Kira thought of the little sprout he placed in her hand, but all his threats and glares crowded that memory out.
“He makes me breakfast when I stay over,” Mellie said. “There's always fresh orange juice. I like the mornings when it's quiet, and he's cutting oranges, like every day can be that peaceful.” She chewed her lip. “I'll learn how to take care of him when he's like this. Nadia was so good at that, but it's not like I can ask her for advice.”
Who was Nadia?
“What really happened?” Kira shouldn't admit she didn't know this person, but she also didn't know what Mellie meant.
The other woman pushed herself up. “Shut up. You don't know?”
“No one tells me anything.”
“Oh, Kira.” Lying back down, she straightened to let the masseuse continue. “You're seriously walking around this house, standing in the same room as those brothers, without knowing what you're in the middle of?”
“You have to tell me now.” Yes, Kira knew Mellie would leak information. Anything about Luke and Zayne may help her survive.
“I don't even know where to start,” Mellie said. “Nadia and Zayne were a few months out from the wedding, and he'd been in the territories on a short tour.”
Another wedding. Not the one Mellie and Zayne were planning together.
Interesting.
Glancing to the door, Mellie looked back at her and whispered harshly. “Nadia was sleeping with Luke the entire time Zayne was away.”
“What?”
“I know. Makes no sense. Nadia and Zayne were so in love. Why she'd throw that away for Luke, I'll never understand. I mean, he's cute, but Zayne is better, and Luke gives me the creeps.”
No one needed to tell Kira that. He terrified her in a much deeper way than Zayne ever had.
“It split Luke's marriage, and Nadia left town for good.”
What a terrible story. “How did Zayne figure it out?”
“He found them. I'm surprised Luke made it out of that alive.”
A sick feeling crawled into her stomach thinking about the way Luke and Zayne looked at one another on that train. “That's horrible.”
“Nadia was done for after that. Betraying the High General's son is not a good idea. She can't set foot in the capital.” Mellie pursed her lips. “They might have looked so in love, but if she did that to him, then she never loved him. Not like I do.”
Jealousy wove into each word, or insecurity.
“Do you have anyone special?” Mellie studied her.
The peace of the massage allowed her mind to drift, and she closed her eyes at the memory of her masked stranger holding her close after she nearly fell from the ledge. All these years later, Kira still felt the warmth of his breath on her lips. Maybe she should have thought of Elijah, but that wasn't whose arms she felt around her. “There was this man once. Unfortunately, I mean literally only once.”
Mellie grinned. “Tell me everything.”
“It was one night, and we only kissed, but I still think about him.”
“I felt that in my soul. Go find him.”
If only. Kira wondered all the time whether he was safe, still longing for the chance to look after him like he did for her. So many times, she wished she'd opened her eyes to see his face. But he trusted her not to. She couldn't do that to him when he'd saved her life. But she just wanted one glimpse.
Did he know what happened to her? She hoped he didn't try helping her. It was too dangerous. Impossible.
“He's gone for good,” Kira said.
After the massage, they soaked their hands in hot wax while the workers rubbed cream into their faces. Kira felt ready to drift to sleep by the time they walked into the room Mellie had converted to a closet. Clothes were displayed all over the spare room.
