“Veki.”
“But Khiva—”
“One thing you should know about Keriv’i males,leeldra, is that our pride burns bright, despite our circumstance,” he told her simply. He would not accept her charity.
Evelyn bit her lip, but then said, with a surprisingly stubborn tone, “I will convince you eventually.”
“You are certainly welcome to try.” Khiva’s arms tightened around her. “Do you feel well enough to stand?”
Evelyn nodded and Khiva hauled them up from the ground. “Good. Because I plan to take you to bed and hold you until morning. No more talk of this for now.”
“But Khiva—”
“Veki. Please,leeldra, I just want to be with you tonight. Without her coming between us.Pax?”
He was glad when her expression slowly softened in understand. And while Khiva knew they would speak on this subject much, much more, for now, she let it go.
“Pax,” she whispered back.
Chapter Twenty-One
Genni dragged Eve out to dinner on Restaurant Row the following night, although Eve was by no means up for it. She realized, as they finished their meals, that she didn’t know the hottest new restaurants or the chefs that had impressed socialites lately. Probably due to the fact that she no longer poured over her Nu tablet and copies of the Gazette whenever she was at home.
What Eve was acutely aware of, however, was that Khiva was within a few blocks. Madame Allegria’s lay just behind Restaurant Row, in the quieter part of the Night District. With a sear of jealousy that threatened to make her sick, she realized that he was with another woman right at that moment.
Taking a deep breath, she tried to focus on what Genni was chattering about, but Eve found she couldn’t bring herself to care. Their friendship had been rocky at best, downright nonexistent at worst since their fight the morning after Eve lost her virginity to Khiva. It was painfully obvious that Genni was trying to repair it, but Eve wasn’t as receptive as she used to be.
She’d begun to realize that for years and years, she’d allowed Genni freedoms that she shouldn’t have. Genni was the aggressor in their friendship and because of it, the relationship had become skewed and selfish. And foolishly, Eve had allowed it because she’d been so damned lonely.
Right then, however, though she’d been torn down and emotionally exhausted by what Khiva had admitted to her last night, she felt strong.
“Let’s go dancing afterwards,” Genni said and Eve knew it wasn’t a question. “I know of this place close by.”
“No, I’m just going to go home,” Eve said.
“It’s so early, Eve,” Genni responded, waving her hand. “Besides, you owe me a night out, since your Krave has been taking up most of your time and thoughts.”
Krave.
“His name is Khiva,” Eve found herself saying. “And I’ll be going home after we pay. I’m tired. I just want to go to sleep.”
Genni shrugged but Eve knew she was irritated by the stiffness of her shoulders as she fiddled with her utensils.
“Can I ask you something?” Eve asked softly. She’d only finished half her meal because she hadn’t had much of an appetite since last night, despite Khiva ordering her breakfast earlier that morning.
Another shrug as Genni looked around the restaurant.
“Why are you friends with me?”
The question was surprisingly easy to ask. But just a few weeks ago, Eve would never have asked it.
Thatcaught Genni’s attention and her blue eyes connected with Eve’s brown eyes. “What?”
“Why are you friends with me?” Eve asked again slowly. “If you think about it, we’ve been friends for a long, long time, and yet, we have very little in common. Are you friends with me because you want to be? Or because you’re scared not to be? Because I’m comfortable for you?”
“That’s a ridiculous question, Evelyn,” Genni said, using her full name. But unlike when Khiva said it, Eve wasn’t charmed.
“We’ve been through a lot with each other,” Eve continued. “Schooling, first jobs, losing loved ones. It’s a lot of history, a lot of time.”
