31. Jaiel
Taking the last sip of my morning tea, I ran my finger down the metal studs in my ear and stared out the window. Blue-gold light peaked through the tall spirals of red striated stone. I watched as Stryek and two other dragons swooped low over the rocks. Stryek snatched an unsuspecting fuzzy lenup from a rock, and the other two did the same. Teaching the others to hunt, perhaps?
Saints. They were gorgeous creatures.
It was just past sunrise, and we needed to get going, but I was sorely tempted to beg Kaiya to stay another day. It felt good to just be for a bit. I”d been going non-stop for years, and it was grating at me.
Dimiri was relentless in his efforts, and the Rogues always needed more — more intel, more connections, more secrets.
It was almost too much.
Besides that, I still hadn”t found someone to help with my little charisma problem — not that the trysts had been helping all that much lately anyway.
After Kaiya left last night, Liam and I sat around for a while, catching up and finishing the wine. By the time we were done, the tavern was closed, and the village was fast asleep. Worse, Liam had warned me that the eligible ladies and gentlemen were all married or gone now, so there wasn”t even anyone to persuade to join me for a little morning fun.
For a moment, I”d been tempted to ask Liam, but while we”d shared women, as far as I knew, he”d never explored actual sex with men before.
There was no way in hell I should be his first.
Maybe he, Kaiya, and I …
I immediately discarded the thought. In a different world, perhaps, but not as things were now.
I felt for the shadow creature inside myself and winced at how close the monster was to the surface. I had enough charisma to keep it inside, but it wouldn”t last that long, especially if I needed to use any charisma on the mission.
Turning, I finished packing my bag, each movement sending a shot of dull pain through my skull. Another sign that my control over the creature was nearing its limit.
Tea wouldn”t be enough today. I needed some saints forsaken koffee. Yes, a brilliant plan.
I strode out of my room and down the familiar stairs. Kaiya”s door was still closed, but I had yet to see her late for a meeting. She must be up and moving already.
Perhaps she could help —
No. I just needed to hold it together a few more days.
Besides, she hadn”t accepted any of my advances, so it didn”t feel right bringing it up. Especially since I knew she”d do anything for the mission. That pressure may make her agree to something she didn”t want. And she”d said she was okay with one night stands, but I didn”t know if I could do something so small with her. Something told me once I had that woman, there was no way I could ever let go.
And she was far too good to be with someone like me — especially with what my future held.
A soft snore drew my attention as I passed the door to the house”s library.
Had Liam fallen asleep reading again?
That idiot really needed to get his head back on straight. That stick up his ass was going to poke right through to his brain if he wasn”t careful.
Curious, I peeked in. Another soft snore sounded, and I located the source in one of the chairs by the wide picture window.
Kaiya was in her nightgown, sprawled across the chair with a book atop her face, blocking the early sunlight streaming in.
Saints. Did she never stop?If the pace of the past two years felt like a lot to me, she must be worn down to nothing.
She shifted slightly as I stared, tucking one of her feet beneath her and moving the book off her face.
Her legs were crossed slightly, and her ass was practically hanging off the chair.
Hells. That couldn”t be comfortable.
She wouldn”t like me touching her to move her to a more comfortable position, though. I”d learned that lesson the hard way.
Resisting the urge to help, I turned and made my way downstairs. I”d grab her a koffee instead, keeping our co-worker boundary safely in place.
Comforting her yesterday had been a one-time thing, and while I couldn”t bring myself to regret it, it tread close to dangerous territory.
I had no problem fucking people, but this thing between us was getting far too close to being a … something. And somethings were not something I did.
Shaking my head, I walked out.
I definitely need to keep distance between us.
Mrs. Harlsted stood over the stove in the kitchen, already heating a pot over the flame. ”Thanks for the tea earlier,” I said, voice rough with sleep. ”Any chance I could charm you into a couple cups of koffee, too?” I asked, putting on my famous smile.
She looked over her shoulder at me, lips curled in a smirk. ”Of course, dear. Drink a bit too much with the young lord, did you?”
I nodded, rubbing my temples.
”You know, Mr. Harlsted has a mean concoction that will take that pain right away. It”s nasty, but it works wonders.”
I”d tried that concoction before, and she wasn”t kidding. ”Perhaps later. I”ll try koffee first.”
Nodding, she poured the water over a funnel with ground beans inside, and we waited in peaceful silence.
”Everything all situated for the trip?”
”Mostly.”
”And were you two able to convince Liam to give up on the betrothal?”
”Unfortunately not,” I sighed. ”He”s too damn stubborn.”
”Yeah, trying to make up for the past, but going about it all wrong.”
”Exactly.”
”How about you and Kaiya?” She looked out the corner of her eyes. ”I see how you pretend in front of her. If you really are partners, shouldn”t you be at least a bit more open? You don”t need to tell her about your condition, but you could share a little.”
I winced. Kaiya had enough problems to deal with without adding my baggage.
”I think not. In fact, I think she dislikes me as much now as she did that first day. She took my rakish act more seriously than I”d anticipated.” Though that was no fault of her own. I”d done everything I could to keep her at a distance.
”Have you even tried being your real self with her?” Mrs. Harlsted asked, pouring the steaming cups of koffee.
I ground my teeth. If only it were that easy.
Unfortunately, now more than ever, I needed to keep distance between us. It was safer … for both of us.
My mind slipped back to the way she”d felt cuddled against my chest yesterday. For a moment, my guard had broken, and it had been …
No.It was too dangerous.
Smiling, I gathered the cups and nodded at Mrs. Harlsted. ”Thank you. You are the best woman I know.”
She made a hushing sound, then shooed me away before I could say anything else.
Grinning, I climbed the stairs and was about to walk into the library when I noticed another shape inside the room.
