I stare at the lamp.I don’t want to have this conversation, least of all with a man like him.But there is something so captivating about his stillness that I find myself wanting to share my visions anyway.
“Do you see a woman?”he asks, his tone too casual.“Or only the dark?”
Noticing my apprehension, he reaches for my hand again, sandwiching it between his palms in an intimate embrace I’m not ready for.“It’s okay,” he mutters.“You may speak freely.No word leaves this chamber without my blessing.You have my word.”
His word.What is the word of a man I’ve been conditioned to hate?
I clear my throat and pull my hand away, gesturing to the murals on the walls—a tapestry of my soul laid bare.“I draw.It’s the only way I know how to interpret them.”
He raises a perfectly manicured brow.“Ah, yes.And what a talent you have.”Cracks of interest form around his eyes as he stands, making his way to the image of the woman with coal for eyes.“Fascinating.I’d love to see more of these drawings someday—if you’d let me, of course.”
“Flattery doesn’t make me less chained.”I mumble.“And I can’t show you more.I haven’t been provided any parchment, I’ve only been able to use what is around me.”
He turns.His eyes darken at the challenge, and the lamplight dims in sympathy.
“It was a pleasure chatting with you, Seren.I look forward to speaking with you again soon.”
He bows and turns for the door.
“Thank you,” I say, the words stumbling out before I can stop them.
His face softens, his lips parting to show a hint of teeth.The expression looks entirely natural, unforced.He shuts the door behind him, leaving only the scent of incense and deceit to trail in his absence.
* * *
Moments later,the door opens again—sharper this time.No soft knock.No courtesy.Why would there be?I cannot let the comfort disguise what I truly am; a monster in a cage.
“You lethimin,” Kael says, his eyes darting around as if searching for the source of the scent.
“As if I had a choice.”
Caught off guard by his lack of introduction, I clear my throat, searching for the remains of my voice.“But yes, the High Luminary of Mercy paid me a visit.Don’t tell me you’re jealous he granted me the honour of his presence?”
Kael’s brow hardens, his hands shoving into his pockets.“You must have intrigued him.He rarely visits anyone.”He steps further into the room, the scent of parchment and ink a surprisingly welcome relief against the incense.I shake the thought away.
“Did he hurt you?”he asks.His gaze remains fixed on the fissures in the marble floor.
I blink, shocked.“What?”
“Did he touch you?”He still won’t look at me, but the muscles in his jaw twitch.
“He only held my hand.Why?”
Kael’s chest rises and falls, a sharp breath releasing through his nose.“If he’s interested, it’s not because he cares.”His mouth thins, jaw clenching down on words he probably shouldn’t have said.
My fingers flex, half-expecting a mark on my skin.But there’s nothing.Only the warm residue of his touch lingers.
Kael leans closer, as if to sit on the bed, then hesitates.He straightens his spine until he stands tall.“He isn’t mercy, Seren.He’s curiosity wearing perfume, and it looks like he’s found a new interest.”
I pull the covers up higher, trying to hide my exposed skin, but it doesn’t help.I can still feel his emerald-flecked eyes examining me.But there was warmth in them, wasn’t there?Kindness?He didn’t feel dangerous—not like Riven.
“He was perfectly fine,” I say.“In fact, he’s the kindest person I’ve met since stepping into this godsforsaken place.”
Silence follows, the words hanging like an accusation.Kael doesn’t answer.Instead, he drags the chair from the corner, the scrape of wood loud in the sterile room.
“What do you remember from the test?”he asks.
My fingers pick at my cuticles.“Pain.”
