A weight landed on my chair, and his knuckles brushed my shoulder. My heart jumped, and I clenched my jaw until it passed.
“Just looking,” he murmured. “My guards report that you’re always in here. What are you studying?”
“Nothing in particular.”
He circled the chair. He must have come from the baths.His silver-white hair was damp, and he smelled like cedar and something mineral. His loosely fitted shirt was laced halfway down his chest. I hated that someone so dangerous had been made so easy to look at.
An image flashed through my mind—attendants soaping him, running cloths over those muscled shoulders. Females, probably. Beautiful fae who got to touch him.
I gritted my teeth. I had no right to be jealous.
Kairos plunked himself into a chair. Even slouched, he was striking—sharp jaw, full mouth, those amber eyes that saw everything. Then he grabbed a book off the stack and studied the cover. “First Blood: The Beginner’s Manual to Blood Runes.Should I be concerned?”
I snatched it from him, my fingers brushing his. “It’s research.”
“What kind?”
“I need to understand my captor.”
His lips twitched. “You could ask me.”
“You’ve been gone and…you have better things to do than talk to me.”
“Nothing more interesting than watching you plot against me.”
“My, we’re paranoid, aren’t we?”
“You’re right. I’m being unreasonable.” His mouth pulled into a devastating grin, and I hated how my stomach dipped. “Though one of my warriors reported a missing dagger. And last night, the kitchen staff noticed bread and dried meat walking off on their own. Strange.”
I lifted my chin. “Maybe you should hire more attentive guards.”
His smile vanished. “Maybe I should lock you in a tower.”
I waited for the smirk to reappear, but his stony expressionstayed perfectly still. A dark thrill raced down my spine. The way he looked at me—like he couldtake me—should’ve made me bolt for the door.
“You could do that, but you won’t.”
His eyebrow arched. “Won’t I?”
“Because then I’d loathe you, and you don’t want that. You care what I think of you.”
“I’ve survived a hundred years of people hating me. One more won’t break me.”
“Then why does being compared to Vaeris make you so upset?”
“Because Vaeris is a cunt.”
My lips twitched. Fair enough.
He hadn't even shown up to my execution. Couldn't be bothered to watch me die. His parting gift was hope—a deal that would've shattered the second the blade fell.
I looked away, blinking hard.
Warm fingers covered mine, and the hardness in his eyes softened. Not much, but enough that heat swooped low in my stomach. He had no business being this gentle when I needed to hate him.
“What are you doing?”
His thumb traced my knuckles.
