I didn’t think twice. There was no mistaking the warning in his voice then. Even though every part of me wanted to stay, I heeded the words and fled.
CHAPTER 7
ERINA
Sleep didn’t come, and my eyes felt hollowed out with tiredness when dawn eventually broke over Vyaan.
My answer was the same as it’d been the night before in Kaldur’s study. Because if it had been any other answer, I knew that I would regret it for the rest of my life.
An adventure of my own,I thought. Kavelyn wouldn’t flinch away from this. And while she would be exploring dangerous jungles on Noxily or attending glamorous parties to find clues for her next discovery, I knew that even she wouldn’t say no to aKyzaire.
Especially one as magnetic as Kaldur of House Kaalium.
I shivered, remembering his eyes and the heat of his exhale over my skin as I dressed. I might’ve been tired from the lack of sleep, but I felt the currents of energy beneath my skin, buzzing and alive.
I touched the nape of my neck after I tied my apron into place, wondering where Kylorr preferred to feed from. I’d always heard it was a preference. From the neck, usually, or the wrist. But for more intimate pairings, I’d heard other, more intriguing things.
A shuddered breath escaped me. A world of possibility was laid before me. Answers to questions I’d only ever wondered about. Like a Halo orb of knowledge cupped in the palm of my hand, waiting to be explored.
I was terrified. Terrified but intensely curious.
I patted the pockets of my apron, making sure my notebook and pencils were in place. In the small mirror hanging on the wall, gilded in thin chipping gold, I brushed through my unruly hair before plaiting it neatly.
Out of habit, my hands reached for the nearly empty vial of perfume sitting on my dresser. I stared down at the lingering pool of fragrance. Luc’s parting gift to me. He’d told me that by the time it was gone, we would be reunited in Laras. Some days, years prior, I’d put a tad too much on, impatient to see him again, impatient for the vial to empty. Maybe, unconsciously, I’d never stopped.
Never hide your true scent from me again, Erina,Kaldur had ordered me last night.
I knew that Kylorr were more sensitive to fragrance—to all scents, truly—but I’d never imagined that I’d beenoffensivelystrong. I swallowed down the embarrassment as I replaced the vial, my heart giving a morose little beat because now I wondered if I wouldeversee it emptied. Leaving it behind felt like a small betrayal to Luc.
As I did any morning, I left my room after I dressed and made my way toward the kitchen. The keep was quiet at this hour, but I knew the kitchens would be alive with bustling activity.
The moment I stepped inside, I felt comforted. It was one of my favorite parts of the day, starting my mornings here. Handfuls of keepers were seated at the long table, hunched over their bowls of porridge and steaming cups of tea. Despite the earlier hour, they were chatting happily, jovial laughs sounding—especially from the weapons master, Zyn. His booming, deep laughcould shake the walls of the keep. If Zynwasn’tlaughing in the morning, the others knew to steer clear.
“Morning,” I chirped as I pulled the kitchen door shut behind me.
I got a chorus of replies as I made my way over to the stove where Saira was stirring a big pot of stew for the afternoon meal. The tantalizing scent of freshly baked bread filled my nostrils, and I tried to focus on that even as I saw a few stray looks shot my way. I heard the scratch of the table bench against stone as Velle rose.
Just as I plucked a thick, warm slice of bread off the serving tray—bread that was folded withsyaanberries, my favorite—Velle was cornering me.
“What happened last night?” she demanded softly. Her eyes were alight with intrigue, sparkling with her curiosity. But I spied a sharp glint in them, in the slight downturning of her mouth. Suspicion. “I thought you’d never spoken to theKyzairebefore.”
“I hadn’t,” I said. I wondered how I should maneuver this. I couldn’t tell her the full truth. But she was my friend. I couldn’t lie about everything. “He, um, he called me into his study to tell me to wear less perfume in the keep.”
The half-truth was idiotic and unconvincing. Even I could see that realization flash over Velle’s features. She raised her brow sardonically. “TheKyzaireof Vyaan called you into his private study, late in the evening, to complain about your perfume?”
I felt heat wind its way up my neck. “Yes. And to apologize.”
“Forwhat?”
“The incident yesterday with the vase.”
Even though I’d yet to smother my slice of bread in sweet jam, I took a large bite, chewing slowly as Velle studied me. Why did I always feel like I was on the verge of getting scolded when she looked at me like that? Our friendship had never held the ease with which my friendship with Luc had, but Velle had taken meunder her wing when I’d first arrived at the keep, and I would never forget that.
Velle waited until I swallowed the chunk and before I could take another bite—just now realizing howquietit was in the kitchens—she opened her mouth and started to say, “That is the worst lie I’ve ever heard and?—”
The kitchen door swung open, and I’d never been more relieved by an interruption.
Until I saw that it was Maudoric, the Head Keeper, and the look on her face meant she was displeased. Very, very displeased. Her eyes scanned the kitchen before landing on me and Velle in the corner by the stove.
