“And contrary to my actions, I do have restraint.” I held his stare. “But you also know more than anyone that it only lasts for so long.”
The silver aura behind his pupils pulsed as he stood there silently. His power retracted, and the golden sheen faded from his skin. Figuring he’d gotten the message, I stepped back.
I was wrong.
“Do you really think she won’t notice this shit between us?”
Not a single part of me thought that. Poppy was very observant—annoyingly so.
“You won’t be able to keep this from her,” he said, his voice low. “She’ll notice—”
“She’s not going to notice shit because you and I aren’t going to act as if there is any shit between us.”
Kieran’s laugh was less biting this time. “Are you kidding me? Someone blind, deaf, and half-dead would notice that things aren’t right. And she’s already asked.”
He had a point. And shehadasked.
“Then we’d better get our shit together,” I said with a tight-lipped smile. “But if you can’t handle it, you have the room closest to the Solar. If you prefer not beinginthe Solar, you’ll still be able to hear if anything happens.”
Kieran snorted. “With Poppy awake, I pity any idiot who attempts to make a move against her.”
“As do I,” I replied. “But I’m not worried about the typical idiot. Kolis is out there. He could still be a wraith, or he could have a physical form now. Either way, he can project his whatever the fuck it’s called.”
“Hisvellá,”Kieran said.
Of course, he remembered that. For a moment—just a second—the normalcy was a relief.
I ruined that in the next breath. “Can you handle it?”
“I can handle it,” he gritted out.
“Perfect.” I moved back. “Now, if you don’t mind, I need to go find the fucking generals.”
“Murin is beyond the city’s Rise.” He paused. “I believe he’s holding afternoon training if that is what you’re looking for.” His gaze met mine. “And that’d better be what you’re looking for.”
Tension continued building in the muscles of my back. Becauseheknew what I was like when I was wired too tightly. He knew what I needed. Fight. Fuck. Or pain. One of the three in excess worked. But since the kind of fucking it took was out of the question, that left the other two. So, I knew what he was getting at. And it was like a fucking punch to the gut.
“I’m past that point in my life,” I bit out, holding his stare. “I know who I am.”
“I would hope.”
“You should.” I rolled my shoulders back. “After the generals, I’m going to feed on someone who is hopefully not fucking Emil.”
“That may be a problem.”
I briefly closed my eyes and took a deep breath. “Why?”
“Naill and Perry are both on patrol, and Hisa is with Lizeth,” he shared, smirking. “Emil is the only one in Wayfair you trust enough.”
Fuck me.
I pivoted.
“Cas.”
Every muscle in me locked, forcing me to stop.
“I won’t say anything to her.” He paused. “For now.”
