Chapter 21
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
LYVIA
Documented attempts at entering the island have all been unsuccessful.
– History of Votruvia, Kellan’s private library, the Hydra.
Lyvia – Borva, Votruvia
My mouth fell open as Isla shot me a shameless wink and skipped through the crowd to where Vulcan and Raek collected their drinks.
Kellan tossed his head back, and his laugh floated in the space between us before rippling through my bones.
He pressed his teeth into his bottom lip as his gaze found mine once more.
His eyebrows rose as if to say, I know you do, but he merely leaned forward and flicked my nose.
I batted his hand away before crossing my arms.
His gaze drifted to my lips before sliding up to my eyes. My throat bobbed, and I couldn’t help but feel pulled toward him.
“Thinking about our dream, Astraeus?” I dared the question, and my heart picked up a quiet gallop. His gaze darkened as he leaned forward, and the woody scent of leather and cedar snaked into my lungs. I resisted the urge to sigh, drinking in the intoxicating air.
A smirk played at his lips, his tongue briefly slipping between them.
“That dream plays in my mind every moment I lay eyes on you, Bonscaíh,” he purred, closing the space between us. “And I relive it every moment of privacy I’m allowed.”
Heat zipped down my core as I processed his words. His lips stretched into a wide, suggestive smile before throwing me a wink and straightening.
Warmth pooled in my lower abdomen, and I crossed my legs, kissing my thighs together. Kellan scanned my face, and his eyes suddenly softened, the heat in them cooling. His brows creased, and his lips pursed in something like regret after several moments.
“I’m sorry about Aeriden. I shouldn’t have sent you to scout,” he murmured as his brows narrowed.
My gaze dipped.
“If something would have happened to you—”
“I’m more than capable,” I cut in.
His lip twitched in response. “Oh, I know,” he replied, nodding softly. “You always have been.”
The heat swarming in my midsection melted into something softer, something more tender.
“We weren’t prepared for what was out there,” I murmured, and my heart squeezed as I thought about my brother. “We had no way of knowing.”
“What did the creatures trick you into hearing?” Kellan asked, leaning forward and angling his head down toward me. His dark lashes fluttered as his gaze slipped to my mouth.
Him. I heard him. My chest rose and fell as my breathing became rapid. Fuck, I needed to put some space between us.
“I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours,” I murmured, my lips parting. The sounds and scents of the tavern faded into the background of some strange dream.
“I don’t play games,” Kellan replied, his gaze boring into mine.
I held it without blinking, its intensity drawing me in like a moth to the flame.
“There will be no miscommunication between us. I’ve known you for some time. And I’ve accepted exactly what you are to me since you took down the shield in Aedrialis.”
Aedrialis. That was when things had changed between us.
“Which is?” I asked through a tight breath, my lungs starved for oxygen.
Kellan’s head dipped as he leaned forward, lips opening to reply when a delicate hand clasped on his elbow, and he stilled. The haze that engulfed us vanished in an instant, and my eyes landed on Naomi.
“I seem to recall you owing me a dance when your last visit was cut short, Lord Astraeus,” she said. Her gaze skipped between us, and her light eyebrows narrowed.
Kellan’s lips pursed for a moment before he plastered the familiar, cocky smirk back onto his face and turned to the healer.
“Of course,” he murmured, standing and offering his arm.
I willed my powers to calm as my blood turned to ice, a surprising surge of jealousy flooding my chest. He led Naomi to the dance floor, where a lively chorus took over. The crowd made way for the apparent savior of Votruvia.
Naomi’s fingers slipped through his, and she pressed her body so tightly against his chest that her ivory breasts bulged up from the low-cut bodice of her crimson dress.
“You look like you’re about to implode,” Isla snickered before plopping two cups of ale onto the table. Her eyes followed mine to where Kellan’s hand slid around the tiny waist of the healer, their movements smooth and in sync with one another and the music.
“What am I doing, Isles? What am I thinking?” I shook my head to clear the foggy envy.
“Drinking,” Isla murmured, sliding the mug toward me.
I picked it up and took a long swig.
“A word of advice, my dear friend,” she continued, her eyes sliding to where Raek and Vulcan stood shoulder to shoulder, their smiles wide and the backs of their hands touching.
“Allow yourself a little happiness, especially during dark times.”
“It hasn’t been long since Bayne and I ended things,” I murmured.
