Page 55

I pulled a tunic over my head, trying to look casual. "About what?"

"About whatever's going on between you and the king." Binwee stepped into the room and closed the door behind her. "I know what's happening, Leila. I'm a spy, remember."

"I don't—"

She paused, then added more quietly, "You wouldn't be the first spy to fall for someone while on a mission."

"That's what Chloe said."

"Chloe is right." I got the sneaking suspicion she'd witnessed this kind of thing before firsthand. Maybe even lived it.

"You need to be careful," Binwee continued, and something in her voice made me stop. Not anger, exactly, but concern. Deep, genuine concern. "I want you to be happy. I do. And if Kavan makes you happy, then I'm all for it. But I need you to be careful."

I sank onto the edge of my bed. "Careful about what?"

Binwee was quiet for a long moment, her large dark eyes studying me. When she finally spoke, her voice was low, as though the walls had ears and she wanted to keep the conversation private. "I've been with Asad Intelligence for decades. Long enough to recognize when something's brewing in the shadows. There are currents moving through this castle that I don't fully understand yet, but they're there. And they're dangerous."

"What kind of currents?" I asked, though part of me didn't want to know. Part of me wanted to stay in the bubble where nothing existed except Kavan and me and the way he made me feel.

"I don't want to say yet," Binwee admitted. "I'm still gathering information. But promise me you'll be careful. Promise me you won't let your feelings for him cloud your judgment. And keep your wits about you."

I wanted to promise her that. Wanted to tell her I was still a professional, still capable of separating my personal life from my mission. But the truth was, I wasn't sure anymore. I wasn't sure of anything except that when Kavan looked at me, the rest of the world went quiet.

"I promise," I said anyway, because it was what she needed to hear.

Binwee studied me for another moment, then nodded. "Okay. Just be careful, Leila. Please."

After she left, I sat alone in my room as the last light faded from the sky. Just as the first star poked into the velvety darkness, my comm chimed with a message from Kavan. My office. Dinner. Now?

I should've said no. Should've told him Binwee was right, that I needed to be careful, that getting more involved with him was a mistake.

Instead, I changed into a fresh dress and practically ran through the castle corridors toward his office.

Kavan was waiting for me when I arrived, and the moment I saw him, everything else fell away. He stood by the window, silhouetted against the city lights, and turned when I entered, his golden eyes finding mine with an intensity that made my breath catch.

"You came," he said, and something vulnerable in those two words made my heart ache.

"You asked me to," I said, closing the door behind me.

He crossed the room in a few long strides and pulled me into his arms, burying his face in my hair. "I've been thinking about you all day," he murmured against the top of my head. "Couldn't focus on anything else."

"You were supposed to be looking at farmland," I said, smiling as I said it. The Alliance agronomists had arrived three days ago. They'd been touring the farms near the eastern border, taking soil samples, running tests.

"I was," he said with a slight grimace. "The scientists think they can help restore the soil faster than expected. Something about nitrogen-enriching bacteria and mineral supplements. Honestly, half of what they said went over my head."

"But it's good news?" I asked.

"It is." He smiled, but there was something wistful in it. "Though I'll admit, standing in a field watching scientists argue about pH levels wasn't exactly riveting. All I could think about was getting back here to you." He pulled back just enough to look at me, his hands framing my face. "I missed you."

"It's been two days."

"Exactly. Two days too long." He kissed me then, slow and deep, and I felt the tension I'd been carrying all day start to melt away. "Come on. I had them bring dinner up here."

The table by the window was set with candles and food that smelled incredible. Roasted vegetables and some kind of meat I didn't recognize but seared with spices that made my mouth water. We settled into the chairs, and for a while we just ate and talked about nothing important. The dating app. The village. The way the light looked on the mountains at sunset.

But as we were finishing, Kavan leaned back in his chair and gave me a look of pure mischief.

"So," he said. "If you were using this dating app of yours, would you swipe right on me?"