Tears pricked my eyes. “They’re lovely. Thank you.”
“They’re just gloves. To keep you from dying when you inevitably do something reckless.”
Even if you’re running to him,his face seemed to say.
I fidgeted with the gloves.
“We needto leave.” He headed for the door.
I swallowed. “Right.”
Another beat of awful silence.
He gestured toward the hallway. “After you.”
I moved past him, and we shifted to avoid touching, creating an awkward shuffle near the doorframe.
“Sorry,” I muttered.
“It’s fine.”
It absolutely was not.
He didn’t trust me, and now we were supposed to stroll into a summit and convince everyone we were lovers?
This would be a disaster.
In a small clearing, warriors checked saddles on creatures that seemed to exist between worlds. They had the shape of horses, but their flesh was translucent, revealing glimpses of bone beneath skin that flickered between solid and spectral. Elongated skulls, almost elegant, with eye sockets that held swirling pools of silver.
When they moved, their hooves barely touched the ground, leaving prints that faded within a few heartbeats. Steam rose from their nostrils, and their manes flowed like liquid starlight.
Kairos held the reins of the largest—a magnificent creature whose hide rippled between obsidian and copper. Its head turned, its milky gaze fixing on me.
Kairos faced me. “Ever ridden a horse?”
“No, but Rheya and I used to sneak into the royal stables to feed them carrots. We hated how the stable hands treated them.”
Kairos adjusted the strap on the saddle. “They’re loyal beasts, but they can be overprotective.”
“What is he?”
“A mairen. Half-spirit. Bred for battle. They bond to a single rider for life.”
“He seems sweet. What’s his name?”
Kairos fisted the reins. “Morvaen.”
I caressed its flank, and its skin shivered. “Nice to meet you, darling.”
The mairen’s thick lips curled over sharp teeth. I offered it my hand. Its armored snout nudged my knuckles. A gust of warm air blew on me as it exhaled, and the ears flicked forward.
I stroked the steel covering its nose. “I guess we’re friends now.”
Kairos stared at me. “Do animals usually like you?”
I glanced at him. “Only the difficult ones.”
He grunted. “Is that your idea of flirting?”
