“So you’re the female who has finally enthralled my brother.”
I knew exactly who the Kylorr male was. I eyed him, my heart suddenly picking up with nerves as he approached me along the terrace.
Thaine of House Kaalium was dressed perfectly, just as any member of the noble family would be. His burgundy-colored vest with gold catches led to finely supple leather pants. He was more leanly defined than Kaldur, though slightly taller, coming in at nearly two heads taller than me.
And like his brother, he was distractingly handsome, though his features were edged in careful observation rather than disarming charm. He had a broad face, with a sharp nose and dagger-like cheekbones that lent him an elegance very few Kylorr possessed. His eyes, a brilliant and luminous green, of which I’d never seen a likeness to before, were hard to look away from.
Tendrils of his black hair dipped into the line of his gaze from a blowing gust of wind, but he paid it no mind.
“You’re not at all what I imagined,” Thaine said, “though seeing you now makes perfect sense.”
My smile was uncertain, but I held his eyes as the wind whipped at me. “Thaine.”
He gave me a slow grin, inclining his head. “Sister.”
The title startled me enough to make me gasp.
His eyes slid down to my rounding belly, his gaze flickering with an unreadable emotion. “And my niece, or so I’ve heard from my brother.”
I placed a hand there, unable to stop the smile from spreading. “I believe so, yes.”
“The first child of a new generation,” he commented. “None of my siblings would have believed it would be Kaldur. But I think I understand now.”
He was observing me in a way that made me feel like a painting on a wall. Was this how Kaldur felt whenever I studied him?
“I’ve come to escort you back,” he said. “Your mate has been searching for you. And as much as I would like to skip the entirety of the dinner, I’m afraid it’s about to start.”
That earned a laugh from me, his lips quirking in response as he held out his arm for me. I took it. I must’ve looked a mess from my time out on the balcony.
“I’ve never seen Kaldur like this before,” came Thaine’s sudden words. He stopped us halfway to the door, turning to face me, his eyes rapt on me. I felt their sudden intensity, making me swallow hard.
“Like what?” I asked softly.
“Here,” he said. When my brow furrowed, he explained, “Kaldur has always been ambitious. He’s always been determined. He bears the weight of responsibility perhaps more seriously than any of us. But because of it he can box himself in and his frustration explodes. All of that energy needs somewhere to go. He was wild when he was younger—he’d be the first to tell you that—always testing boundaries.”
“Yes,” I said, uncertain, “I know.”
“But he only ever got more restless as the years went by. To outsiders looking in, he was everything that everyone expected him to be. But to us, we could see what the pressure did to him. To live up to expectations that he put on himself. He could go mad with it. And so he never seemedstill. Present. His anger could drive him, just as easily as his need for diplomacy. He was swinging between extremes, back and forth like a pendulum. And he couldn’t stop himself. The last time I saw him, I believed he was at his lowest.”
It twisted my heart, the Kaldur he was describing. But I could imagine him so easily because I recognized that part of Kaldur myself.
“When was that?”
“When you were in Laras and he’d barely left his keep for weeks,” Thaine replied.
My heart stuttered, a breath hitching in shock. We’d never talked about what he’d done when I’d been gone. He’d only mentioned that he hadn’t been well. I had seen that clearly for myself when I’d returned.
But…he’d shut himself away?
“But now?” Thaine breathed, shaking his head. “This is the best version of my brother. One I’ve seen only in glimpses. He feelspresent. Here. It’s like you’ve rooted him into the earth. And I, for one, am thankful for it.”
Emotion welled in me. Shock at the sweet words made tears prick my eyes, and the last thing I wanted to do was cry in front of Thaine during our first meeting.
“I wanted to tell you that, in case I didn’t get the opportunity tonight,” he finished, inclining his head. “I only came to meet you, but I must return to Salaire tonight.”
A violent gust of wind blew over us, and Thaine moved to shield me from the worst of it, flaring his wings wide.
I was still speechless from his words, but I wanted to be honest with Kaldur’s brother, whom I knew he was closest to.
