Chapter seventeen
Concentrating on work was hard. The kiss with Levi was circling her brain in an endless loop.
It was different from any of their other kisses.
In this one, she was a willing participant.
They’d shared a kiss the night they’d walked together, but that was different.
Levi had been angry, trying to shut her up, but this one…
Her body was flushed with heat and it had nothing to do with the magic flowing through her as she worked.
She’d made so many simple mistakes today that she gave up and took her lunch early.
She could feel the phantom touch of his lips on hers, and even his grip in her hair.
She shivered at the hard slam of need that hit her as she sat down in front of her locker.
She shouldn’t have let him kiss her. It was inviting trouble and temptation.
Every day under his roof it was getting harder to resist the king.
Their teasing was becoming second nature to her. There was no longer any real bite to Amaya’s sarcastic quips. Half the time she did it to see that small smirk that graced his lush lips. She was in so much trouble.
“Amaya.”
Malik’s voice startled her out of her thoughts. She gave him a small smile. He stood in the doorway of the dressing room.
“Ms. Sophia wants to see you in her office.”
Her eyes widened in alarm. What did the director of the Archive want with her? She hurriedly stripped from the clean suit and hung it up for use after lunch. She walked up to Malik.
“Did she say what she wanted?”
Malik shook his head and gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “She didn’t seem like it was bad, though.”
Though her heart was still thundering, his words helped. She nodded and headed towards the fourth floor where Ms. Sophia kept her office. Smiling at her assistant, she was waved to go back. Amaya knocked to announce her presence and opened the door at Sophia’s prodding.
The office was small, but the elegant space was filled to the brim with books.
The windows in the room were narrow and lined the top of bookshelves behind the desk.
They let in just enough light to make the place cozy, but not enough to ruin any of the ancient texts that Ms. Sophia liked to surround herself with.
Amaya was sure the director could have access to a bigger office, but it was indicative of the kind of person Sophia was.
“You wanted to see me?” Amaya stopped just inside the door, not wanting to intrude in the space.
Ms. Sophia stood, a warm smile on her face.
The woman looked like a librarian plucked right out of novel.
She wore a brown plaid dress, cinched at her waist with a thick leather belt.
The skirt swept the floor while the square-neck top of the dress demurely caressed the collar of her neck.
A large pair of glasses adorned her angular, beautiful face.
“Yes, have a seat.” She waved to the chair in front of her glass desk.
Amaya sat and looked around. Anxious energy had her stomach fluttering.
“Relax, Amaya.” Sophia settled in her chair and leaned forward, her elbows on the desk.
The older woman studied her. Amaya fought not to squirm under her attention.
Sophia was the director of this Archive and head director for all of the others across the South.
The only thing she required of those under her was that they did their jobs as outlined.
Amaya didn’t understand how being called into her office could be anything but serious.
Sophia’s eyes softened and she sighed. “There are rumors that you’ve gotten yourself into a bit of trouble.”
“Me?” Amaya pointed at her chest. “What kind of trouble?”
“It’s going around that you’re being kept against your will by King Levi.”
Amaya swallowed and forced her racing heart to slow down. “Not against my will.”
At least not technically. And certainly not now.
As everyone kept pointing out to her, she’d willing given herself to the king.
Sure, her uncle’s life was in the balance, but a month under Levi’s roof and for some reason, it felt unfair to categorize her stay as ‘against her will’.
Sophia studied her before sitting back in her chair.
“Your uncle has told the elders of your compound otherwise,” Sophia said.
Amaya took a deep breath and rubbed a circle around her temples. Paul wouldn’t be satisfied until Levi yanked his heart from his chest.
“That’s funny. Did he tell the elders that we are in the position we’re in because he stole from King Levi and tried to sell the item to the Buru?”
“What?!” Sophia threw her hands up in shock. “What did he steal?”
Amaya shook her head. “It’s not my place to tell King Levi’s business. But because of Uncle Paul’s actions, Buru were spotted at our house more than once. If anything, King Levi is keeping my mother and I safe.”
Saying it out loud gave Amaya pause. She didn’t know if the Buru were still circling their house, but regardless, she felt safe at Levi’s compound.
She and her mother were well taken care of, and despite Levi’s reputation, nothing had happened to Amaya that would justify getting him in any type of trouble with her family’s elders.
What did that mean?
She was softening on the idea of staying with Levi. When was the last time she’d asked him to let her go? Even when he’d given her a chance to do so?
“So, the rumors that King Levi has a piece of the Akachi are not true?”
Amaya fought to keep her face from betraying her and in turn Levi.
Sophia removed her glasses and rubbed her eyes. “Amaya. I don’t have to tell you how this all looks.”
“King Levi saved our lives,” was her answer to that.
“I would hope that you, of all people, understand the danger that poses to not just King Levi, but anyone around him. I’ll let you keep his confidence, but if it is true, then please talk him into bringing it here.”
