Shaking my head, I wished for Auria’s free-flowing words. After all these years, Dearan deserved to know I appreciated him. “You know, you’re the only fae noble who knows me well enough to be a genuine threat.”
He groaned. “Bylur. You have all the tact of a dyrakongur. It’s no wonder Queen Daneira chose this form for you.”
I growled. “It wasn’t supposed to sound like an accusation. I was trying to saythank you.”
He patted my shoulder. “I know. You’re welcome.” A wide grin scrawled across his face. “I’m glad you have Auria now. She won’t let you get away with being a bear all the time.”
I swatted at him with my paw, but he laughed and jogged away, forming a barrier of light above his head so the snow didn’t soak him. “See you tonight, Bylur.”
Huffing at his disappearing form, I opened my mouth to yell something at his back, but then I froze. A wave of fear washed over me.
But I wasn’t afraid of anything.
I stared at the hedge’s little evergreen leaves and tried to sort the feeling when it hit again, only stronger. The feeling intensified into a panic. And then I realized—
I wasn’t feeling my own terror.
I was feeling Auria’s.
Chapter 23: Auria
Ikept my arm extended until Ivodar decided it was more awkward to look at me than to take the berry-filled pastry out of my hand. “It’s not appropriate for me to eat this while I’m on duty.”
I rolled my eyes. “It’s not appropriate for me to eat in front of you when you’re spending half your night and all of your morning making sure I’m safe. Especially when I know you’re all getting extra work tonight for the ball.” I turned to Kusan, who was dipping a fresh batch of pastries in a glaze. “Back me up here. It would be rude to make him follow me around with no breakfast.”
She didn’t even look up from her work. “I would never contradict a lady.”
I turned a triumphant grin on Ivodar.
He sighed. “It’s my job. Nobody who has the early morning shift eats breakfast until their replacements come.”
I eyed the pastry he held between two fingers, arranged so the least amount of sugar possible made contact with his hand. “Then do it for me. I’ve missed too many meals in my life to be comfortable watching someone else miss any.”
An uneasy silence filled the kitchen, until Rat squawked. Kusan’s children giggled and put moresunflower seeds and blueberries on a plate for him. Monspen turned on the water in the sink, and Ivodar took a small—very small—bite out of his pastry.
He tipped his chin in a short bow. “I’ll do it at your request, my lady.”
I grinned at him. “Ivodar, you have single-handedly cured my fear of soldiers. I’m very glad whoever is in charge of your schedule keeps assigning you to me in the mornings.”
He ducked his head and stared at the pastry in his hand. “In honesty, I volunteered.”
Ah, that made more sense. “Well, thank you then. It would have been very stressful for me to get assigned someone who hated humans.”
He jerked his face up to meet mine. “Oh no, my lady. It’s not like that. Most fae in Kalshana don’t have strong feelings about humans—you’re more of an anomaly. And Lord Bylur relocated any soldiers who didn’t like humans when you first came.”
He took a hesitant bite of his pastry. “A lot of soldiers volunteered for your assignment, but most of them were just curious about you. Captain Mushrank thought my motivation was better.”
I wiped the sugar on my fingers off on a towel. Even I was aware that it would not be appropriate for a lady to lick her fingers, especially in front of so many people. “Dare I ask what your motivation was?”
He stood and bowed. “To keep you safe.”
Of course. Because I hadn’t sent him to prison. My mind skipped back to the moment I’d first met him. I’dbeen so scared, but I couldn’t send him to prison when I knew it was wrong. And everything had worked out so well. There was probably a lesson in that somewhere.
Kusan clapped her hands together. “You’re all welcome to stay, but I need Zorion and Shrevia to get back to work.” Her children stood up, and Rat flapped to my shoulder.
“We’ll give you the kitchen back,” I said. “Thanks for letting me invade every morning.”
“Any time.” Kusan offered me a smile before turning all business and ordering her children to different tasks.
