Chapter 29
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Silken sheets caress my skin as I wake in the predawn hour the next morning, basking in the scent of smoky bergamot.
I try to roll closer to the edge of the bed, but the warm, sturdy arm wrapped tightly around my waist prevents me from doing so.
A fervor pools low in my stomach from last night’s memories.
After inviting me in, Kalden had given me a tour of his modest one-bedroom home, indulging my every little inquiry about his various books and knickknacks.
He’d even offered me a change of clothes and privacy as I’d ripped the disgusting leathers from my body.
By the time we made it to his bed, the sun had finished its descent beneath the horizon, and we’d both succumbed to our exhaustion.
Despite the lack of physical entanglement, it was quite possibly the most intimate evening I’ve ever spent with a man.
Never have I felt so in control—or so valued for my mere presence alone, not what I can offer—than when I’m with Kalden.
As many questions as I had for him, he had for me.
And not once did his eyes wander or glaze over, even when I rambled on about rebuilding my life post-divorce with Gem and Taurance, and the anxieties of starting over yet again.
Gem believes I’m going to like it here in Lucis, and I already do.
I’m sure, in time, its flaws will be revealed, along with Kalden’s. That’s the thing, though. No one is without flaws, but finding somewhere or someone that allows us to reveal those imperfections and accepts them exactly as we are . . . Well, that’s enough to make a girl feel like she’s home.
A beam of amber light shines through the circular window at the top of the ceiling’s dome, and Kalden finally stirs. He tightens his grip on my waist, rolling me over until I’m pinned between his arms.
“Good morning,” he says, curls falling along his face as he presses a kiss on my forehead.
I lift my fingers to brush them through his disheveled hair. “Did you sleep well?”
He dips his chin. “Too well. How long have you been up?”
“Long enough to discover you’re more animated while unconscious than when you’re awake.”
His angular brows raise, but only slightly. “I doubt that.”
“It’s true. You made some interesting noises,” I say, releasing a close-mouthed grumble before crescendoing to a whimper, though it comes out more like a moan.
Kalden’s hooded gaze fixates on my mouth. “That is an interesting noise. I think I’d like to hear it again.”
Blood blooms beneath my cheeks. “Only if you earn it.”
“Is that a challenge, or a promise?” He leans in close, the rough bass of his voice sending tingles across my lips, and I’m struck by the memory of being in a similar position a handful of days ago. Like then, my back arches, yet this time he doesn’t flee as I guide his face to mine.
“Both,” I whisper, then claim his mouth with my own.
Hands travel down the length of my sides, inching closer to the hem of my borrowed tunic. His fiery touch awakens every inch of my body. I welcome it. If death by Kalden’s fire is to be my fate, then I will gladly burn in this insatiable inferno, but I’ll be taking him down with me.
He submits to my lead, allowing me to shove him onto his back.
“You’re radiant,” he says, dilated pupils beaming up at me as they devour my mussed curls and swollen lips.
My smile grows wider as I realize I believe him. I feel radiant. Alive. In control. I get to choose what I want. Who I want.
And I want him.
My fingers grab onto the translucent tunic, itching to pull it off.
“Orelle,” a familiar voice calls from outside, halting my hands. “Orelle! Where are you?”
Kalden stiffens beneath me. “Sounds like I’m not the only one who needs you.”
I mutter a curse before climbing off both Kalden and the bed, tripping gracelessly as my foot gets caught in the twisted sheets. “Coming!”
Once I regain my balance, I jog towards the arched front door, swinging it open to find Gem walking past with her helmet firmly back in place.
“Over here!”
“There you—sun’s pits, Orelle!” She throws her hands across the polarized lens, blindly shoving us both inside and kicking the door shut. “Where are your clothes? Demi and the others are waiting on us.”
“Yvonne’s burial,” I say, eyes widening as I remember what the mender said about starting a half hour past first light. I spin around and rush back to the bedroom to tug on my boots.
Kalden, who’s already pulled on a fresh pair of pants, offers a new, off-white tunic. “As much as I appreciate your current attire, I thought you might prefer something less revealing for your friend’s burial.”
“Thanks.” I pull it on without removing the iridescent fabric beneath. “I’m decent now.”
Gem heaves a sigh. “Good. Let’s go.”
Kalden steers us to the northwestern edge of Lucis, where the dunes give way to rolling green hills. We don’t stop until we reach the first in a scattered line of cypress trees so Yvonne can be laid to rest eternally beneath their shadows, as per Demi’s request.
Niles and the young man who assisted us at the mending facility yesterday carry Yvonne’s body on a bed of black silk, and a bouquet of black roses covers the fatal wound in her chest.
When I first saw the flowers, Kalden explained, “It’s customary to bury our fallen with white roses, but the menders agreed black would be more fitting, given her upbringing.”
The considerate gesture makes my eyes well up as the two men lower Yvonne beside the roots of the cypress, taking care to set her down gently.
The female mender kneels a few feet away before motioning for us to do the same.
“In Lucis, we view dawn as a rebirth. But for Caligans, it is an end, which is why we’ve gathered together at this hour to honor the life of Yvonne Starow, beloved daughter and friend.
This earth was blessed by her existence, so it shall cherish her forevermore within its embrace. ”
She places a kiss in her sunlit palm before pressing it to the dirt. Niles and the young mender do the same, along with Kalden, who kneels at my side.
Demi hunches forward to grab Yvonne’s hand, holding it to her heart one final time.
“I love you,” she whispers hoarsely. “I’m sorry for not telling you sooner.”
As the mender digs her nails further into the dirt, the ground rumbles beneath my knees, a fissure splitting in a precise line around the bed of roses. Tears burn my eyes as Demi releases Yvonne before she’s lowered into the earth’s open womb.
Twilynn scoots forward, wrapping an arm around Demi’s shaking shoulders. Gem follows, standing steady beside the two women while waving me over. Even Aruna inches the slightest bit closer, though notably keeping her distance from me on Demi’s opposite side.
And there the five of us stay, offering our presence over words until the ground fully closes over our fellow comrade and friend.