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"And were you two able to convince Liam to give up on the betrothal?"
"Unfortunately not," I sighed. "He's too damn stubborn."
"Yeah, trying to make up for the past, but going about it all wrong."
"Exactly."
"How about you and Kaiya?" She looked out the corner of her eyes. "I see how you pretend in front of her. If you really are partners, shouldn't you be at least a bit more open? You don't need to tell her about your condition, but you could share a little."
I winced. Kaiya had enough problems to deal with without adding my baggage.
"I think not. In fact, I think she dislikes me as much now as she did that first day. She took my rakish act more seriously than I'd anticipated." Though that was no fault of her own. I'd done everything I could to keep her at a distance.
"Have you even tried being your real self with her?" Mrs. Harlsted asked, pouring the steaming cups of koffee.
I ground my teeth. If only it were that easy.
Unfortunately, now more than ever, I needed to keep distance between us. It was safer … for both of us.
My mind slipped back to the way she'd felt cuddled against my chest yesterday. For a moment, my guard had broken, and it had been …
No. It was too dangerous.
Smiling, I gathered the cups and nodded at Mrs. Harlsted. "Thank you. You are the best woman I know."
She made a hushing sound, then shooed me away before I could say anything else.
Grinning, I climbed the stairs and was about to walk into the library when I noticed another shape inside the room.
Liam?
He stood over Kaiya, face softer than I'd seen in years, as he tugged a blanket up around her shoulders.
Saints.
My chest twisted. He'd said he was over her, but I KNEW he still had feelings. And if anyone deserved that woman, it was him — well, the real him. Not this stubborn fool fake version.
Yet another reason to keep my damn distance from Kaiya.
Letting out a breath, I strode into the room and tapped his shoulder.
He looked up, those green eyes wide, and for a moment, he almost looked like the old Eli.
"Thanks," he muttered, striding to a little jar on a nearby table. He pulled out two cubes of sugar and dropped them into the mug. I looked at him, brow raised. He never took sugar.
Shrugging, he sat the cup on the table next to Kaiya. "She'll need it more than me." He pointed to the books. "She was in here all night."
Fuck. I bit my cheek. Of course he knew how she took her koffee. I'd seen her drink it frequently over the last two years, but had never even thought to learn how she took it. More evidence he was better for her than me.
Not that I wanted her.
Letting out a breath, I looked at the books stacked near her chair. They were all Liam's translations of the texts on the Isle before The Fall.
Damn. She'd probably have a thousand questions for me today while we rode. Just what I needed.
Then again, she was always easy to talk to. She'd probably hook me into the conversation without me even realizing it.
"Keep her safe." Liam's voice was hard as he stared at the sleeping woman. His dark hair was mussed, and his shirt wrinkled.
