Tanith delivered it this morning, and now it’s in my personal space—a constant reminder the ball, Tribunal, and Conclave are just around the corner. A trifecta of obligatory torture.
The monthly Tribunal is necessary for Rhordyn’s people to have a stage to voice their woes, but with people coming from all over thecontinentfor the ball and Conclave, too? It’s going to be a challenging few days.
The less I think about it, the better.
I snatch a throw off the end of my bed and cast it over the mannequin, hiding the proof of Rhordyn’s insistence to inject me into society against my will. Retrieving my bag, I tip it, scattering its contents across the bed. I’m about to repack it with the bits I need for the day when all the energy sputters out of me, and I let the crochet tote fall to the bed in a heap.
I just ... don’t have it in me.
Peeling off my nightgown, I tug on some flowy pants and a loose shirt, and head for the door.
Kai will cheer me up. Healwayscheers me up.
* * *
I’m just settling on the rock’s edge when Kai’s head pops out of the water; hair slicked back, eyes glistening jades. His nostrils flare, brow pinches, and he wades close—powerful shoulders rising above the silvery surface as his beat taps at my edges. “You’re bleeding.”
I sigh, rolling an apple around in my hands. “Not the sort you can lick better, I’m afraid.”
His brows jack up, and he tilts his head, exposing the three delicate lines on the side of his neck. “You sure about that?”
It takes me a moment, but when it finally clicks, I toss the apple at his head.
He plunges below the surface, and the apple dunks a second later. Kai re-emerges right in front of me, fruit in hand, assessing me as he takes a crisp bite.
“What’s that look for?” I murmur, churning the water with my feet.
“You look sad.”
“Reaching sexual maturity and going back to wearing diapers in the same week will do that to you.”
“No doubt.” He smirks. “No swimming for you—”
“Don’t say it.”
“Might attract the sharks.”
I groan, and he laughs, moving closer, biting down on his apple and leaving it there. He rolls the hem of my pants until they’re at my knees, then grips me by the hips and lifts me with an impressive feat of strength for someone half submerged. Setting me down on the edge of the rock, he perches between my wide-open thighs.
Feeling like I need to draw from someone who’s not all frosty hardness, I lean forward and tip my head to the side, enjoying the way his silky skin kisses my cheek while I draw on his rich, briny scent.
There is no pause. No moment of awkwardness to pinch bits of the comfort. Though from different worlds, we’ve smudged that vivid line and made a warm, cozy home for our friendship.
My happy place.
He sweeps his arms around and locks us together, pulling me closer.
“Have I told you lately that you’re my very best friend?”
“You have,” he rumbles, fingertips brushing up and down the length of my spine like the sweep of a paintbrush, decorating me with his affection. “And nobody canevertake that away.”
Moments pass with us wound together in peaceful ease, his tender embrace making me feel a little more whole.
“Orlaith ...”
“Mmm?”
“I think I know what you need,” he whispers, hand stilling low on my waist. There’s a raspy layer atop his voice that I haven’t heard before.
