Free Rout of the Dem-Shyr (The Ascendant Series) by Raine Thomas

just what is it you think we did?
    Judging by the slightly damp ends of your hair and the bit of foam stuck to your right earlobe, you either had sex in the water or you jumped in to save Kyr from drowning. Since your clothes are dry—if somewhat wrinkled—I’m betting on option one .
    Ty reached up to touch his earlobe and found the incriminating foam. A curse almost made it past his lips. Gren’s eyebrow lifted, telling Ty that the heated words had gotten through in thought, anyway.
    Gren—
    Look, Ty , Gren interrupted, forgoing all formality. You and I both know that I understand what you’re experiencing. We also both know that this won’t end well .
    The thought had Ty looking back at Kyr, who was chatting cheerfully with Zasha as the Wrym applied her makeup. She looked up in the mirror and met his gaze. The look she gave him had his heart stuttering and his gut twisting.
    Does she know the extent of what you’re both risking by doing this? Gren asked.
    Ty shook his head. He hadn’t been able to tell her the full truth.
    This time, it was Gren who issued the curse. Ty, you’ll be lucky if they decide to bypass the public humiliation and just sterilize you both privately. You’ll both be imprisoned for the rest of your lives. You’ll never be allowed in the palace again. You’ll both be marked .
    The pain in Ty’s gut worsened as Gren voiced all of the possible consequences the Guardians would impose if they discovered that Kyr had given her virginity to someone other than the Faire-Amanti. He wasn’t ignorant of those consequences—far from it. But in the heat of his desire for Kyr, all of the risks had faded into insignificance.
    You’d never see her again , Gren thought.
    Above all, that would be the worst punishment. Ty didn’t know how he’d survive it.
    He met Gren’s gaze. His friend was aware of the dangers of loving someone other than a person chosen for him. Even when the other person wasn’t the Ascendant of Alametria, the consequences of that love could be unimaginably painful.
    Look, Ty. Just be more careful, okay? I’m not the only one with eyes and a brain around here .
    After a moment, Ty nodded. He knew the discussion was over. The weight of it, however, would remain with him.
    When the Wrym moved Kyr to the closet to get her changed for the celebration, Ty left her in Gren’s care so that he could go and check all of the security protocols for the event. He used his abilities to do surface scans of all thoughts from people in the immediate area, but didn’t discern any malice. His first stop was the kitchen where the food was being prepared. Sem was the Mynder in charge. It didn’t take long to find him. He sat at a table on one side of the large, bustling room, eating something.
    “Is that pizza?” Ty asked as he approached his cousin.
    “Yep,” Sem replied, lifting the half-eaten piece to show it off. “I got hooked on it back on Earth, so I asked Fehma here to make me some. Isn’t she a sweetheart?”
    The Wrym in question smiled in their direction before she went back to organizing bite-sized food on a tray. Ty wasn’t surprised that Sem had charmed a female into doing whatever he wanted. Some things never changed.
    How is everything going down here? Ty thought.
    Sem shrugged and took another bite of pizza. It’s been hectic since I got here after Ma’jah’s training, but I haven’t picked up on anything. If the poisoner is here, he or she is more skilled than I am at masking their thoughts .
    That was frustrating to hear, but again, Ty wasn’t surprised. There had been no sign of the person who had poisoned the food served to Kyr and Guardian Shaya after the audience with the V’larians. Even with Ty and all of his most trusted Mynders scanning the palace, the investigation had gone nowhere. Ty didn’t have any idea how the person continued to evade detection. The best he could figure was that they had left the palace. It was possible that it had been a one-time