18. CHAPTER 18 #2
The cat lifted her tail and strolled to Zayne, who crossed his arms over his chest. She rubbed along the seals on his forearms, purring and lifting her face in a plea for him to pet her. Annoyed stare locked on the window, he refused to move while the cat rubbed against him.
Damn it, pet her already.
“Ms. Pumpkin loves Zayne,” Adelle said.
Without realizing it was about to happen, Kira leaned forward and laughed, covering her mouth. Her shoulders shook.
Now Zayne's glare cut to her, but Kira couldn't stop another chuckle from squeaking out. He looked ridiculous refusing to acknowledge that adorable cat.
A loud knock beat against the front door, and Kira jumped. But it was followed by a voice as sweet as a new spring day. “Adelle! I'm coming in. I have a surprise.”
“Mellie,” Adelle called out, eyeing Zayne. “Your fiancée is here.”
Fiancée? It looked like Adelle threw the cat against Zayne's face.
“Shit,” he grumbled low and shoved away from the table.
Just like that, Kira and Ms. Pumpkin sat on their own at the kitchen island.
“What a surprise,” Adelle said from the other room.
“Well,” the other woman started. “I—” A pause and then a gasp loud enough for Kira to hear from the kitchen. “What are you doing here?”
“I was going to ask you that,” Zayne said.
“I didn't think I'd see you today. I found a new bakery this morning. Your mom and I had breakfast together once a week while you were away.”
The reality of living in Adelle's home felt much more complicated now that another person had entered.
“That is so sweet,” Adelle said. “I was worried you'd be too busy with Zayne home now.”
“I'm never too busy for breakfast with you.”
“So, Mellie.” Adelle's voice. “I was planning to send you a message today. We have family staying with us for a while.”
“Do you?” Mellie sounded elated. “Is it Brandon's mom again?”
“No.” Zayne this time. “My cousin.”
Kira chewed her lip and slid off her chair. A cousin would enter about now, right? That seemed normal.
“Her name is Kira,” Adelle said. “She's finishing up breakfast.”
Wincing at the thought of angering Zayne, she eased into the doorway.
The floor-to-ceiling windows lining the east side of the living room bathed Mellie in sunlight.
She stood close to Zayne, arm brushing his.
And she didn't just sound like spring. Everything about her reminded Kira of freshly warming days and the crispness of budding leaves.
“A new friend.” Mellie clapped. Then her eyes narrowed while she slapped Zayne's chest. “Why didn't you tell me?”
He stared at his fiancée with an impassive look, one that masked simmering fury at yet another person wanting to be Kira's friend. “I forgot,” he said.
Mellie groaned before directing her attention back to Kira. “I'm Mellie. He probably forgot to tell you I even exist.”
True. Zayne never mentioned her, but then Zayne would never disclose anything to Kira he didn't need to. Not even something as innocuous as whether it was raining outside. “I'm Kira.”
Mellie ran to her, surprising her by grabbing her in a tight hug. “You tell me everything you need while you're here. The Rivens are so not friendly.” When she drew back, she still squeezed Kira's arms. “Except Adelle, obviously. Sorry to insult your family, but it's true.”
“Oh no,” Kira said, feeling Zayne's anger building across the room. “I know how they are.”
“But you seem sweet. Look at you and your little freckles.”
“Mellie,” Zayne said, voice shy of annoyed. “Don't overwhelm her.”
Pivoting to Kira's side, Mellie looped her arm through hers. “I'm having girl talk, sweetheart. Kira likes it.” Then in a whisper just to Kira, Mellie said, “Ignore him. He's a huge grump when he's not sleeping.”
Zayne bristled.
Not sleeping? Just like at Dr. Cooper's. The strained look on his face that night in the kitchenette painted over her view of him now.
Did Mellie not understand why Zayne didn't sleep? It surprised her that his fiancée didn't speak in a softer tone about his insomnia after all the people he had lost. Or that she spoke of it at all.
Adelle studied her son.
“He's trying to be polite and not say…” Kira smiled at Mellie, giving a natural wince. “I'm here because I haven't been well. Adelle is so comforting. My family thought a break here might help me. It's too hard for me to even leave the house.”
Mellie released Kira's arm, her hand pressing against her heart. “I'm so sorry. I'm an idiot.”
“No, no. Please.” Kira shook her head. “I love girl talk.”
It was exactly what Mellie needed to hear. She chuckled with relief. “Oh good. I won't pry, but I'm always here if you need to talk. Always.”
Not pry? Kira doubted that. Mellie might be a treasure box of information. She seemed eager to talk, and not the type to be kept quiet. “That's sweet.”
Now, Mellie rushed back to Zayne. “I'm sorry I was so mean to you.” She looped an arm around his middle and rested against his chest. “You're my grump. And you're finally home. Safe and sound.”
Seeing someone so bubbly cling to him—seeing anyone touch him, actually—jarred Kira. He looked so impossible to reach, but Mellie effortlessly caught hold of him.
“Yeah,” Zayne said quietly. Maybe just to himself. Eyes on the window away from everyone, he placed a hand on her back.
Mellie's arms tightened around him, and the fear she must have carried every day he spent at war broke through her cheer. It lasted only a moment before she leaned back with a bright smile.
“Come get a plate of food, Mellie.” Adelle returned to the kitchen.
The spring tornado rushed from the room with the same swiftness with which she'd entered this morning, leaving Kira alone with Zayne once more.
He eyed the kitchen doorway. “I'll take care of your story with her later.”
“Thanks. I guess.”
“You did well, but you're not her friend. She'll never be read in. Understand?”
Snorting, she settled back against the wall. “You think I don't know that? I'm her fiancé’s prisoner.”
“She's the defense secretary's daughter.” The air between them thickened, full of his brooding. “Offer the least amount of information that's necessary.”
“Yes, sir.”
His gaze returned to the window. “I'm leaving for a week to attend to business in the territories. My mother will take care of anything you need while I'm gone.”
Good riddance.
Kira wanted to say it to his face.
“Mellie is loyal.” The whisper almost sounded like a trick of the ears. He wasn't looking at her, and his lips hardly moved. “Be careful.”
The fleeting kindness he showed her in the woods last night felt real once more, though it fell short of his eyes.
This time, he spoke clearly. “If my father or brother comes while I'm gone, do whatever they say.” His eyes locked onto hers, hard as ever. “Do not anger them.”
Fear wrapped its unyielding hands around her throat, but the disorientation was worse. Disorientation from how begrudgingly he cared about her, and how he showed it in the coldest way possible.
Had the Phaedra considered the possibility that just as much as Zayne crept into her heart, she might get into his? Or were they all so confident in the ice protecting him, the ice Dr. Cooper forced into him, that they didn't worry?
Those snakes dipping in and out of the collar of his shirt looked menacing at the moment.
He didn't earn that badge of honor for enduring his own scars but by having the strength and loyalty not to save his friends.
That mark probably earned full confidence in his ability to overlook the humanity in her.
Kira may find herself in his position soon.
It was terrifyingly easy to imagine Dr. Cooper submerging her friends in the tank, their screams unmet as they gasped in the water and died.
What would she do if that day came? Would she hand over the lives of innocent strangers to save the people she loved?
Her gaze fell to the scales of the snakes, her skin crawling. Did the softness in Zayne matter when he could watch his friends suffer and die?
The greatest kindness Zayne offered her had been to warn her about who he really was. Warning her to never fall for the ruse of a man who cared but followed orders anyway.
That man who plucked a fresh spring bud from the tree to give to her looked long, long gone.