To Seduce An Assassin (The Omaja Series Book 2)(24)

Yajna went to crouch in front of the fireplace at the far end of the room.

“Just water for me, Yavi,” Jiandra said before going to sit on the couch near the fire. Graciella started to follow her.

“Graciella, join me for a moment,” Yavi requested.

She followed him to his sideboard to see what he was doing. He showed her a blue glass bottle that was fat at the bottom, curving into a long skinny neck. “This is Nandalan katsuri. Smell.” He held it out to her.

Strong, pungent alcohol assailed her nostrils, and she jerked back. “Oh!” Then she leaned in for another whiff. “Mm. It has a kind of ambery-sweet fragrance.”

“Yes. It’s made from toasted jasmine rice.”

“Oh.”

He poured a sip into a whiskey glass. “Try it.”

She reached for the glass, but he pulled it back and swirled it around a bit. “Let it air out a moment. Okay, now.” He extended it to her again.

Graciella put the glass to her lips and drank. The katsuri burned as it hit her throat. She sputtered and coughed, setting the glass back down.

Yavi chuckled softly under his breath. “Are you all right?”

She wheezed, pressed a hand to her chest, and coughed some more, then grinned at him. “It’s really good,” she choked out.

He laughed, a magical sound to her ears, then held up the bottle again. “Do you want some more?”

“Yes.” Her voice came out half-strangled. She beat on her chest with her fist. “Definitely yes.”

“Very well.” He poured her a half-glass and handed it to her. “Sip it more slowly this time. I should have cautioned you before.”

“I’ll be more careful,” she promised, helping him carry the glasses to the sitting area by the fire, where Yajna and Jiandra were already snuggled together on the couch. Graciella chose the armchair closest to the fire, and Yavi sat in the other one, next to her.

“It sounded like you were trying to kill my sister over there.” Jiandra grinned as she accepted her glass of water.

“Yes. She really likes the katsuri.” Yavi smiled and raised his glass. “Another toast to friends and family.”

“Here, here,” Yajna chimed in, and the four of them clinked their glasses together over the low table.

Graciella smiled and relaxed in her armchair, sipping the sweet alcohol. She felt like quite the grown-up, sitting in Yavi’s masculine study, drinking exotic liquor with him. And the four of them made such a perfect little group. Surely Yavi felt it too, how natural it seemed for her to be a part of his inner circle along with her sister and his brother.

The katsuri started to work its magic on her senses as the four of them conversed, and she felt her inhibitions melting away. She stole a sideways glance at Yavi’s face as he talked to Yajna and Jiandra, watching his firm, sexy lips as he spoke. From this angle, she could see just inside the neckline of his shirt, to where the chain of the emperor’s ruby lay against his muscular chest.

“Yavi.” She sat up and leaned toward him. “May I see the emperor’s ruby?”

He reached inside his shirt and pulled it out, then leaned closer to place the gemstone in her palm. It was heavy, about the size and shape of a fig, and sparkled like a ruby-red glass of merlot in the firelight.

“It’s beautiful,” she said softly. When she looked up at him, unless she was imagining it, he’d been staring at her mouth.

He pulled back and tucked the ruby into his shirt.

“Do you ever take it off?”

“No.”

“Do you ever roll over onto it at night in bed and hurt yourself?”

He met her gaze, faint amusement in his eyes. “Yes.”

She grinned. “Do you scream in pain when that happens?”

“On occasion.” He smiled, his white teeth glowing handsomely against his olive skin.

She laughed, feeling giddy and very turned on by the image of him lying in bed, wearing nothing but the huge ruby.

“But I never take it off, no matter how many times I roll over onto it at night. Nandalan legends hold that the ruby signifies the authority and power of the emperor, and taking it off would be equivalent to abdicating the throne.”

“So it’s like a crown.”

“Yes, I suppose so.”

Her sister and Yajna were engrossed in their own conversation, so she asked Yavi something else she’d always been curious about. “What was it like growing up as a twin?”

“Annoying as hell,” he replied, sipping his drink.

“Truly?” She chuckled. “But you and Yajna seem so close.”

“We are closer than any two brothers could ever be.”

“But you don’t like having a twin?”

His expression grew serious. “No, and I will tell you why. He is not just my mirror image—he is part of me, like my right hand, like the other half of my head and heart.” His voice became quieter. “If something were to happen to him, I would be devastated. I fear it would hurt even more than losing my father.”

Graciella swallowed down a lump that had formed in her throat.

“Plus, he’s annoying as hell.” He smiled and leaned back in his chair, taking another sip of katsuri.

Graciella looked at her sister. Jiandra was staring into Yajna’s eyes, stroking his angular jaw while they talked. “Well, my sister seems to disagree with you.”