“I tried, love.” Uther raised his hands. “But Kai’s spent a century in a prison with zero female company. He genuinely forgot that you can smell a lie faster than we can smell blood.”
Kairos growled at him. “Traitor.”
Uther shrugged as I knelt beside Kairos, inhaling the scent of his blood. There was so much of it, spread across his ribs, pooled in the hollows of his abdomen. I dug in my satchel and pulled on the gloves.
“All of you, out,” Kairos barked.
Boots shuffled as they obeyed his command. Then the door closed, and we were alone.
“Aelie, you don’t have to?—”
“Shut up.”
A rune throbbed on a bolt sticking from his side, spreading dark red lines where it pierced him. Looking at the injury, I shook my head. No wonder human rebellions were so short-lived. How could we fight against weapons like these?
A crackle of magic shot up my arm as I touched the rune. The gloves protected me, but as the threads slipped loose, they lashed me. I gritted my teeth, pinching a thread that squirmed from my grip. I twisted, and it cracked with a burst of light.
Kairos sagged forward as I eased out the bolt. Slowly, the wound closed until the angry slash faded to a swollen pink, then a ghostly white line. Color returned to his face, his breathing steadying while his shoulders drooped.
“Th-thank you.”
I tossed the bolt aside.
Kairos’s grimace relaxed into a pained smile, his moonlight hair plastered to his neck. Streaks of blood across his naked torso flowed back inside him.
“Is all that blood yours?” I asked roughly.
He glanced down. “Most of it.”
“Most of it?”
“A Caelir bastard shot me from the sky.” He smiled, his eyes gleaming. “So I ripped him down and snapped his wings. He died quick. I was tired, and there were six more coming at me.”
“What about your warriors?” I demanded. “Any oftheminjured?”
Kairos grabbed a towel, wiping his neck. “Some.”
“Some,” I echoed flatly.
“Hmm. You’re upset with me.”
“You made everyone swear to keep me in the dark. I’ve been in the library reading bard songs like a fool while you’re here. Iknewsomething was wrong.”
He grinned. “You’re quite passionate when you’re angry. Has anyone told you that?”
“Don’t change the subject.”
“I’m not. I’m genuinely impressed.” He tilted his head, studying me. “You kicked open the door.”
“Kairos.”
“It’s attractive.”
I wanted to strangle him. “You have a runebreaker. The only one in existence. And you’re suffering from ableedingrune.Do you see how insane that is? Stop trying to protect me from myself. I’m not going to shatter because I helped you.”
He sighed. “It goes against every instinct I have.”
“What are you talking about?”
