With his help, I slowly get to my feet and test my weight on the sore leg. It holds, barely.
Then I glance down—and freeze.
My tunic is lying a few yards away, and I'm standing here in nothing but my soaked underwear.
I look down at my plain underwear, which is all wet, leaving my breasts almost visible. I go red and turn to him.
If he's looking at me like that, he's definitely noticed my tunic is missing. His eyes slowly meet mine. The tension is real, and it's not just anger anymore! I swallow hard. My breathing speeds up and matches his.
He moves his face closer to mine, slowly. I feel like he wants to kiss me. I've been kissed very little in my life. There was that one time with Rayan on BN-35, an inexperienced kiss on both his and my sides. And twiceby Henri, at public events, cold, chaste kisses. But with Pherebos, I have a feeling it's going to be different.
His mouth is now really close to mine. I can feel her breath mixing with mine. I start to feel a bit nervous.
“Gnuffgnuff! Gnuffgnuff!” Wingo squeals, racing toward us like a furry missile.
“Pherebos is home! Pherebos is home!” he chants, bouncing up and down with excitement.
Well, there goes my chance to find out what Pherebos’s kisses taste like. And judging by the look on his face, he’s just as frustrated as I am.
“Wingo, you can help by taking Ileana’s tunic back to the complex,” Pherebos says, his voice tight but composed.
Back in my room, I dry off and change quickly. My calf still aches, but it’s not nearly as bad as before. I decide to take it easy for the rest of the day.
I take a deep breath and head back to the common area, bracing myself for whatever lecture Pherebos has in store.
“WINGOOO! How many times do I have to tell you? Stop taking my stuff! You’ve already got a mountain of toys—give it back, now!”
Our furry friend looks up at him with the most innocent eyes imaginable. He’s adorable like that—wide-eyed, ears perked, tail swishing like he’s never done anything wrong in his life. If I hadn’t already caught him hoarding little trinkets in his den in the corner of the lounge, I might actually believe him.
“Wingo,” Pherebos says, his tone firm.
The adorable thief lowers his ears and slinks off to his stash. A moment later, he returns with something in his trunk—a beautifully carved wooden object I recognize immediately. It’s the handle of a dagger from Pherebos’s world. The blade’s long gone, but he kept the handle as a keepsake. It’s intricate, delicate, and clearly important to him.
“Nothing else?” Pherebos asks, arms crossed.
Wingo disappears again and comes back with… my hairbrush.
I shoot him a glare. He just grins, tongue lolling out the side of his mouth like he’s proud of himself.
Pherebos raises an eyebrow and says, “Don’t let that innocent face fool you. I’ve known him a long time—he’ll be back at it the moment we turn our backs. Once we’re done dealing with Wingo’s antics and Ileana’s rule-breaking, I suggest we grab a bite. I rushed home, and I’m starving. We’ll deal with the cargo later.”
The three of us settle around the low coffee table. Wingo once told me the legs used to be much taller, but Pherebos cut them down so they could all eat together. I thought that was surprisingly thoughtful of him.
I serve the vegetable confit I made earlier, trying not to look too proud. Pherebos raises an eyebrow again but doesn’t say a word.
We eat in silence, but it doesn’t last. The calm is quickly broken by Pherebos’s laser focus.
“I’m officially renewing the ban on going near the lake,” he says. “As you can see, it’s dangerous.”
“Nonsense,” I shoot back. “There’s nothing wrong with that lake. I was out there every morning while you were gone. Swimming is good for me.”
His eyes darken, stormy and intense. I start to wonder if this is how it’s always going to be between us—this push and pull.
“I just saw what happened. If I hadn’t come back two days early…” His voice catches.
“It wasn’t the lake’s fault,” I say, softer now. “It was my calf. That’s never happened to me before.”
“And it won’t happen again,” he says firmly. “You’re clearly stubborn. But from now on, you’ll listen to me.”
