Free Rapture by Katalyn Sage Page B

a vibrant purple flower encased in
glass. “What is that?”
    “That,” he replied, picking it up
and holding it out to her, “is an alexiolus . ”
    She took it from him, admiring the
delicate flower. “It’s beautiful.”
    “Wait until it has bloomed
completely.”
    She flicked her gaze up at him.
“This isn’t already?”
    “No.” He shook his head. “The magic
happens at night.”
    So, it would probably bloom soon.
Outside, the light was waning, which meant that nighttime would come soon. “How
much longer?”
    “A few hours. The real beauty comes
when the moon is at its highest point in the sky.”
    She set it down on the table, a
little disappointed that it would take so long.
    “Should we see what else the others
have to offer?” he asked, turning toward the exit. “Perhaps we can make it back
in time to see it.”
    “Perhaps.” Raine stepped out of the
tent with his hand guiding her by the small of her back. She shivered from the
contact, as if a spark of electricity had shot through her limbs. Raider had
remained outside, and he fell into step beside Ferox as he and Raine continued
exploring tent after tent.
    “Ah, here are my sisters,” Raine
said a while later, seeing Caleen inside, sitting at the table and looking as
though she were about to fall over with sheer boredom. “Where is Lenora?”
    Her sister perked up at seeing her,
and then cocked an eyebrow at Raine’s entourage. “She left a while ago to check
on Lisette and take her some dinner.”
    Raine gestured to the males next to
her. “This is Ferox and Raider. They are accompanying me around the market.”
    Caleen inclined her head at them,
but her gaze stayed trained on Raider. “It is a pleasure to meet you.”
    Raine looked between her sister and
Ferox’s cousin, in no way missing the sexual tension that sizzled. The air was
charged with it. “How much longer do you plan to stay in here?”
    “Not long. As soon as Lenora returns
I had planned to find you.”
    Raider stepped closer to the table,
feigning interest in the items her sisters were selling. Ferox did find
something he seemed interested in and held it up, inspecting the breast guard.
“Who made this?”
    “We did,” Raine replied. “My sisters
and I.” She wouldn’t tell him that there wasn’t much to her day besides making
weapons, shields, and training for battle.
    He seemed impressed and set it back
down. “What about those?”
    “Display only,” Raine replied,
eyeing the daggers, swords, and other assorted weapons in the glass case. She
and her sisters planned to keep them as visual interest only to display their
weapon-making talents. No reason to sell off weapons that could cause more harm
to Valkyries than most other weapons in existence.
    “You made those as well?” Raider
asked.
    “Of course. We are well trained in
everything related to war.” Caleen stood from her seat and opened the case. “I
made this one myself.”
    Both males inspected her handiwork.
“What about you? Did you make any of these?” Ferox asked Raine.
    “Of course she did,” Caleen said,
sounding overly excited. “Most of the blades in here were forged by Raine. Hers
are widely prized by our father and sisters.”
    “Really?” he said, facing her. His
eyebrows were raised in surprise, and the guy had a wide grin plastered on his
face.
    Gods damn it, why was her heart
pounding? Raine cleared her throat and shrugged, ignoring the urge to fan the
heat spreading over her face. “Uh, yes. Why don’t we uh … go look at the other
booths?”
    ****
    Raine and her sisters slipped out
through the opening of their tent, blinking at the warm glow of the morning
sky. They kept their pace slow, allowing for Lisette’s injuries as many demons
passed them on their way to this morning’s games. It was the eighth day of the
tournament, and the last day of the first round. Four victors had won in each
game so far. Ferox’s cousin, Raider, was one of them, and the winners