“How so?” Marr asked slowly, pursing her slim gray lips.
“Why, with a South Road committee, of course!” Millie exclaimed, her eyes wide, as if it were obvious. “The travelers and merchants will need assistance when they arrive to Erzos. The caravans bringing all the beautiful and new imports from the South will be needing direction and guidance to the markets and to the shops in Raana. Who better to lead it than you, Marr? You grew up here, you know and love Erzos, yes? Who better to share its beauty with the southerners who travel the road…and who better to ensure that all Erzos customs are adhered to?”
This cunning little creature…
“I see your point.” Marr sniffed primly. “Wewillneed such a service, or else it would be chaos.”
Chaos? I nearly snorted in exasperation, but I knew when to stay silent. Especially when it came to Kylorr like Marr.
“Think on it,” Millie encouraged, squeezing her shoulder one last time. “But I’m sure theKyzairewould approve a committee for such a thing, wouldn’t you,Kyzaire?”
Marr turned her mistrustful gaze to mine, but for the first time, she was actually waiting for me to speak.
My gaze flitted to Millie, promising punishment later—but only the kind she would enjoy.
“I’ll think on it,” I said, knowing my answer would drive Marr mad. But at least it would give her something else to obsess over. Already I could see her making counterarguments in her head. “If you draw up plans for a committee, Marr, I will look over them and see if one would be necessary. We can meet at my keep to discuss it.”
That flustered her a little. Because I didn’t think she’d ever expected to be invited to the keep. But Millie was right. It would be better to have her on my side than against me. Not that I was worried a Kylorr female would cause serious problems for the South Road in the long run…but it was true that she was an anchor within Erzos. A familiar face who most Kylorr respected.
“Perhaps I will,” Marr said, her tone all pomp. She turned away from us without another word, likely already going over all the points she would lay out in her proposal.
“You might’ve created a monster,” I said quietly when Millie and I were alone. I studied her, my gaze running over her features, delighting in the dark brown spots dappled across the bridge of her nose and the way the corners of her eyes crinkled up when she smiled.
She leaned forward, and I took a step closer.
“Sometimes people just need to feel involved in something they fear. That way it makes that fear a little less frightening and they feel like they have some sense of control over it,” Millie told me conspiratorially, giving me a small wink. “Marr would make a better ally than an enemy for you. She might not be from a noble House, but her influence stretches throughout Erzos. I haven’t been here long, and even I can see that.”
I chuffed out a sharp breath, affection building in my chest, something I was becoming more and more wary of with every passing day.
“You see everything, don’t you,sasiral? You see more than most,” I told her gruffly. “Things that I cannot. Things that I would not think to look for.”
Then that stray, unwanted thought returned to me—that Millie would make a goodKylaira.Just thinking it made my skin feel too tight, made my blood buzz underneath it.
My words pleased her, and she grinned up at me. In the small space between us, I could scent her. Only this time, my own scent mingled with hers. Throughout the week, I’d kept my distance from her at the keep. I’dbehaved. She had her room down the hall, as far away as possible within my own wing, and I’d never stepped inside it. I’d mostly kept our feedings to once a day—though sometimes I fed from her twice when the need became too distracting—and kept my hands to myself beyond those feedings.
We took our evening meal together, however. Something I hadn’t expected, though something that had just fallen into place naturally.
This last week, I’d feltfocused. With her blood fueling me, I tore through my work faster than I could’ve imagined. I needed less sleep but had more energy. I flew to the ports in nearly half the time. I’d come to rely on the feedings because they allowed me to do what was necessary with the most efficiency.Vaan, some evenings I even had time to spare at the end of the day. To spend on plans for Sorn Village, to pack a pipe ofloreup on the roof of the keep and enjoy the view of the North Sea, to thumb through a few pages in my library.
The most worrying thing, however, was that I wished Millie was beside me for all of it. It was taking more and more self-control to keep my distance. Especially when our feedings were becoming more and more…needful. More and more intimate.
Only a matter of time,I knew.
“I have news for you,” I said when silence dropped between us. She’d asked me nearly every day, but today I could finally give her the answer she’d sought. “Setlan will arrive with your father on Krynn tomorrow evening. They arrived to the last travel port.”
“Really?” she asked. She didn’t smile, but I knew she was relieved. I knew it was a strange mixture of relief, grief, sadness, and acceptance for her. Because now she would finally make her peace with her father’s death and she could begin to make plans for what would come next. “Thank you.”
She reached out to squeeze my hand, holding on to it. A comforting, intimate gesture that she did all the time when we were alone. But when I saw a familiar figure standing at the edge of the crowd over her left shoulder, I knew it wasn’t appropriate when there were others watching. I released her hand, stepping away. Millie frowned.
“I’ll see you at the keep later tonight,” I told her, catching Kaan of House Arada’s gaze across the crowd. He inclined his head at me stiffly, his eyes straying to Millie for a brief moment before he was turning his back.
Before she said anything, I was striding after him, leaving her in the crowd.
I caught him near the edge of Erzan.
“Kaan,” I called out. He stopped in the road, turning to face me.
“Kyzaire,” he greeted. “My congratulations on the South Road. If House Arada can supply any additionaldravathan we already have, know that we are at your complete disposal.”
