I turned toward the tiny dining table. Exhaustion crept in, and I dragged myself to a chair and sat. Kit followed suit, sitting beside me and leaning back in his chair to pull a sheathed dagger from his belt. I recognized the handle as the one Matina had shown Levitt and Merrick in the forge earlier. It was the knife Kit said he’d made for me.
He set it on the table, then nudged it toward me. “I know you’re capable of defending yourself with words, at least, but this might help with the rest. Just try not to use it on your brother.”
I reached for the knife and lifted it. I hadn’t seen the sheath before, carved leather and hand-stitched, meticulously engraved with the image of a bird with fire on its wings instead of feathers. I thought of Kit’s tattoo, the one he’d used to cover up Eeus’s mark. This creature looked similar. A phoenix, mythical and immortal, able to rise from its ashes and be reborn.
For all of Kit’s comments about having no knack for artistry, he did a fine job on the etching. It was beautiful, and the thought of how much time and effort he must have invested in creating it caused my heart to stutter.
“You and I are alike,” Kit said, “in more ways than I realized.” He stretched his hand across the table and laid it atop mine. His soot-stained fingers wrapped around my scarred ones. “We’ve both endured suffering and come out of it new.” He scooted closer, turning so his knees bumped into mine.
The distance, or lack of it, felt intimate, and I found myself leaning in as well.
“I admire you, Penny. You have so much light and fire…”
He paused to chew his lip, but I didn’t dare cut in because every word felt so important. I set the dagger down and focused wholly on him as he continued.
“I lived my life in the dark for years before you showed up. The world felt cold and distant, and I thought that was it for me, that what I had was all I deserved.” His contemplative look relaxed, and he met my eyes. The flecks of gold there were like sunlight dancing off water. He squeezed my hand. “But you’re warm and bright, and being close to you feels… right. I know I said you had me suffering, but honestly? I think you brought me out of it.”
Ifeltwarm now, from my face all the way to my feet. I was tingling and so hot I might have been sweating again.
As the quiet stretched on, Kit’s gaze cut away. He seemed to ponder, and I held my breath until he spoke again.
“Thoma thinks you’re handsome.”
It was so abrupt that all I could do was stammer. “What? When did he say that?”
“This afternoon. He and Reimond came by the shop and helped me clean up.”
I regretted abandoning him with the mess, but intrigue overrode my guilt. “And you all talked about me?”
Kit shrugged one shoulder. “A bit.”
He had yet to release my hand, and I wondered if he realized he was still holding on. It may have been testing my luck, but I rolled my hand over so I could press my palm against his and weave our fingers together.
Kit responded by tightening his grip. “He’s right. Youarequite handsome.”
My breath hitched. “You... You think so?”
He nipped at his lip again, but barely a second passed before he admitted, “I do.”
I felt sick in the best possible way.
If I hadn’t already been sitting, I would have needed to then. Under the table, I feared my knees were knocking, and it was all I could do to squeak out a question.
“What else do you think about me?”
Kit huffed a laugh. I expected him to change the subject, to get up and check the beans slowly simmering or insist we needed coffee right that minute. But he stayed, holding my hand tight while pressing his leg into mine.
“I think about...” He looked out the window, taking a moment to gather his thoughts. “Staying up half the night talking, how excited you get to show me your leatherworking, how this house never felt like home until I lived in it with you. I never minded silence or solitude before you came along. Now, I can’t stand it, like something is missing anytime we’re apart.”
“I feel that way, too,” I murmured, then cursed myself for interrupting, but Kit just smiled.
“Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about the time you kissed me.”
My eyes stretched wide as I stared at him, this gorgeous man telling meIwas handsome, admitting he thought about me, maybe even in the way I thought about him. And the kiss… the thing I’d almost convinced myself to regret…
“You have?” My voice was a rasp.
Kit nodded. “I think I’d like to try it again.”
