✨bia✨’s Reviews > Starside > Status Update

"I told them to throw you onto the streets. Not into the prisons." Anger flashes in his eyes, hard and blazing, before disappearing. "I didnt know they disobeyed. I didn't know ... I didn't know they-"
"Carved their names into my back with rusted blades?" I say, my voice quivering. Tears sting my eyes, but I don't let them fall.

"Did you really think I would betray the gods for you? When they've been so good to me?" He shakes his head. "Oh, no. I've already alerted my patron god. He's on his way. I'll be looking forward to being rewarded."
My jaw locks. Vander was wrong. It seems House Rodin hasn't abandoned its god after all.

"I'm not afraid of anything," he says.
I laugh. "You looked pretty terrified at the idea of kissing me." I remember how his eyes widened when I gripped his face. When he realized what I was going to do.
His look could make an entire field of wildflowers wither. "I don't kiss anyone."
I raise a brow at him. "As a rule?" I say it as a joke, but he doesn't reply. My smile fades. "You're not kidding."

"This?" he demands, holding up my jewelry like it's worthless and not valuable enough to feed villages for centuries. "This makes you happy?
Shiny, pretty things?" He shakes his head in near disgust. His head leans low. His gaze slips down my dress and back up again. "I've seen you, beneath these fabrics. You don't need diamonds." My lips part with a gasp.

Then, he goes rigid. "I can smell him all over you," he snarls. His eyes are alight with nothing short of fury.
"If I didn't know better, I would say you were jealous," I counter.
"Good thing you know better," he growls, our lips just inches apart.
We're both breathing too quickly, both fuming.

"I'm not a simple fool, distracted by something so ordinary as a woman's body." Ordinary. My hold tightens on his shoulder, my nails digging in, which I hope is painful.
"So, none of these women have caught your attention?" He blinks. He looks completely serious when he says, "There are other women here?"
Ridiculous bastard.

"I've never sworn upon anyone's sword, and yours will not be the first."
We stare at each other for a moment longer.
"Fine," I say, rising and pulling my sword out of the muddy ground.
I clean it on his armor, making him bare his teeth at me. "You're not the only one I'll be asking to swear on my sword. After tonight, I might not need you at all."
Then I turn around and leave him chained to the fucking wall.

Vander has a dress delivered
It's clear, liquid fabric that does exactly what he intended. It shows every one of my markings, and my sword tucked against my spine.I stare at myself in the mirror, at all the silver, glimmering through the gossamer. For as long as I can remember, I've avoided looking at my naked body. It's been a source of shame. Of sadness. Of fear.Now I look.I look, and for once, I am not disgusted.

"Now you see ..." I say, my voice raw and brittle. "Now you see why I need to hide. Why my dress... why my dress needs to cover."
"No," Vander says, with pure conviction. "You don't need to hide.
You never need to hide, Aris. If you want to survive, you won't hide at all. You will show them exactly what you are."

What. Are. Those?" he asks again.
Instead of shrinking away, I lift my chin.
Fuck shame. Fuck hiding. I've been through too much-this body has survived too much to be ashamed of itself.
I rip my shirt over my head and throw it to the ground. He sees it all now.
Silver. Thin roots of silver, faintly sparkling through the remaining darkness.
The exact color a knight like him has trained to hunt and kill.