Landin pushed himself off the wall, his arms falling to his sides as he closed the distance between us. “Are we starting to keep secrets from each other now?”
“No,” I said quickly, shaking my head. “It’s just… I’ve barely gotten out from under his thumb.”
“And now you want to get under a different part of him.” His grin was teasing.
“Landin,” I snapped, managing to keep my jaw from dropping, “is this how you talk to your Leader Superior?”
“This is how I talk to my best friend.”
“You keep reminding me of that, as if you’re worried about losing the title.” I viewed him skeptically. “And since when are you so tolerant when discussing Erik?”
He rolled his eyes. “I enjoy reminding you because you were my friend before you became my Leader Superior. And for the record, if the Lysians harm you, all tolerance is gone. Until then, I’m trying to follow your lead. And Willis’s, I suppose. Just know that if it comes to acting in your best interest opposed to the greater good ofwhatever, then I will choose you.”
I narrowed my eyes at him, though his words struck deeper than I cared to admit. “That’s a dangerous sentiment.”
“I willalwayschoose you,” he said firmly.
“Don’t say that,” I said quickly, the weight of his words tightening my chest. “You are Bavadrin.” The reminder meant as much for me as it was for him.
“You’re family,” he shot back. “And don’t pretend you wouldn’t do the same for me. You already have.”
The words twisted something inside me. “Landin…”
His eyes softened, filled with understanding, as he pushed toward the memory I wished he hadn’t brought up. The night I gave up Fraser. The night I chose Landin over my duty. The night I defied the Bavadrin ways to save him.
Before either of us could say more, a firm knock interrupted the moment.
Willis stepped inside. Behind him, two Lysians followed. Both were imposing, their gazes immediately pinning me in place. One’s eyes were dark pools of blue, the other’s cold as ice.
Regaining the movement of my legs, I strode towards them.
“The Lysian King and his travel companion have arrived,” Willis stated the obvious, as if I had not known that they approached.
I smiled politely. “Thank you. You may go now, Willis.” I twisted around, adding, “you too, Landin.”
Landin slowly made his way to the exit, as if to make sure I was confident that I wished to be left alone with the Lysians. He left when I did not change my mind.
Erik glanced around the room before his gaze slid back to me, and he commented. “Leadership suits you.”
I scoffed. “As if you would know what kind of leader I am.”
“I do,” he said with a certainty that begged to be challenged.
Instead, I addressed the other Lysian in the room. His thick blond hair was pushed back by the wind of travel. “Kole, it’s good to see you.”
He nodded, his icy blue gaze sliding over me to my toes before traveling back up to my face. “You hide some power in that little Bavadrin body of yours.” There was no trace of that anger he had directed at me the last time we had been together. When he viewed me as an enemy.
“I never wanted to hurt you,” I said, remembering when I took the breath from him, causing him to keel over.
Kole stiffened and frowned. “You didn’t.” Still, he did not like appearing weak in any way.
I smiled. “Either way, I am sorry.”
“No need for that.” He stood up straighter, folding his arms over his chest. It was the same Kole I had grown to know in the Lysian lands, the brooding guard. And when he looked at me, it was with the same crystal eyes I found a comfortable familiarity in. I stared at him till he asked, “What?”
“I could have sworn you would have been furious with me.”
“Well, that’s what you get for assuming all Lysians are just angry, menacing animals.”
