“It’s only polite,” I said, grappling for words as his nearing presence made my nerves spike. My neck craned back when he stopped mere feet away. “An heir to the Kaalium should know better.”
A gruff laugh tumbled from his lips, unexpected and surprising.
Then, when that laugh slowly died away, for a seemingly endless moment, we regarded one another.
I jumped when a loud burst of laughter poured out from the entrance of RaanaDyaan, a couple guests leaving, chatting amicably on the front courtyard. Then I heard the gust of their wings. Silence came again. A breeze blew between us, and I watched Kythel’s nostrils flare.
I shrank back into the tree. A slight movement. But he noticed.
He turned his gaze sharply away, the profile of his regal features on display as he regarded Stellara.
And perhaps it was the soft quiet in his voice or the darkness of the alleyway, but I admitted, “I’m looking for a cottage within Stellara’s borders. Do you know of one?”
If anyone did, it would be him.
His only reaction was a brief tightening of his lips. My heart sped in hope.
“You do, don’t you?” I asked.
“No,” he said, meeting my gaze, his eyes hard like flint. “No, I don’t.”
I was certain I’d seen otherwise, however.
There was a lengthy pause.
“You do know that there are many places in Stellara where the realm is thin, yes?” he asked.
“Yes,” I answered. I’d heard stories of the realms all my life from my father. But experiencing them was an entirely different thing. The first time I’d felt a soul brush against me in the forest, I’d nearly jumped out of my skin.
“The forest is pocketed with thinning veils. From an ancient war. The living realm never rebuilt itself. Never healed,” he informed me. “It’s safe. They cannot hurt you. But go carefully. It wouldn’t be the first time someone lost their way in Stellara.”
The ominous words hung like a whisper between us.
“Good night,sasiral,” Kythel said, finally turning away.
His words hung in the air long after he was gone.
CHAPTER9
KYTHEL
Pathetic,I thought, slumping into the plush black chair in the lounge at RaanaDyaan. My third time in three nights. I couldn’t stay away.
Rolling my tight neck around my shoulders, I caught Kaldur’s look from across the table. His smirk irritated me. Luckily Thaine wasn’t here tonight. He’d left for his province just this morning. Kaldur would be departing tomorrow.
“What?” I growled, the warning evident in my tone.
A silver goblet of Drovos wine, thick and blue, slid in front of me by a server who was not Millie. My mood only darkened.
“Where is the human woman tonight?” Kaldur asked the server over his own goblet of brew, flashing her a charming grin. “She was in here a few nights ago.”
The Kylorr female bristled with the sudden attention but smoothed her expression quickly. “Millie? She was serving earlier. But now she’s working with Draan in the kitchen.”
That was curious. She’d told me her father was a culinarian but not that she was herself.
“Does she typically work in the kitchen? Or in the lounge?” I asked.
“In the lounge,” the server answered. “Most nights.”
