Arranged: An Array Series (Book #1)(41)

A roar of fire made me jump closer to him, his hands immediately coming to my elbows. “Come here.” Maneuvering to squeeze us into a spot, I discovered the noise was coming from a shirtless group of men eating fire and blowing it out of their mouths. They held short torches, waving them around in circles, exciting the circled crowd around them.

“This is amazing,” I said in awe, my eyes taking each of them in, watching each one try a different trick.

“Aruna has men who spit fire while spinning upside down off the ceiling,” Garrett chimed, crossing his arms.

“The ceiling? How don’t they burn themselves?” The other side of the crowd slightly parted, allowing a short man to enter the middle of the circle. He jumped, flipping himself in the air, landing on his feet gracefully. Grabbing the shoulders of another entertainer, the short man leapt on his shoulders with his knees, bringing himself to stand. The people cheered and clapped while he balanced himself, taking another torch from his partner. Each of them spit out more fire, while the rest of the them performed flips and cartwheels. The spectacle was marvelous; I’d never seen anything like it.

The feel of a familiar hand landed on my back. “Having fun yet?”

I nodded, my focus not able to pry itself away. He cupped my hand, tugging me lightly.

Following his lead, we squeezed through the crowd; couples so packed together that I started to feel a little claustrophobic. Bodies brushed against mine and the only space to breathe was the air above me. Garrett stopped, finding a spot that wasn’t as congested, and turned to face me.

“Dance with me?” A small grin lit up his face, his cheekbones prominently showing on his handsome face that should be praised by every single creature.

“I thought you were hungry,” I teased.

“Food can wait,” he replied. Holding out his hand for me to take, I accepted, and he immediately pulled me closer to him. Taking both my arms, he brought them up to his neck. “There are no rules or propriety among the townspeople. You dance however you like.”

I glanced around, needing something else to do. I didn’t want to stare at him, like I had lost my damn mind, nor did I want to display any nervousness on my part. Noting other couples near us, women laid their heads on their partner’s shoulder while others had men’s hands much lower.





“Are you having a nice time?” he asked, swaying us together to the stringed music playing.





“Very much. I’ve never experienced anything so…so…”





“Normal?”





I nodded with a grin. “Yes.”





“If you enjoy this, you’d love Aruna. The people, even the Royals, are like this. Carefree and relaxed, more open to love. They appreciate life, especially after the servitude.”





“Servitude?”





“Aruna used to be a country of slaves. Telliva actually owned them.”





My eyes widened. “Really?”





“Hundreds of years ago. The Arunans banded together and fought against the Telliva soldiers to take back their land. They slowly began to steal weapons, hiding them away for years, so they’d have enough to rebel. It was started by a man named Hanri Jubru. His wife was whipped to death for not being able to work quickly enough; she was pregnant with his child.”





A sadness came over me. Being killed for something so piddling was cruel. The loss he must had felt made my stomach plunge.





“The fight lasted three months, two of them in the rain. And when the fighting was over, the Arunans overtook the castles and crowned Hanri their King.”





“How noble and heroic.” I swallowed.





“When you have a cause that is important to the people, they will come together and fight for you. Even women fought during the battle.”





I looked up at him, my eyes wide with intrigue. “Did they really?”





“They did. Arunan women are still as tough as the men. They’re raised to be.”





I smiled. “Should be that way.”





Garrett brought his hands up on my back, his fingertips brushing my shirt, making me shudder. “I agree.”





I gazed at his chest, trying to keep any gasps from leaving my mouth. “Maybe you should have some women in your employ against the assassins, to obtain intel for you.”





Garrett squinted. “Do you mean you?”





“George would never allow it.”





“What were you thinking?”





“Whores.”





Garrett choked on a laugh. “I’m sorry, what?”





My lips quirked. “Whores. Don’t tell me you don’t know of them.” Garrett spun me around once, bringing me closer. Our bodies were so close together.