Page 128 of Winter Gods & Serpents

My lungs unconsciously demanded more air. “I would not call it entirely successful, would we know?” One had not only escaped but worked for my father.

“I know every face in that squadron, he must have been self-taught.”

Did it matter?

I examined him. “You are one of them.” Kilian had said we needed to find him and the other day he was able to absorb infliction without issue, different from how his brother prepared himself. His words that night still prickled my skin.

“Yes…I am actually their Commander,” he hesitantly admitted, and my heart skipped few paces. “I—”

“I am not scared of you, no need for reassurance.” My words very loosely matched my truth. I had heard of people dying from Empath inflicted pain without a single injury to their body—they were terrifying. Probably the most terrifying one was sat across me.

“For a heavenly being, you are not all that graceful when you eat,” he said in a grin, breaking the silence, pointing to my face stuffed with bread.

“You should see her when she sleeps,” Cai joined and they both laughed away.

They were never going to let this go. I was almost sure Kilian had done it on purpose for others to tease me. They continued endlessly teasing me till the day grew new and I had let them, it had melted a wall of ice around me for a reason still unclear.

When we reached my bedroom, Nia and Kilian waited by the door looking in absolute shock at us. Kilian’s eyes travelled down at my light attire, probably wondering whether I had spent the night in the garden again.

“The friendly three celebrating something?” Nia asked crossing her arms.

“Yes,” Mal answered in a half smile. “Celebrating she made it out of that meal without choking.”

I threw him a glare. “Do you regrow a head, Mal?”

“He is Adriatian,” Cai said stepping in. “You believe they do regrow heads.”

“I’ll carve a scar in yours.”

“And I’d still be beautiful.” He threw me a wink before wrapping an arm over Mal’s neck and retreating in a salute. “The happy one is all yours, we have survived the night, might gods help you survive the day.”

The other two had both crossed their arms alike each other and shook their heads at both their antics.

I kissed Nia’s cheek, avoided Kilian’s gaze, and slid to my room. My back met the door hard, before I dropped to the floor. Why was I avoiding him? He should be avoiding me.

* * *

I got ready very lazily, without a wink of sleep and travelling fatigue, my whole body ached in throbbing pulses. I wore my most scandalous attire yet. If I were to be yelled at by my father it would be in style and if I were to be killed, the red fabric would merge with the blood. My spirit outfit would be splendid, midworld would be knocked of their socks.

Pen had brought a bright red strapless dress, tight at the waist and bloating feet away behind me, my bust was severely exposed, any wrong moment and I would be flashing my father more than my grin. A sheer red floaty cape pinned by a ruby jewelled pin at the front, loosely concealed my scar. She insisted I put my hair up and I let her arrange it in a contraption of pins behind my head. The restricted feeling brought some calm to my tensed senses. I spotted a small thinly jewelled gold crown and decided to wear it. She’d jumped up and down in happiness and clapped loudly when she took a last look at me.

“Wait, wait,” she demanded, adjusting the sheer cape to cover me better.

“Be done, you insufferable little carrot.”

She tugged the hem of it, frowning at me in panic. “Be still, you impatient aubergine. Your father will have my head if you flash every wolf of Isjord.”

I shrugged, drinking in the sight of me. “Some would not mind.”

She scoffed. “Yes, maybe the Adriatian one outside.”

I peered down at her. “What?”

“He stares at you like there is nothing else to stare at.”

“I am a curiosity.”

“Yes, that too. He keeps asking me what you like and don’t like. The other day he asked me about Murdoc, how did he even know about him?”