an instant connection with him.” He took her by the shoulders and looked into Elli’s eyes. “Or maybe I’m jealous,” he murmured. “Maybe I want to be the only one with a connection with you, little priestess.”
Elli felt her cheeks getting hot but somehow she couldn’t drop her gaze.
“Roke…” she whispered, remembering exactly how closely “connected” they had been the night before. “You don’t have to be jealous, it’s different with zorels. They’re a little like children—although I have to say, Demon is definitely the smartest zorel I’ve ever connected with.”
“Oh?” He released his hold on her shoulders and gave her an interested look. “What does that mean?”
“Well, to start with, it means he’s definitely trainable,” Elli said. “Though it’s going to take some work on my part. He’s never had a rider on his back before.”
“Are you afraid he’ll throw you or trample you?” Roke was tense at once, ready to suggest taking her to safety, Elli was sure. So she hastened to reassure him.
“No, no—I’m not afraid for myself at all,” she said quickly. “Demon would let me ride him tomorrow if I asked him, I’m sure. It’s getting him to let someone else ride him that worries me.” She shook her head. “If he does let someone ride him, they’ll have to be respectful and kind and earn his trust. He’s not the kind of creature who can be ‘broken’ to the saddle—he might agree to carry a rider, but it will always be on his terms.”
Roke snorted.
“Somehow I don’t think the Crown Prince is going to like that idea. He doesn’t strike me as the respectful and kind type.”
“Yes, that might be a problem.” Elli nibbled her lower lip thoughtfully. “I wonder if I might try to train him at the same time I’m training Demon?”
“Train His Majesty?” Roke gave her an incredulous look. “What makes you think that’s even possible?”
“It might not be, but it would be helpful if I could,” Elli said, frowning. “These Tenebrians really do have the most backwards ideas about zorel training. The idea of hurting or hitting an animal until its spirit is so broken it will allow you to sit on its back and carry you around is just the wrong way of thinking!”
“Oh?” Roke raised an eyebrow again. “And what’s the right way?”
“Communicating with it, of course!” Elli exclaimed. “Letting it know what you want and finding out what it wants as well. Promising to protect it and care for it. Loving it.”
“I’m not sure you’re going to be able to convince the Crown Prince of all that,” Roke said skeptically. “I have an idea the only person His Highness really loves is himself.”
“You’re probably right, but I have to at least try,” Elli said firmly. “Otherwise, getting him up on Demon’s back will be harder than…well, than anything I can think of,” she finished with a sigh.
“And how long do you think it’s going to take?” Roke asked, raising his eyebrows. “How long do we have to stay in this fucked-up Court where they all switch partners at supper every night and eat rotten eggs for breakfast the next morning?”
“I don’t honestly know,” Elli said, frowning. “A lot will depend on how willing the Crown Prince and Demon are to listen to me. But not too long, I hope, she added. “I need to get a piece of that Healing Lattice back to the old Priestess Superior as soon as possible.”
“Let’s just hope His Majesty is as willing to be trained by you as Demon is, then,” Roke growled.
Elli could only agree.
“At least we don’t have to go to Supper tonight,” she pointed out. “The Crown Prince said that he understands how ‘taxing’ my day has been and has excused us from dining with the Court.”
“That is good news, I suppose,” Roke remarked. “Although I must confess, I wouldn’t mind doing some more ‘Mirroring’ with you, little priestess.”
Elli felt her cheeks get hot.
“Roke, don’t talk like that!” she chided him. “You know we were only doing what we had to. It’s not like we were doing what…what we did because we enjoyed it.”
“Well, I certainly enjoyed touching your sweet, curvy body,” he growled softly, his eyes going half-lidded as he looked at her. “Almost as much as I enjoyed watching you find your own pleasure last night. The way you moaned and gasped…”
“Roke!” she protested, her cheeks getting hotter. But she couldn’t help remembering the feel of his long fingers tugging at her tight nipples as she