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Her eyes come to mine, and they are cold, already knowing my response before speaking.
“Just don’t shut me out again, Lily. It felt like I lost a limb. A piece of me. I’ll take you in any way you’ll let me. I can’t lose you again,” she says.
Unfortunately, I know Kira is lying. She can’t handle just being friends. She’ll always want more, need more, from me.
I soften my voice, “I will try my best, but—”
She finishes for me, “You are what you are and that won’t change.”
I’ve lost count of how many times I have had to tell her this.
“Exactly. Monsters don’t change, Kira. And expecting one to do so is only going to leave you hurt. If you truly believe you can handle being friends, then I’ll do what I can as well,” I say.
Her eyes fill with hope as tears form. I lean across the bed and kiss the side of her head.
“I’ll see you later.”
She gives me a small nod, and I head to the chair where my corset hangs before opening the door to step into the hallway. I lift my hand and open a portal to return, unseen, into my chambers.
I undress and discard my clothes in the ever-growing pile. I stride into my expansive walk-in glass shower and allow the water to pour from the rainfall feature in the ceiling.
I quickly wash and dry before sliding on a fresh pair of black trousers and a white shirt. Using a thick cord, I pull back my wet hair and secure it in place. Lacing up my boots, I leave my chambers in record time.
The sight of Hiram leaning against the wall across from my quarters halts my movement.
“Captain.” I narrow my eyes at him in question.
He pushes off the wall and dips into a deep bow.
“Good morning, Your Highness.”
“What are you doing here, Hiram?”
He steps toward me, eyeing my door, before meeting my glare.
“I thought it would be better if I walked you to training this morning instead of the general, in case your guest was still around. Shall we?” He stretches his arm out toward the training yard.
A blush reddens my cheeks. How did he know I was with Kira last night? This is the problem with ruling a crew of highly skilled spies and warriors. They always know your business, no matter how hard you try to cover your tracks. He must have seen us in the tavern last night but not where we ended up.
“I know how Nyx feels about Kira, so I figured I would intercept before he made a scene about how you spent your evening,” he states.
I stare at the black stones as we walk, embarrassed by being caught doing the exact thing I said a year ago I wouldn’t do again.
“It was just one night. Nothing more.”
He raises his hands in a placating manner.
“It’s none of my business. Just be careful, my queen. While we all like Kira, she doesn’t always have your best interests in mind. She has her own motives, and they tend to be troublesome.”
His words are quiet, only for us to hear, but they still slam into my heart regardless of the volume.
“It was only a drunken hookup, Hiram. That is all,” I reply.
He gives me a worried look before nodding. We are silent the rest of our walk to the training yard, and I remain that way the rest of the morning.
