I stopped talking and waited for his response.

He just stared at me.

Seriously, Sabine said he chatted with her but I couldn’t believe it.

I knew he had words, just not many of them.

So I laid it out for him. “You’re in, Zahnin.”

That got a reaction. He blinked in puzzlement.

“I’m… in? ” he asked

I grinned. “In. In. In, ” I answered. “Whatever you’re doing and whatever you did a couple of nights ago,” I watched his body jerk slightly in surprise that I had this knowledge but again that was all he gave me so I kept right on talking, “she likes it. Like, a lot. ”

He stared at me but said not a word.

I sighed. “What I’m saying is, you were her first, that didn’t go so well for, um… her so she has no idea what she’s doing but she wants…” I leaned in, “more. She just doesn’t know how to ask.”

There it was. His eyes warmed and his mouth curled up slightly at the sides. He got me and what he got was hot. Way hot. If I didn’t have the super hottest guy around, I would think it was ultra hot.

Boy, Sabine was going to get lucky.

“So, I advised she make a move and you’re going to have to watch for it,” I went on sharing. “It might be timid, shy maybe

awkward and will definitely take some courage for her to do but she’s going to make a play, you’re going to need to receive it and take it from there… gently. ”

“Right,” he grunted.

“I can’t stress enough that she’s still a little scared of you and her feelings. She’s not experienced. You’re going to have to teach her.”

The lip curl got bigger and he said low, “I can be a teacher.”

I bet he could. And he looked like he was looking forward to it.

Still, I cautioned, “A patient teacher.”

His lip curl spread into a smile.

“I can be a patient teacher,” he assured me.

Oh yeah. He was looking forward to that too.

Sabine was definitely going to get lucky.

I grinned up at him. Then I whispered, “Have fun, my protector.”

I moved to walk around him but he caught my bicep in his hand so I tipped my head back to look at him.

He dropped my arm as I noticed the smile had faded but intensity was deep in his eyes.

“Shahsha, kah rahna Dahksahna hahla,” he murmured.

“Lapay fahnahsan, kah jahnjee,” Be happy, my protector, I murmured back.

He jerked up his chin.

I moved around him and into my cham. As I moved in, Teetru was scurrying out. I smiled at her but she tipped her head slightly to the side in a weird way, not returning my smile, looking hurried and nervous and she left the tent with all due haste.

I stared at the flaps as they swung back in place behind her.

Okay, now my instincts, instincts I didn’t know until then I had were saying something wasn’t right.

I felt my body get tight as I gazed around the tent. The gold fabric I bought that day was laying folded on one of the trunks. My eyes moved and scanned as they did but nothing seemed different.

Until I saw the table.

And when I did, I stared at it.

Then, woodenly, I walked to it.

On it was the gleaming wooden box Bohtan had given me, opened, the dagger brilliant even in the muted light of the cham. At its side, a fold of blue fabric and on top of that, the blue bangle I gave Teetru. The money pouch was not there nor were any of the other bolts of fabric or bangles I’d bought the other girls. Teetru, I noticed, had carried the fabric out. The pouch she did not have but I reckoned she’d locked it away in its trunk.

I stared at the table and what was on it as a tingle slithered up my spine.

Then without thinking, my hand snaked out, I grabbed the dagger and screeched, “Zahnin! ”

But it was too late.

From all around, I heard the sounds of ripping fabric and I looked to the side of the cham to see a dagger had been planted in it and was tearing through.

I whirled and took them in.

There were daggers all around!

Shit! I was surrounded!

My arm shot out and I grabbed a heavy candleholder in my left hand as I heard steel clash with steel at the front of the cham. The candle toppled off my holder as huge men with skin the color of Teetru’s pushed through the slashes in the cham.

“No! ” I shrieked as they came at me.

Then, out of nowhere, something came over me and whatever it was was coming from inside me. In a weird way I saw but did not see. In a weird way my body was not at my command. It just moved of its own accord.

I bashed out with the candleholder with all my strength and caught the first man who got to me upside his head. His eyes rolled back into his head and he careened to the side as arms closed around me from behind, picking me up.

I kicked out with my feet with all my might as I turned the dagger in my hand and tried to strike at his head behind mine with the candleholder, and missed. But my tactic worked, he was having trouble defending himself at the same time containing me.

Then I kicked out with my feet again as I plunged the dagger back and connected its blade with the flesh at his side. He howled, his arms loosened and I was dropped to my feet. My fist still wrapped around the hilt, I yanked out the dagger, whirled and, even as I felt more hands start to close on my waist, quickly, before his hand could make it to the knife on his belt, I sunk my blade into his chest, aiming at his heart, then pulling it out.