We walked the last few meters in silence.

More guards flanked the door and let us in. It was a room I’d been in before, dominated by a rectangular table and heavy chairs. A few people were here already, the rest coming. This time, I didn’t take the seat beside Mother, but the one at the other end of the table. Al sat to her right, Tenira and Lei beside me. After a few minutes, someone closed the door, cutting off the faint sound of the palace’s hubbub.

“I have another important meeting shortly, so let’s keep this brief,” Mother started. “It’s about the projects Inaris’ team has been working on so diligently. From what you’ve told me, many of these are ready for testing?”

I nodded, along with a few others. “Some of them are ready for deployment. But there’s a lot of ideas we haven’t really started on.”

Mother nodded, tapping her fingers on the table. “Well, it’s time to renovate our defenses in the south, and maybe tackle a few other issues new technology could help with. I’d like you there, Inaris. And I think your mind might be better used in the field in a few places.”

I frowned, scratching my cheek. She’d mentioned something like this before, so I wasn’t surprised. “Well, I guess I wouldn’t object to tackling challenges outside the confines of the lab. Keep in touch with practical concerns and maybe get some inspiration.” I looked at the other people. “What about the rest?”

“A part of your team could come with you, perhaps along with some specialists,” Mother said.

I shrugged, thinking about this. It had come a bit suddenly, but I’d been wanting to take a more hands-on approach with our projects. “It would be good to get some more people on this, perhaps recruit local experts. Tenira, Lei, what do you think?” I smiled. “Didn’t we talk about taking a tour of the Empire? We could get two birds with one stone.”

Lei smiled. “Of course. Sounds fun.”

Tenira nodded, as well.

“Great,” Mother said. “Then we’ll start preparing for it. Kariva will help in planning your journey.”

I resisted the temptation to roll my eyes, knowing her help would probably have other things in mind than my objectives.

From there, the conversation went into details. It would take a while to prepare and arrange everything. Not that I minded. I knew this was a political thing as well, and I’d like to get a bit more time to prepare than on my last journey.

I glanced at Mother, who was currently questioning one of the engineers, and thought back to what I’d talked about with Tenira. Perhaps it was a good thing to take some time, get away from her for a bit.