I squeezed his fingers hard. “What’s down there?”
I pointed down the descending staircase. A strange groan rose from the depths.
Soren glanced at it. “The oldest parts of the palace. Even I don’t venture there.”
“Why not?” I asked.
“The deep remembers what the surface has forgotten,” Soren said ominously.
Kairos rolled his eyes at his back.
We stopped before pearlescent doors. Soren palmed the rune in the middle, and they swung open.
Massive windows revealed the depths of the sea—dark water stretching endlessly, and in the center sat a bed. It was covered in indigo blankets threaded with silver.
“Oh,” I breathed. “This is gorgeous.”
He turned to leave. “The summit is tomorrow, at the seventh chime. Don’t be late.”
The doors shut behind Soren with a softclick.
31
ONLY ONE BED
Soren’s footsteps vanished, and I finally breathed.
Kairos’s shoulder brushed mine as he moved to a low table. He threw himself in the chair, legs spread wide. Then he grabbed a dark blue bottle, his hand dwarfing the glass.
He yanked the stopper free with his teeth, spat it aside, and drank from the neck. The column of his throat worked as he tipped his head and guzzled the spirits. His lips glistened. Gods, he was distracting. Even while drinking.
I approached him. “Can I have some of that?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
He set the bottle down, the crystal singing. “You need your wits about you. I need to be numb.”
I shifted, uncomfortable. Was pretending to be with me that painful?
He glared at me, drinking. Strands of silver-white hair came loose from his tie, falling across his face. It softened him. I wanted to brush it back.
“Kairos.”
He ignored me, bringing the bottle to his lips again.
I crossed the room and reached for the crystal. His hand clamped around it, holding firm even as I tugged. Our fingers overlapped, his scarred knuckles pressed against mine. His hands were massive. Rough. I thought about them on my waist, in my hair, and I bit on my lip.
“Let go.”
His eyes blazed. “No.”
I jerked harder, but he didn’t budge. “You can’t sit here and drown yourself in spirits.”
“Yes, I can.” His grip tightened. “You have the rarest ability in the world, and I brought you to the one place where I can’t protect you.”
My breath caught.
