There was a certain feeling of control to be found in hanging over an abyss with the knowledge of how easily you could fall. And as Iliana's fingers curled over the balcony railing, her legs dangling into the nothingness, she couldn't help the weightless thrill that seemed to settle over her. It reminded her of the cliffside in Aeolis.

She wouldn't tip herself forward. But she could. It was a choice.

Del's arms wrapped around her shoulders. "You shouldn't be here."

Her heart stuttered.

"I'm fine."

No she wasn't.

"You're not."

Iliana relaxed against his chest. "Neither are you."

"I'm not the one on the railing," he retorted.

She hummed. "It's relaxing."

"More relaxing than knowing there's another event tomorrow?"

Well, he wasn't wrong. "A bit."

Silence took the air for a moment. Iliana tucked her head back against him, watching as dawn streaked across the Chuteros sky.

"It should be easier than the last," Del said eventually. "From what I understand, it isn't a ball or similar gathering, but instead a hunting banquet. The nobility will be too busy peacocking to take note of you."

"Will he be hunting beasts?" she challenged.

Del fell quiet. "Traditionally, that would be the quarry."

The uncertainty in his tone matched her own misgivings. No matter what he said, Del was as convinced as she was that Zuher was too bloodthirsty for a hunt to be simply that. Come time, there wouldn't be an ounce of surprise in her mind to find out the hunt involved slave collars or bribed civilians.

"They delivered an outfit for you," Del tried again. "Less elaborate than the others. You might not even need help donning it."

His wording caught her attention. Iliana straightened, twisting her head in time to catch the amusement her movement caused. "Not a dress?"

He shook his head. "Some folks will wear them, but it's less traditional in the West to wear dresses to a hunt. In Reotak--and Cieon--most wear pants if they've any hint of combat ability."

"Why?" Iliana questioned, knitting her brow. "It isn't as if they're going to hand me a weapon."

He hesitated. "They might."

For a moment, it felt like her heart stopped. "What?"

"They might," Del repeated slowly. "Zuher has been treating you as a member of the nobility this entire time, even if you're technically a captive. And, traditionally, at events such as these...anyone can be challenged to a duel or hunting game. Given the state of the peerage after your arrival and the rumors floating around, he might anticipate a challenge from Lady Zavitika or one of her entourage and gift you a weapon or have one on standby. Sirens are legendary for their skill in combat, after all."

There were too many things in his words to focus on that Iliana hardly knew where to start. She squirmed in his arms, causing concern to flicker across Del's features as she twisted about to swing her legs between them. No doubt he'd been concerned she'd fall--but, she'd never felt more balanced. Which, admittedly, was likely due to her siren nature.

His hands settled on her hips as she settled on the first issue to address. A shiver crept down her spine, but she forced her mind to focus on something other than the burning awareness of his thumbs tracing circles along the thin fabric.

"I hadn't heard that," Iliana stated. "Sirens are artists and hunters."

There was a difference between chasing an animal and facing a person.

The surprise that knitted his brows almost made her regret her words. What did it have to look like that she--the siren--knew less about them than him, the human prince?

"They are, but Inna is also the goddess of instinct and knowledge. Beyond practice and determination, there's nothing more useful to learning to fight than instinctive talent. And those favored by Inna tend to be overflowing with it. Historically, most sirens that have left the cove were lauded for being impossibly skilled in such matters."

The second it clicked, Iliana felt incredibly stupid.

The ease with which everything had come to her since she became a siren...the abilities that the sirens hadn't waved in front of her, how simple everything seemed to have become with just a single line of instruction in a way she hadn't been able to explain...it all made sense.

"By those favored, you mean those made directly," she guessed.

Del studied her with a knitted brow. "That's the more secretive theory, yes. Old records say that children made directly by the gods tend to have special blessings that match the god's domain. Such as demons who can spread disease or a witch with the skill to manipulate dreams."

And a siren capable of learning whatever skill instinct could aid.

It felt so alien, so not-her, that Iliana couldn't find it in herself to be excited or hopeful. Just...numb.

So, she moved on. "They won't be concerned about handing a weapon to someone supposedly so skilled?"

Del offered her a dull look that brought heat to her face. He didn't even need to say how silly the question was--Iliana had, had the thought several times herself. No one here saw her as a danger, because no one here could be truly harmed by her. They were demons in Kikin's territory, immortal unless poisoned, and far more in number than two captives could truly fight.

Still, it was somehow insulting to think they wouldn't hesitate to arm her.

"So, Rae will probably challenge me to a fight tomorrow," she concluded, once again dismissing one subject in favor of a better one. "Which means I don't have to wear a dress because I might get to beat a noble lady? Does she even know how to fight?"

He frowned, thumbs pausing her hips as a considering hum left his lips. "I'm...not sure. You need to die to become a demon and the traditional manner is combat...but, the duke, Nicolet, is more conservative than most about what Lady Zavitika was allowed to learn due to his Letician upbringing. And disease is a secondary option usually reserved for those who do not wish to die by sword. From what I understand, Reotakians make an entire event of it as flashy as the traditional, endless duel."

"So she might fight me...despite not knowing how?" Iliana questioned, baffled.

Del laughed and dropped his forehead to rest against hers. "No. She might challenge you, then take the right to appoint a champion. You do not have allies in the court willing to stand for you, but she does. Especially with the continued rumors that she has Zuher's favor."

"Ugh," Iliana grimaced. Her mind flickered to the codes Zuher had shown her before the tower. "Is she actually sleeping with him?"

He hesitated. Something uncomfortable flickered across his expression as he lifted his head. His hands grew firmer where they rested on her hips.