Liam?
He stood over Kaiya, face softer than I”d seen in years, as he tugged a blanket up around her shoulders.
Saints.
My chest twisted. He”d said he was over her, but I KNEW he still had feelings. And if anyone deserved that woman, it was him — well, the real him. Not this stubborn fool fake version.
Yet another reason to keep my damn distance from Kaiya.
Letting out a breath, I strode into the room and tapped his shoulder.
He looked up, those green eyes wide, and for a moment, he almost looked like the old Eli.
”Thanks,” he muttered, striding to a little jar on a nearby table. He pulled out two cubes of sugar and dropped them into the mug. I looked at him, brow raised. He never took sugar.
Shrugging, he sat the cup on the table next to Kaiya. ”She”ll need it more than me.” He pointed to the books. ”She was in here all night.”
Fuck. I bit my cheek. Of course he knew how she took her koffee. I”d seen her drink it frequently over the last two years, but had never even thought to learn how she took it. More evidence he was better for her than me.
Not that I wanted her.
Letting out a breath, I looked at the books stacked near her chair. They were all Liam”s translations of the texts on the Isle before The Fall.
Damn. She”d probably have a thousand questions for me today while we rode. Just what I needed.
Then again, she was always easy to talk to.She”d probably hook me into the conversation without me even realizing it.
”Keep her safe.” Liam”s voice was hard as he stared at the sleeping woman. His dark hair was mussed, and his shirt wrinkled.
Saints. Had he even gone to bed?
”You can come along, you know,” I said, my voice quiet. ”Your Gram could handle things while you”re gone.”
He”d already started shaking his head before I could finish. ”This village is my responsibility. I ran away for long enough. And look what happened last time. I just can”t risk it.”
As if it were his fault that his parents died while he was away. He was just so damn stubborn!
Forcing my frustration away, I took a long sip of my koffee.
It was his life. He could do what he wanted.
”We”ll be fine.”
Liam gritted his teeth and nodded. ”If I don”t hear from you in a week”s time, I”ll send out a search party.”
”You can”t afford to do that, and you know it.” I sat my koffee down and met his eyes. ”If she and I don”t come back by then, we aren”t coming back at all.”
”Fuck!” Liam said, voice rough as he ran a hand through his short black hair.
I patted him on the shoulder and smiled. ”I”ll keep her safe, though. Aside from Karemi, I like to think I”ve done a good job of it over the last two years. This will be no different.”
He swallowed hard, then nodded and grabbed a basket on the table. ”My aunt said it”s for you and Kaiya.”
I cocked a brow, then peeked inside and let out a long whistle. Fresh breads, fruit pastries, cheese, and nuts.
Liam”s lips twitched as I popped a cheese roll in my mouth, the salty, rich flavor enough to make me groan. ”I swear to all the saints, I”d steal Mrs. Harlsted and make her my queen if your uncle wouldn”t kick my ass first.”
He chuckled, reaching out to pluck a wrapped lemon loaf from the basket just as Kaiya let out a loud snore.
Startled, I turned to face the sleeping woman. She slept so soundly …
Hmm — perhaps I could get some revenge for that little stunt she”d pulled on the boat and re-establish space between us in the process.
Grinning back at Liam, I turned and crept to Kaiya”s side. Bending, I tied the ends of the ribbons holding her pale hair in place to the arms of the chair behind her.
Liam let out a soft huff then stalked out of the room. I heard the door click closed as he stepped out.
Taking a breath, I propped my hip against the wall and then cleared my throat. Loudly.
Kaiya sat straight up. Bleary eyes wide. ”Wh — what?”
She looked at the blanket across her lap, then over at the steaming koffee by her side, then back at me.
”This is … nice.” Her hazel eyes narrowed. ”Too nice. What are you up to?”
I shrugged.
She leaned forward, reaching for the koffee, yelping as her hair ribbon tugged at the arm of the chair.
”Seriously?” She spluttered. ”You tied my hair to the chair?” She reached behind herself and untied the ribbons. ”I swear you”re nothing but an overgrown child!”
My grin spread into a smug smile. ”It”s not as bad as a dagger to your cock, trust me.”
Her face blanked, then her lips quirked, and she stood to her feet. ”Fine. That”s fair. But we”re even now.”
My mind blanked as the sunlight streamed through her very see-through white gown.
Saints alive.
”Thank you for this,” she said, voice warm, as she reached for the coffee.
I looked away and cleared my throat. ”It was actually from Liam.”
”Fuck.” She said, taking a sip. ”I don”t care who it”s from. This is pure magic.” Her eyes fluttered closed and she let out a soft groan as she drank more of the dark liquid.
Saints. I needed to get out of here. Fast. Her damn moan was enough to make me hard, let alone that see-through dress!
”Mrs. Harlsted is a miracle worker,” I said with a smile. ”You ready to head out?”
She looked down at her nightgown, shaking it out a bit, then back at me, brow cocked. ”Do I look ready to you?”
”I don”t know.” I kept my eyes to the window behind her. ”I”ve been trying my best not to look since it”s rather see-through with that window behind you.”
”Wh — ” Cheeks bright red, Kaiya scrambled for the blanket, grabbed it, and wrapped it around herself before dashing to the door. ”I”ll see you downstairs in fifteen,” she called over her shoulder.
Turning, I watched her go and tried to tell my body to calm the fuck down. But for some reason, I felt excited and almost … happy.
When was the last time I”d looked forward to a mission? What had changed? Was traveling with her really that different?
No. Those were dangerous thoughts. I needed to keep my distance.
I was known to all as the Fae Prince, The Harbinger of Lust, The Breaker of Hearts … a rake wholly incapable of attachment.
So, what the seven hells was I doing getting getting attached to Kaiya?