Page 11

Around us, the break room had gone quiet enough I could hear the hum of the refrigerator in the corner. Someone’s fork scraped across their plate. Veskar had stopped grinning, his attention locked on Brashe with an intensity that suggested he’d intervene if I gave the word.

Brashe’s eyes narrowed. Silence stretched between us, taut enough I could’ve plucked it like a guitar string, though I could not imagine why. He’d shot me down last summer. Pretty much insulted me. And now he had the nerve to imply there might actually be something between us?

“What exactly do you want from me?” I kept my voice low, controlled. “Because showing up uninvited to tell me I’m inconveniencing you isn’t a great start.”

His jaw worked as if whatever he wanted to say had stuck somewhere between his brain and his tusks. For a second, raw emotion crossed his face. Then it was gone, shuttered behind the same aggressive mask.

“Forget it,” he muttered.

I fumed while Veskar’s attention ping-ponged between us.

“Hey, Kedish.” Crim’s voice carried across the break room from where he stood in the open doorway. “Coach wants to see you.”

Brashe’s body went rigid. I watched the shift happen in real time. The aggression that had been rolling off him in waves suddenly snapped back, contained. His expression smoothed. He stood without looking at me again and walked from the room.

Crim strode over to join us, standing beside the table, his gaze tracking Brashe’s exit before settling on me. “Is everything alright?”

“Sure.” I picked up my fork again.

Crim’s eyes narrowed. “Right. Well, if Brashe bothers you⁠—”

“He’s not.”

Crim studied me before nodding. “Good. I’ll see you later, El.”

He left the room, and I did all I could to stop my hands from shaking.

Veskar let out a low whistle. “Well. That was interesting.”

“It was nothing.”

“That was everything but nothing.” He leaned forward, bracing his elbows on the table. “What do you think that growl was about?”

“I have no idea. He’s an orc. Maybe you all growl.”

A smile flashed across Veskar’s face before he dropped it. “We do, but that usually means…” His dark gaze flashed to the door. “It can’t be.”

“What can’t be?”

“Nothing. I meant nothing.”

I set down my fork. The chicken suddenly looked like cafeteria food from middle school, back when I’d learned that the best defense against insults was pretending nothing hurt.

“Are you really alright?” Veskar asked, quieter now.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” My voice came out steady, but I’d had practice.

His brow narrowed, but he didn’t push. “Good point.”

I managed three more bites before I had to leave.

My appetite had walked out with Brashe, and I was annoyed at myself for letting it happen.

The scent of the berry candle I’d bought at the grocery store last week drifted through my condo.

The unit might be small, but it was functional. It came furnished, a wonderful thing, because I hadn’t owned enough to fill it on my own. White walls, beige carpet, and a couch that had seen better decades. Unpacked boxes sat in the corner by the window.

I’d been here a week, and I still had to think before I reached for the light switch.