The scene was much brighter than her mood. Anger and hurt warred in her gut. Anger was winning the battle. How dare Kai bloody Stewart speak to her like that? How dare he accuse her of being jealous? Jealous! Asif!
But a traitorous little voice in the back of her head whispered,was he right?
No!she told herself fiercely. Of course he wasn’t right.I am not jealous!
But the voice persisted, taunting her with all the reasons why she might be jealous of Lorna—and why she might have accused her of being the mole. After all, Lorna was beautiful, clever, and sophisticated. She was everything that Caitlin was not—and there was clearly a history between her and Kai that he didn’t want to talk about.
She got up and began pacing the length of her room. This was ridiculous. They were here to stop Leif Snarlsson, and Kai was a distraction. The sooner they sorted this all out, the sooner she could find a way home. She had to focus and play her part in finding out who might be colluding with the enemy.
As she paced, she played events through her mind: everything that had happened since they’d arrived in the cliff-side keep. Had anyone seemed uneasy since their arrival? Had anyone been asking questions about them?
Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. She hurried to answer it and stopped dead when she saw Kai standing there. Her traitorous heart did a little dance at the sight of him, but she kept her expression neutral, her gaze cool.
“Kai,” she said, her voice guarded. “What brings ye here?”
“Caitlin,” Kai said. “We need to talk.”
“About what?” she asked, folding her arms across her chest.
“About earlier,” Kai said, his gaze locking onto hers. “I didnae mean to upset ye. We’re on the same side here.”
Caitlin felt a sudden surge of anger. “On the same side?” she repeated. “Is that really what you think? Because it didn’t feel like it when you accused me of being jealous of Lorna.”
Kai sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “I’m sorry, Caitlin. I shouldnae have said that. It’s just that...look, can I come in?”
Caitlin considered slamming the door in his face. She considered putting her arms around him and kissing him.
Instead, she shrugged. “If you want.”
He walked past her into the room and strode to the window, gazing out to sea as she’d been doing only moments ago. Caitlin shut the door and leaned on it, watching him. He seemed agitated, but she would be damned if she would do anything to make this easier on him.
Kai turned to face her but hesitated before speaking. “I wanted to apologize. I know ye wish to stop Leif Snarlsson as much as I do. I spoke out of turn. It was just a shock hearing ye accuse Lorna. I dinna wish things to be awkward between us.”
Caitlin narrowed her eyes. “Why?”
Kai took a step toward her. “Ye know why. Because I care about ye, Caitlin,” he said softly. “Ye are important to me.”
There was a vulnerability in his eyes that she hadn’t seen before. She took a deep breath, trying to control the feelings that were bubbling up inside her. She had to keep control.
“Then tell me the truth. What is between you and Lorna? Why are you so protective of her?”
Kai winced. He looked away, gathering his thoughts before continuing. “Lorna and I were close once,” he said, his voice tinged with regret. “It was a long time ago.”
Caitlin felt a twinge of... something. Jealousy? Disappointment? She couldn’t be sure. “And...and you still love her?” The words hurt to say them, but she had to know.
“No!” Kai cried. “Is that what ye think? No, Caitlin. I dinna love her. Not anymore.”
Caitlin felt a wave of relief wash over her, but she didn’t let it show. “Then why won’t you talk about the two of you? Why is it such a secret?”
Kai sighed. “It’s complicated, Caitlin. There are things about my past that are...difficult to talk about.”
Something inside her softened. That was something she could understand all too well. Didn’t they all have things in their pasts they didn’t want to talk about? Her more than most.
She reached out and touched his arm gently. “It’s alright,” she said. “You don’t have to explain if you don’t want to.”
Kai looked down at her hand on his arm then back up into her eyes. He smiled, a genuine smile that warmed her heart, and Caitlin felt herself relax for the first time since their argument.
“Are we good?” he said softly.