"I don't know much of his...tastes, but from what I understand, it doesn't tend to be as straightforward as she would like. If she's truly caught Zuher's attention, it won't last. All the rumors and whispers I've heard of his concubines after his death...they weren't like her, talented court ladies vying for his attention. They were..."

She didn't have to be a genius in these things to figure out why Del'd grown tense.

"They were like me."

Something ugly tangled in her chest like barb wire as Del stepped closer, his legs caging in her own. The warmth of his body helped ease the sudden chill sending a shiver down her spine.

"Not entirely," he said slowly. "Not...He likes...coaxing attention. Lady Zavitika likely wouldn't keep him because he likes those who have been twisted into liking him. Those who once refused his favor, but have since come to him of their own accord. Zuher likes games and manipulative force."

His words felt both like a knife in her ribs and a missing piece to a puzzle she hadn't realized was in front of her until that second. It was a question she'd buried in the back of her mind since her arrival--something she hadn't wanted to acknowledge, but with everything she knew of men like Zuher hadn't quite made sense.

The emperor hadn't truly touched her in that manner because she wasn't broken yet. Because she wasn't at the stage where she'd beg for his favor to escape everything collapsing around her. If that was what he was waiting for, he'd be waiting an eternity. Iliana wasn't the sort to--

She stilled entirely as the heavy thudding of her heat filled her ears.

Was that why Zuher had given her Del?

"Iliana?"

Their mutual attachment was an obvious conclusion of putting two suffering prisoners into a small, confined space with only each other for comfort. The fact that Del was a prince with an expiration label--a prince whose only worth was a ring he had to willingly hand over if Zuher was to profit from it and that Iliana was a siren who's very being enchanted others...

She couldn't breathe.

That had to be it, didn't it?

She didn't want Zuher, but hadn't she already decided she would do whatever needed to protect Del? That she'd sacrifice her pride if it meant keeping him breathing for two more months? And what of Del?

He'd already concluded his death to be an inevitability. No amount of physical torture would make him offer Zuher the keys to his kingdom. He was willing to sacrifice his life for that. But, as a man who had already watched his family, his wife die at the hands of the empire...what would he do for a girl who had been his only mental reprise over the last few months? He was a nobleman with all the pride and morality it entailed.

Was Zuher that smart?

Was she overthinking it?

Air felt like glass in her throat, jagged and rough as her lungs refused to fill themselves. Del's voice was muffled behind the rapid beating of her heart. Or, at least, it was up until the point that he released her hips to cup her jawline and drag her into a kiss that left her blinking, confused and flustered, as he pulled back a second later.

"There," he murmured, touching their foreheads. "Breathe, Iliana."

Oh. The previous struggle disappeared as she took deep, heavy breaths, filling her lungs with an ease that had been impossible behind the panic.

"I--"

She what, exactly? How did she explain what had just happened without sharing her thoughts?

"I've heard shock can disrupt a panic attack, even better if it breaks the hyperventilating," Del explained quietly. "I hope you don't mind, I thought of covering your mouth, but--"

"No, no, this is fine. I--ah, I don't mind you, um..."

His lips quirked. "You don't mind me kissing you?"

She felt the heat filling her face before the look on his face told her he'd noticed as well. Iliana shoved his hands back, before scrambling to grab him instead as the action nearly sent her pitching backwards. Del cursed, stepping closer still as his hands tucked back around her hips to steady her on the railing.

"Fates, Iliana. Be careful, please."

A retort died on her tongue as their positions finally registered in her mind. Everything from the press of thighs against her knees to the warmth of his fingers curled over the thin fabric at her hips. She'd missed it when he kissed her--for obvious reasons--but, gods, how did this somehow feel more intimate than when they were laying on the bed?

Awareness lit his eyes. Hesitation. Then, amusement. Her fingers tightened over his shoulder.

"Del--"

"Should I take that reaction as consent or dismissal?" he interrupted in a quiet, musing tone that sent a shudder down her spine. Words failed her as his eyes slowly crept over her, lingering on her lips, before meeting her gaze. "I'll need an answer, Love, or I'll assume from you're telling me to continue. Especially when you look at me like that."

Whatever he was seeing, it must have been enough to make up for her flustered silence, because in the seconds that followed his hand left her hip. It trailed up her side with the most featherlight of touches, leaving her breathless and shivering. Then, he cupped her neck and leaned in.

"Is there something you wanted, Iliana?"

She dragged him into the kiss.

It felt dangerous. Her position was so delicate. One mistaken shift and she'd slip off the balcony and into the abyss beneath them.

But, gods if she didn't care as his fingers tangled in the base of her hair. The press of his hips against hers sent a heat through her that nearly stole the weight of her realizations from her mind. It was so much easier to focus on the feeling of Del's lips and the caress of his tongue.

So that's what she did.

Perhaps they were playing Zuher's game.

Perhaps the tension between them was something he'd built in hopes of leashing one with the other. In the end...did it matter? There was nothing left for Del to give, no matter what Zuher threatened.

Iliana already had his ring. 

A/N: Hey everyone, sorry about the absence. If you haven't seen my occasional messages, I have a lot going on IRL so finding time to write has been difficult. I move across country in a month, so there's been a lot of distractions between landing a new job and coordinating the move.  

But, here you are! A sweet chapter after everything that's been going on with her recently. Well, sorta sweet. It was hard to write until I got to the end of it, then, miraculously, it all came together in an hour. ;) 

P.S. Pls do not calm someone mid-panic attack with a kiss! It is a bad idea. They may not want touched and there is a very, very good chance you might just get slapped. Just a PSA.