Chapter 19
Kalyani sipped on the water, and it tasted so sweet and refreshing that it took everything in her not to gulp it down.
But she didn’t want to get sick again, so she took it slow.
She waited for Nirav to return as she pulled apart tiny pieces of the soft bread he’d left her.
Before long, it was gone, as was the water.
She waited to see how her stomach would react.
Finally, she decided it was time to get up. She craved a long soak in the tub. Her legs were wobbly when she tested them, and she was far weaker than she had thought, but she made it to the tub without issue. Even her stomach seemed settled.
The hot water did wonders to rejuvenate her as she washed off the effects of her sickness. No matter what she did, the ends of her hair ended up getting wet, but she didn’t have the will to care. Once her fingers and toes started to wrinkle, she decided it was time to get out.
By the time she’d dried off and dressed, she was worn out.
Kalyani eyed the bed, but she decided to attempt to sit up instead.
If she lay down, she was liable to go to sleep again.
She shuffled into the living area and sank onto the sofa.
Her gaze landed on the place where Varum had sat.
She touched her hair, remembering how he had held it away from her face.
It wasn’t something she would have expected from him.
Nor was how he had carried her to bed. It almost warmed her heart—except for the fact that all he wanted from her was information.
Of course, he would do whatever was needed to keep her healthy so he could get it.
Just as she’d started warming to him, she was reminded of why she was in the city against her will.
Kalyani leaned back into the cushion. She longed to hear the waves crashing against the shore, to see the sun rising on the horizon. To run in the sand, bask in the moonlight, and sit with her friends as they ate together.
There was nothing for her to do here but sit and stare at a wall.
She didn’t like being confined. Her search yesterday had proven that there wasn’t a way for her to get out of Varum’s home without his or Nirav’s help—and neither seemed ready to do that.
But if she stayed cooped up too much longer, she just might lose her mind.
Her stomach growled. She pushed to her feet and went in search of more bread. Thankfully, Nirav had left the loaf out on the table. She tore off a piece and put a bite in her mouth as she made her way back to the couch.
Kalyani had just sat when the door flew open.
It banged against the opposite wall, and Varum strode toward her angrily.
She got to her feet, ready to ask what was wrong, when he was suddenly before her, his hand wrapped around her neck as he drove her backward until she hit a wall.
She dropped the bread and gripped his wrist, meeting his gaze.
There was very little pressure on her neck, but the threat was clear.
“How many times must I ask?” he ground out, his nostrils flaring. “How many times are you going to withhold information?”
If she weren’t so weak from being sick, she’d punch him in the gut. Or kick him. As it was, she didn’t think the attempt would do anything but irritate him more. Which was fine, because she was furious. She parted her lips to speak, but he cut her off.
“Don’t you dare say you have no idea what I’m talking about,” he said, leaning down so that their faces nearly touched.
She simply stared at him. When he slightly squeezed her throat, she narrowed her eyes.
“Speak,” he demanded in a dangerously low voice.
“Are you sure? Because you interrupted me last time.”
Dark blue sparked in his iridescent blue eyes. “Kalyani,” he warned.
“You can’t seriously be upset because I said I saw Sea Elves. That has nothing to do with the Masters.”
“You don’t know that.”
“Neither do you!”
He started to say something when his gaze suddenly dropped to her mouth. For a second, her anger dissipated as she realized how close he was. She searched his face for the rage that had been creased into his features, but it was nowhere to be found.
The longer he stared at her lips, the more she struggled to breathe. She didn’t understand why she reacted like this. Especially to someone who had firmly planted themselves in the foe column.
He was the enemy. And her captor.
But also, her savior.
The elf kept confusing her with his actions.
His hand was around her throat. She felt his strength in the fingers encircling her neck.
He could snap it with a thought or send a blast of magic into her.
Yet his fingers didn’t squeeze. He crowded her against a wall, but he hadn’t hurt her, even when the thought had clearly crossed his mind.
This constant back-and-forth, of not knowing if he was friend or foe, was driving her nuts.
And so was staying here twiddling her thumbs, waiting to be released so she could return to her family.
Her gaze lingered on the faint lines around his eyes. She became aware of the heat of his palm against her throat, of the complete control he had over his emotions. There was no way to determine what he might be thinking. Not until she surprised him.
“Kiss me or kill me,” she demanded. “But do something.”