I think back to when I met everyone at Kaelion’s apartment, and I nod slowly. “Ah…the one who looked like something crawled up his butt.”
Solvi laughs hysterically, snorting up a little bit of dumpling. I cover my mouth with my hand, horrified.
“Oh my god—I’m so sorry,” I mutter.
“It’s fine,” Kaelion says with a sly smile. “He…does kind of look like that.”
This is a different side of him than I ever met in the lab—and I realize with a start that I kind of like it. As my supervisor, he’s always been stern, even cruel at times. My friend Riley absolutelyhateshim. To be fair, he’s a huge jerk at times.
Right now, though…he’s charming. Funny.
Oh my god, Lyn, stop.
“Eat,” Kaelion says, gesturing toward my plate. “I promise we tolerate all kinds of Wulfric slander here.”
I laugh with Solvi, then I twirl noodles around my fork. When I actually get them to my mouth, they kind of blow me away—just the right amount of spicy, a little sweet, and incredibly buttery. I close my eyes and moan before I can think better of it.
When I open my eyes and look at Kaelion, it seems like he noticed.
Like…definitely noticed.
He’s staring at me, his eyes fixed on my lips, and the breath leaves him in a rush?—
No. No, he couldn’t be—that’s not happening.
“Is it good?” Solvi pipes up.
“Sogood,” I reply, eager for any distraction from my boss. “I’m going to be thinking about these noodles for the rest of my life.”
We all fall into a comfortable silence for a few minutes, the kind you only find when you’re distracted by very, very good food. I actually clean my plate completely before taking seconds on the next round, and I don’t stop eating until my stomach feels like it’ll explode.
Maybe not the best idea, but…anything to distract myself.
“Baba, can I go look at the fish?” Solvi asks. Her plate is cleaned too, her hands folded neatly in front of her.
Kaelion looks over his shoulder, and I follow his gaze to find some other kids clustered around a water feature in the corner.
“Yes,” he says, “but don’t stray further than the fountain. I don’t want you getting lost in Mythara.”
“I won’t,” she says. “Thanks, Baba.”
She slides out of her seat, then bolts.
And that leaves…just the two of us.
I swallow hard, considering getting another dumpling just for the sake of having something to stuff my face with. Instead, I clear my throat. “So?—”
“You’re still having side effects,” he interrupts.
I look at him with wide eyes, my lips parting slightly. “I’m…what? No. I’m fine; I sent you my vitals from the clinic?—”
“Then what happened in the street back there?” he asks. “When I bumped into you…are you telling me thatwasn’tan arousal response?”
I stare at him, heat blooming behind my ears and crawling down my spine. I’m not sure which part of this is worse—the fact that he noticed, the fact that he’s right, or the fact that we’re discussing it at lunch with his pre-teen daughter.
“I…” I manage—but that’s about it. I don’t get any other words out before he keeps talking.
“Your pupils dilated,” he says. “Your breathing changed. Isawthe flush on you, and…forgive the intrusion, but with my senses, I could smell it.”
