I blinked, startled by the steel in his voice.
“Why?” Lioren protested. “We’ve just started testing her abilities.”
Kairos glowered at him. “I said no.”
“These trials are necessary,” Lioren pressed. “Pain is not uncommon when a human interacts with rune magic. If we can establish patterns?—”
Bristling, Kairos got up. “I will not watch her bleed to satisfy your curiosity.”
Lioren’s face flushed.
“Well, this is new,” Uther drawled, looking far too entertained. “Is this the same king who dislocated my shoulder in training and told me to walk it off?”
Kairos shot him a look. “I can dislocate the other shoulder.”
“My brother’s right.” Elwen picked up the shield from the floor. “There has to be a way to protect her.”
Kairos stalked to the door. “Until we figure that out, we’re done here.”
The archivist’s jawtightened.
So Lioren wanted answers. Elwen wanted me protected. Uther just wanted entertainment. And Kairos…I had no idea.
He glared at me pointedly. I stood as he yanked open the door. I followed him out, jumping as the heavy wood slammed shut. He charged down the hallway, and I jogged behind him.
I didn’t understand him. Yesterday, he’d caught me with the supplies. Made me believe he was going to kiss me, then humiliated me to prove a point. But in there? The way he’d held my hand…
I shoved the thought away. “Kairos?”
He didn’t slow down.
I grabbed his arm, forcing him to stop. “Why did you take me out of there? You said I needed training.”
He turned, eyes blazing. “Training. Not torture.”
“I was fine.”
“You weren’t,” he said quietly. “You were already in pain after the rock. Then the shield—you kept pushing through it, like harming yourself is the cost of being useful.”
“So? You would’ve fixed me.”
“Who do you think I am?”
“You’re practical. Ruthless when you need to be.” I blinked, thrown by his heated glare. “What?”
“I don’t hurt people like that.”
I frowned. “It’s not hurting. Vaeris healed me when we practiced. It wasn’t fun, but he always put me back together.”
Kairos raked a hand through his hair. “You have to stop destroying yourself for males who don’t deserve it. Starting with me.”
Then he turned and walked off.
My chest tightened. Vaeris had never stopped a session.He’d pushed me through it, praised me for my endurance, told me the pain meant I was getting stronger. And I’d believed him.
Kairos took one look at my blistered palm and shut everything down.
No, he was just saying what I wanted to hear. Like yesterday, when he made me forget myself. Manipulation. That’s all it was.
