“And if Ruaala’s soul is in Zyos?”
The lost realm.
“If her soul gem was made, don’t you think that’s unlikely?” I asked. “She has a tether here.”
Again, I got the sense that he knew more than he was letting on, especially when it came to Ruaala. But I had time. I didn’t want to press too hard, considering that Ruaala was tied to his own family’s legacy. Were there things hecouldn’ttell me? Noble houses were always tight lipped about their private matters, their secrets held together tightly like a tapestry. But maybe with time, Kythel would learn he could trust me.
I would let it go for now. Instead, I listened to the rush of the storm outside and the steady thud of Kythel’s heart.
“Do they not call to you? The moon winds?” I asked, changing the subject.
“You called to me more this night. I’m content to miss them,” came his unexpected reply.
“Oh.” It was all I could think to say, as a pleased smile stretched itself over my lips.
Kythel watched it unfurl, his blackened eyes dropping to my mouth. When he met my gaze again, he asked, “What will you do now?”
“Now that I don’t work at thedyaananymore?”
He inclined his head, but I got the feeling that he hadn’t meant that at all.
Ididneed to speak with him, since he owned the cottage and the surrounding land.
As if reading my thoughts, he stilled and asked, “You can’t mean to livehere, Millie.”
It shamed me to say it, but it couldn’t be helped. “I lived at thedyaan. I have nowhere else to go, Kythel.”
I couldn’t even afford to rent a room at an inn or common lodgings in the village either. Not until I found steady work again. Before Lesana had taken me in, I’d seen how difficult that could be for a human on Krynn. I’d been rejected more times than I could count. My only skills were cooking and talking. Both had proven necessary at RaanaDyaan, but where else could I go now?
“Then you’ll live at the keep.”
“No,” I said quickly.
He rose a brow. “No? You find my keepabhorrent?”
I rolled my eyes, knowing he was being extra prickly about this. “Of course not. But that’s not a good idea. And you know it.”
Kythel licked his bottom lip, the flash of his black tongue making me remember the way it had made me tingle from his feeding. My body tightened as he shifted beneath me.
“Then I’ll place you in a house in one of the villages,” he said. “Would you prefer Raana or Erzan?”
Again, that would make me feel like a kept mistress.
“No,” I said quietly. “I want to stay here. If you’ll allow it.”
“But I won’t allow it,” he answered, his tone infinitely patient, setting my teeth on edge even as I smiled.
“No?” I asked, leaning forward. He seemed to stop breathing when I pressed my lips to his. I kissed him once, twice until his hands were gripping my hips tighter. Softly, I said, “It’s important to me. To be here. I feel connected to my father here. I know that he built this cottage with her. I found his marking in the kiln.Please, Kythel. Allow me to stay here. It won’t cost you a single thing, but it will mean everything to me.”
“It’s not safe,” he argued. “There is no living soul close by. There are stilllyvinsin these woods.”
“I’ve not seen one,” I argued.Lyvinswere large wolf-like creatures. I’d seen pictures of them in the universal databases. I thought them quite cute, actually, if I could look past their sharp fangs.Andtheir penchant for entrails.
“It doesn’t mean they aren’t here. They used to be all over this region of Stellara,” he said firmly. “No.”
I pressed my lips together.
“There’s not even a bed here,” he argued when he noticed my look. “Where will you sleep?”