“Taking on the Buru can’t be an easy job. I can understand if he thought having the extra power was worth it.”
And now she was full-on defending him. But she couldn’t tell her boss that she’d already offered to shield the Akachi for the king without admitting that he was in possession of a piece of the meteorite.
Sophia’s hand cupped her own chin as she looked away in thought. After a few moments of silence, she turned back to Amaya.
“In that case, shielding it would protect Levi and the Bayi under him.”
Amaya nodded, understanding what Sophia was saying.
Her boss sighed. “So, then I don’t have to worry about you? How is Ms. Anita?”
“My mother is fine. Better than fine, actually. I don’t know what it is about the Bayi compound, but she has more lucid days than not.”
“Are you sure this is a good idea, Amaya? Your family has offered to take you and your mother in.”
Amaya bit her lip. This was where it got tricky. Before, pride had kept her from accepting her family’s help, but now, with how well she and Levi were getting along and Anita’s improving health, she didn’t want to risk going to their family’s compound.
“All my life, mom has stressed how much she never wanted to go back to the family compound. I don’t think I could do that to her.”
Sophia nodded and sat back. “Stress can make her condition worse.”
“Exactly. At the Bayi compound there are some days mama feels like her old self.”
Her boss frowned. “One would think that being in the middle of a coven of vampires would stress her more. You know how the Chawi are about vampires and witches mingling.”
“Trust me, I understand the risk.”
Sophia leaned forward and rested her chin in her hand again. “Is there a possibility of you mating with King Levi?”
Her cheeks heated at the blunt question. “I’ve explained to the king the outcome of something like that happening.”
“That’s not a no, Amaya,” Sophia said softly.
“It’s all the answer I can give you. The way we met…it’s not something that’s conducive to mating. And besides, I have no desire to add a curse on top of all this other business.”
“A curse?” Sophia’s eyebrows furrowed. “Is that what the Chawi are told?”
“Is that not true?”
Sophia shrugged. “I don’t have a clue. To my understanding of Bayi/Chawi relations, it’s a dangerous combination, but a curse? I’ve never heard that.”
It was Amaya’s turn to frown. “We’re told that matings between the Bayi and chaos Chawi specifically can result in a curse.”
“And yet, in their presence, your mother’s condition has not deteriorated.”
It wasn’t a question. Sophia’s eyes darted around the room as her face turned contemplative.
Amaya was afraid to voice a thought that had been circling her mind for weeks.
She’d been observing her mother, and Anita had been improving.
In small ways at first, but these days, according to Levi, he was having full-fledged lucid conversations with her mother. That was impossible weeks ago.
Sophia’s eyes speared her. “You think being at the Bayi compound is the reason?”
Her heart thumped a hard rhythm. Amaya wiped her sweating hands on her pants and cleared her throat.
“Anything I have is purely anecdotal.”
Amaya knew how Sophia was when it came to information and facts. There was no room for feelings in research, according to her boss. Sophia barely allowed speculation when solving problems.
Sophia hummed. “Do you imagine King Levi would allow for me to visit your mother?”
Amaya shrugged.
“This is incredibly dangerous speculation,” Sophia insisted.
“I understand,” Amaya assured her. “I wouldn’t do anything to put my mother at risk.”
Sophia sighed. “I’m gonna put Raven on this curse business. You know how I am.”
Amaya nodded. Sophia liked to be two to three steps ahead of information.
“I’ll quiet any rumors on my end. The last thing I want is for the Collective to become involved. They are rabid about pairings and I can only imagine how they would react to a chaos Chawi living with a vampire.”
“There is nothing going on between me and King Levi,” she hastily assured Sophia.
How long that statement would stay true was anyone’s guess. After that kiss this morning, Amaya would have to be vigilant because Levi was slowly breaking her down. With every interaction between them, they were getting closer.
Her boss eyed her skeptically. “Just do what you can about shielding the Akachi allegedly in his possession and I will see what I can find out.”
Relief relaxed Amaya’s shoulders. “Thank you, Ms. Sophia.”
“Mating is… It’s not something that can be denied, and while I share the Collective’s worry, I don’t have the same pessimism. I would never want you to miss that blessing.”
Her throat clogged. “It’s not gotten as far as that,” Amaya whispered.
“Let’s hope it stays that way until I can be sure you won’t be endangered by whatever this…turns out to be.”
“I can do that,” Amaya said softly.
She got up and left, feeling buoyed by the conversation.
It felt good to have someone on their side, even if she hadn’t decided whether or not she would even attempt a relationship with Levi.
One thing Sophia was right about—she needed to shield the Akachi.
If Levi still felt the same about her after the influence of the meteor was gone, then…
maybe she would consider whether a mating to a vampire was worth the ensuing trouble.