Chapter 12
“So,” Gwen suddenly asked after several minutes of silence while pretending to examine the feminine hygiene products—
or at least pretending to—
“what exactly is going on between you and that gorgeous man?”
About twenty minutes earlier, we’d arrived at the mall and immediately headed to the cosmetics store I visited most often.
“Let me think.” I pressed a finger dramatically to my chin. “A mentor and his protégé?”
“And that’s it?” Gwen arched a thin brow. “You can fool anyone, but definitely not me.”
She grinned like the Cheshire Cat.
“There are practically sparks flying between you two, Ria. And you know it.”
“That’s just your imagination, Gwendolyn Dürkheim. You seriously need to stop reading all those filthy romance novels.”
“No, actually, if I didn’t read them, I’d probably believe you.” She smirked.
“Just admit it already—you like him, don’t you?”
“Not even a little,” I scoffed.
“And he turns you on too,” Gwen nodded, completely ignoring my answer.
“Even if he did…” I lowered my voice. “Getting too close to him isn’t safe for me.”
“How close is too close?”
“Close enough to risk falling in love, obviously.”
“And what’s so bad about love?”
“And what exactly is so great about it?” I raised a brow.
“I know Kai disappearing destroyed you, but that doesn’t mean every story has to end the same way.”
I pressed my lips together, tightening my grip on the small shopping basket already overflowing with enough skincare products to last me an entire year.
“Airis has lived in Istarus since childhood,” I sighed.
“Obviously the people there became his family after all that time. So if he learns about my second ability, he’ll tell them. And the authorities he works for.”
“Then you could just satisfy each other physically,” Gwen shrugged casually.
I scoffed.
“Absolutely not. I can’t separate sex from feelings.”
I’d realized that back when things started with Kai.
What began as harmless flirting quickly turned into something much deeper.
At first, I hadn’t even considered becoming intimate with him.
For one thing, I was terrified my magic would suddenly appear because of arousal, just like it had with Kevin.
And secondly—
I knew I’d never be able to stay emotionally detached afterward.
And I’d been right.
I already liked Kai before we slept together.
Afterward, I completely lost my mind over him.
Even now, it felt impossible to imagine someone treating me with the same tenderness, care, and attention he once had.
Maybe that was for the best.
Even if the pain still hadn’t faded.
Even if the memories refused to dim.
“So what are you planning to do about your second ability?” Gwen asked.
I sighed, glancing toward the shelf lined with feminine hygiene products.
“I want to ask my parents how I ended up with them. Maybe they’ll at least give me some clues.”
I shrugged and tossed several packs of pads into the basket.
Honestly, I had no idea whether Istarus even had things like this.
But asking Airis about feminine products somehow felt mortifying.
Turning slightly, I glanced toward him.
He stood about ten meters away, speaking on the phone.
I quickly turned back to the shelf and grabbed a box of tampons too.
What if they didn’t even exist there?
“And when are you planning to talk to your parents?”
“Today,” I answered immediately.
“I don’t want to put off this conversation. And if they really did adopt me from some orphanage, I’ll still have time to visit it afterward.”
“I’ve got a work meeting tonight,” Gwen said, crossing her arms while inspecting the contents of my basket. “Is Airis going with you?”
“Unless someone distracts him long enough for me to escape, then yeah, he’s coming.”
I sighed at the thought of being alone with him again.
After our conversation outside my parents’ house, I could honestly admit I wasn’t ready to continue whatever had started between us.
There was definitely something there.
Something strange.
But that didn’t mean I should follow those feelings.
Especially when none of it made logical sense.
I’d always thought attraction started in the mind first—not the body.
“Even if someone distracted me,” Airis’s voice suddenly sounded beside me, “I’d still catch up to you pretty quickly.”
I startled for half a second.
Then I nearly startled again when he casually took the basket from my hands.
And once he noticed what was inside, one brow lifted slightly as he looked at me.
“What century do you think people in Istarus live in?”
“You use weird magical ointments instead of proper face cream.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “If feminine products are handled the same way, then I need to buy out this entire store while I still can.”
“I come to Vuduarus once a month,” he replied calmly. “I could bring you whatever you need.”
Silence shamelessly wedged itself between us again.
And somehow, my surprise felt sharper than usual.
Had he really just offered that?
Why would I even be thinking about something so oddly domestic?
“What are you thinking about, Fireling?” That infuriating smirk appeared on Airis’s face again as he tilted his head slightly. “Don’t tell me you’re embarrassed.”