Isla snorted, and I shot her a look.
“Things ended between you and Bayne long before you went through that gate,” she said. “It’s been, what? Almost a year since you fucked? You’ve had something like three conversations since then? Give yourself a break. We might not last another year. Let yourself live.”
Her elbow nudged my side, and I pulled my gaze back to her. What could I have possibly done to deserve a friend like her? Isla had been in love once, with someone she never spoke of. She’d taken lovers but had never truly fallen since.
My gaze drifted back to Kellan and Naomi, their movements slowing to a stop as the song reached its completion.
His gaze connected with mine from across the tavern, a tenderness softening the darkness in his eyes.
I held it, and the raucous sounds slipped back into that hazy dream.
He raised a brow in quiet invitation, his chin dipping slightly, and my chest squeezed in temptation.
What would it be like to be held in those strong arms?
To feel his hand at my lower back, holding me up, holding me close.
To press my chest against his. To feel the scrape of his calluses against my palm in a moment of calm…
not escaping the enemy, or transferring power…
Just feeling. To lose ourselves in a few moments of revelry and ease that accompanied the song.
Kellan’s lips parted, as if he imagined just that.
There was no lust in his gaze, just a quiet longing that pulled on whatever connected us.
He shifted, angling his body toward me as he began to lift his hand.
Isla’s arm brushed against my side as she shook off her jacket.
I pulled my gaze away and glanced back at my resilient, loyal friend, who traveled across the world with me to face enemies like none other. Who stood by me.
Kellan’s patient gaze was waiting for me when I turned back. I gave him a soft shake of my head, and his eyes cut to Isla. His lips tugged up before giving me a subtle nod.
“May I have this dance, milady?” I asked Isla, tugging my jacket off and holding my hand out.
Her amber eyes sparkled in the dim lantern light of the tavern. Her small fingers wrapped around my hand, and she hopped to her feet.
“Why, it would be my honor.” She curtsied and led us to the dance floor. We wound our way through the tight space of strangers, ignoring the stares of the Votruvians and lost ourselves in jubilant, silly sisterhood.
Rain slithered down the ornate glass windows lining the crisp white hallway of Eghan House.
Cinnamon and nutmeg pulled me to the dining room, waiting at the end of the hall where I knew Aeriden would be.
I quickened my pace, passing room after room and pausing as my eyes caught a flash of blue in a small study.
My pulse quickened as I peered beyond the slightly cracked door, holding my breath as my eyes landed on Kellan’s sea blue coat draped over a burgundy velvet chair.
Soft flames flickered in the fireplace, and movement pulled my eyes to the corner, where Kellan crossed an ankle over his strong thigh, his leathers shifting.
The scent of old books mingled with the cedar and leather that was Kellan, and something happened to me.
My mouth parted as I watched his brows narrow while he bent over an open book, his elbow propped up on the other arm crossed over his chest.
His thumb grazed his tongue before he flicked the page and continued reading. A blazing heat erupted in my center, mingling with something softer, more tender at the sight of the pirate lord reading a book in his study. My gods. What was happening to me…
I blew a slow breath through my lips as quietly as possible and took a silent step back before rushing down the hall to the dining room.
Aeriden groaned as he inhaled the hot oats and bacon Mother Eghan had prepared for his breakfast. He nodded as I entered, offering me a steaming mug of a light-brown beverage. I resisted the urge to moan as the nutty, creamy vanilla mixture slid down my throat.
Mother Eghan and Naomi had done a remarkable job healing Aeriden’s leg. Though he remained weak, the infection had cleared, and there was no sign of the creatures’ poison.
“Vulcan said the crew is preparing to leave for the Arx. Stocking up on rubellines and other supplies. When do we leave?” he asked through mouthfuls as a gaggle of children scooted through the dining room.
I caught the eye of the youngest girl in the back, her bright red hair reminding me too much of Morwyn.
Memories rushed forward, slicing a wound never healed by time.
The little girl lingered by the door, and I let a little Obscura and Transcindiel power dance together above my palm, molding them in the shape of a dark, flying horse.
The embers bordering my pupils sparked, and I smiled before winking at her.
Her brown eyes went wide, and she pointed at me and smiled.
“Caíh!” she squealed, before running after her friends. “A horsey caíh!”
I smiled and turned back to Aeriden.