Page 291 of Axis of Fire

Instead, I turned back toward the mountains, pretending to study the distant landscape with great interest.

“And would you call what you had with Kai love?”

I froze.

It felt as though someone had stripped away every layer of protection before throwing a bucket of ice water over me.

I'd mentioned Kai only once.

And that had been a long time ago.

Yet Airis remembered.

“I don't know,” I answered more sharply than I intended.

“Does the past really matter that much?”

“No.”

He shrugged.

But the tension remained.

For reasons I couldn't explain, I decided to make it worse.

“What about you?” I asked.

“I doubt you've ever really been in love.

But you've had relationships before...

Haven't you?”

I glanced at him for only a second.

“I have.”

I bit the inside of my cheek before looking back toward the mountains.

I wasn't jealous.

Why would I be?

But I couldn't pretend his answer hadn't affected me.

“And now?”

“And now there’s no one warming my bed,” he replied calmly.

“Other than you, Fireling.”

A snort escaped before I could stop it.

“Yes, and apparently that's the closest we'll ever get.”

The idiot actually laughed.

Surprisingly...