They aspired for him to marry me. I exactly fit the requirements for Akyran's bride – my family was pure brethren, having never mingled our blood line with mankind, and were well placed and influential in the court. Our parents had been friends for centuries, planning our union since my birth and we had been raised together, with the expectation that our friendship would become a marriage.
"I hate court," I complained. We both knew I would go because he asked it of me. It was how our friendship worked, how it had always worked.
"Yes, but you'll go for me," Akyran grinned at me. He stole my flask off my hip and took another swig before replacing it, handling me with casual familiarity as he did so. His touch sent a heat through me the burnt fiercer than the spirits did. How I could be so affected, and he so indifferent, was a source of endless frustration.