I was.
Very much so.
But he absolutely did not need to know that.
“I was just thinking about making you a detailed schedule of my cycle,” I said, straightening up and pretending to feel far more confident than I actually was.
“You know. So you can deliver everything on time.”
“My protégé should have more faith in me,” Airis replied.
Though his eyes were clearly saying something entirely different.
And suddenly, my lips felt unbearably dry.
Damn it.
Why the hell was I so drawn to him?
“Okay, I understand everything,” Gwen interrupted dramatically, “but could you two continue flirting literally anywhere else? Another minute and those teenagers over there are going to film you for TikTok with some ridiculously suggestive background music.”
I immediately looked away from Airis.
“Three people from the Earth Division will be assigned to you,” he said, turning toward Gwen. “They’re sorting out temporary housing right now. Once we return from the hospital, I’ll introduce you.”
“Maybe one of them could stay in my room?” I asked without thinking.
Gwendolyn frowned immediately.
“No point leaving it empty.”
“I’m afraid your pink disaster might traumatize them,” Airis raised a brow.
I shot him a sharp glare.
“What? They might consider it punishment.” He shrugged carelessly.
I rolled my eyes, snatched the basket from his hands, and headed toward the checkout counter.
******
An hour and a half later, after dropping Gwendolyn off at her business meeting, Airis and I followed a woman in a white coat through the long, sterile hospital corridors.
Every inch of the place seemed soaked in that sharp antiseptic smell I absolutely hated.
It always dragged me back to memories of my parents’ betrayal.
And I wasn’t strong enough to forgive them for it.
Resentment had always been my cage.
I carried it with me everywhere.
Never letting it go.
“You know,” Airis said quietly, slowing his pace to match mine, “your friends seem like good people.”
“They’re the best,” I sighed, trying to distract myself from the storm of emotions twisting inside me.
It felt like every feeling I’d spent years suppressing had suddenly broken free, all fighting for dominance.
“I want to remind you that you can trust me,” Airis continued softly. “Not just physically, but emotionally too.”
“Oh, obviously. I figured that out the moment you offered to keep me supplied with pads,” I muttered, trying to lighten the heaviness in my chest.
It didn’t really work.
“Sometimes I say the wrong things,” Airis admitted. “But offering to make sure you have what you need isn’t one of them.”
When I didn’t answer, he glanced at me again.
“Nervous about the conversation?”
I exhaled slowly.
“I just… don’t want to see them,” I admitted quietly.
We turned another corner, and I noticed the nurse finally stop in front of a door.
With a soft smile, she pushed it open and glanced back at us.
“Only twenty minutes. They need their rest,” she said in an overly sweet voice.
I caught the quick flick of her rat-like eyes toward Airis.
But honestly?
That was the least of my concerns right now.
The moment I saw the open doorway, my stomach twisted.
I was about to step forward when Airis’s hand closed gently around my wrist, stopping me.
“I’m going with you.”
“That’s not necessary,” I replied automatically.
Even though—
deep down—
I really didn’t want to walk in there alone.
“It is for me,” he said calmly.
Then, with that same quiet certainty he carried into everything he did, he guided me toward the room.
I didn’t pull away.
Didn’t argue.
For once, my body and mind seemed to reach the same conclusion.
Maybe this was okay.
The hospital room was spacious, complete with a separate guest area that looked more like a private lounge than part of a medical facility.
Then again, my parents had never been the kind of people to settle for anything modest.
Luxury had always been their favorite language.
The moment I noticed the short man sitting on the snow-white couch with a magazine in his hands, I began studying him.
A long face with a surprisingly healthy complexion.
A perfectly groomed beard, as if he had stepped out of a barbershop minutes earlier.
Piercing blue eyes that showed no trace of illness or injury.
Truthfully, after what I’d seen at my parents’ house, I had prepared myself for the worst.
“Ben, did anyone stop by with my new dress?” a tall blonde woman asked as she stepped out of the adjoining room, her hair wrapped in oversized curlers, a long white silk robe draped around her body.
My eyes immediately searched for injuries and landed on the white bandage wrapped around her wrist and forearm.
“Oh. It’s you.”
My mother barely glanced at me before strolling toward the couch and sitting beside my father.
“What are you doing here?”
I stared at them, remembering their smug faces the day they left me in that psychiatric facility and allowed the doctors to strap me down.
Hatred stirred beneath my skin.
Hot.
Violent.