“Why not?”
I shrug. “You might need it.”
Kalden’s mouth quirks up a bit. “I have more of those inside.”
“So, you’re not gifting me some rare, special necklace?” I tease while pulling the golden chain around my head and settling the sunstone pendant atop my ragged bodysuit.
“I like seeing you wear my things.” His irises glint for a moment before he shifts on his feet, kicking a loose pebble free from the wooden planks of the suspended bridge. “Technically, I could’ve drawn from it to heal Gem’s head injury from the falling debris, but I wasn’t sure how you’d react, and I didn’t want to chance it. I’m sorry.”
I dip my head to acknowledge his apology. “I probably would’ve freaked.”
“Maybe, maybe not. You’re handling all of this better than most who are forced to confront the fact that their entire belief system is built on a lie.”
“Give it a few days. Once the shock wears off, I might just go ballistic,” I tease with a breathy chuckle.
Kalden’s head tilts to the side. “That would be a valid response, you know.”
“To be honest, I think part of me isn’t all that surprised. After Gabe and I divorced, I had to face a lot of ugly truths about Caligo—truths that I’m ashamed to say I didn’t really grasp until they had a direct negative impact on me. The Hunt’s eligibility system is an obvious issue, but it’s just another symptom of the discriminatory tiers. They bleed into everything. If you aren’t an able-bodied male, you get little say in what jobs you’re allowed to work, where you’re allowed to live, who you’re allowed to love. Little boys are sent to organized learning programs, while the girls stay home with their mothers to learn how to cook, clean, sew, speak, not speak, and any other domestic duty deemed necessary for fulfilling our primary purpose in life: supporting our future husband. It’s a system that does more than foster our codependency. It rewards it, which doesn’t make fora functional relationship for any of us.”
I press my palm onto my forehead and lean against the cool glass of Kalden’s home before continuing, “All that to say, I already knew how much Chancellor Bren and his purists loved to twist a narrative for their gain. It’s shitty, recognizing how deep the brainwashing goes, but is it weird if I also feel relief? The truth equips me to choose possibilities I didn’t know existed. And for the first time in a while, I feel . . . empowered. Like the future is truly mine to choose.”
“It is.” Kalden smiles, and holy shadows, I forgot how breathtaking happiness looks on him. “So, what would you like to do next?”
I turn, taking a few steps away as I pretend to mull it over. Finally, I spin on my heel, stopping right in front of the arched glass door set within a gilded frame.
“I’d like you to let me in.” I rush to tack on, “If you’d like.”
Kalden’s grin brightens, sending a wave of heat through my veins more potent than the sun itself. He steps towards me, close enough for me to see each individual fleck of gold in his irises and the gleaming umber strands that fall against his temples.
“I’d like nothing more.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Silken sheets caressmy skin as I wake in the predawn hour the next morning, basking in the scent of smoky bergamot.
I try to roll closer to the edge of the bed, but the warm, sturdy arm wrapped tightly around my waist prevents me from doing so.
A fervor pools low in my stomach from last night’s memories.
After inviting me in, Kalden had given me a tour of his modest one-bedroom home, indulging my every little inquiry about his various books and knickknacks. He’d even offered me a change of clothes and privacy as I’d ripped the disgusting leathers from my body. By the time we made it to his bed, the sun had finished its descent beneath the horizon, and we’d both succumbed to our exhaustion.
Despite the lack of physical entanglement, it was quite possibly the most intimate evening I’ve ever spent with a man. Never have I felt so in control—or so valued for my mere presence alone, not what I can offer—than when I’m with Kalden. As many questions as I had for him, he had for me. And not once did his eyes wander or glaze over, even when I rambled on about rebuilding my life post-divorce with Gem and Taurance, and the anxieties of starting over yet again.
Gem believes I’m going to like it here in Lucis, and I already do.
I’m sure, in time, its flaws will be revealed, along with Kalden’s. That’s the thing, though. No one is without flaws, but finding somewhere or someone that allows us to reveal those imperfections and accepts them exactly as we are . . . Well, that’s enough to make a girl feel like she’s home.
A beam of amber light shines through the circular window at the top of the ceiling’s dome, and Kalden finally stirs. He tightens his grip on my waist, rolling me over until I’m pinned between his arms.
“Good morning,” he says, curls falling along his face as he presses a kiss on my forehead.
I lift my fingers to brush them through his disheveled hair. “Did you sleep well?”
He dips his chin. “Too well. How long have you been up?”
“Long enough to discover you’re more animated while unconscious than when you’re awake.”
His angular brows raise, but only slightly. “I doubt that.”
