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“Exactly. Don’t be too ostentatious, but I want you to really socialize. Make connections with the lesser nobles. They’re the ones who are the most desperate to maintain their positions in court or gain power. Find out all the gossip you can. Oren will give you dossiers on the proper targets.”
Darla nodded, seeming to realize how serious this was. “Yes, sir. I will do my best.”
Last was me, of course. I enjoyed listening to him give out orders. It was like being back at Canid, my home for the past three years. But instead of giving me any direct orders, he just offered a solid nod.
Ugh, that was going to be it, wasn’t it?
A little voice in me, one insecure and perhaps a bit petty, wanted to whine for more. More attention. More of his time. But considering he was finally doing what I’d asked, I quickly pushed down this selfish desire.
Being responsible sucked.
Kai dismissed everyone, and we filtered out, but then he caught my arm. I swore, my heart thundered in my chest at the point of contact.
“Can we talk?” he murmured. “Alone?”
I nodded, and Darla slipped outside, though we both knew she would be standing in the hall, providing us with a lookout in case anyone happened to end up there. No doubt Oren would be at the other end of the hall as well. It provided us with a modicum of safety, though probably not enough of one to justify nearly getting caught.
“I’m sorry you haven’t seen much of me. I thought we would have a bit more down time right after we arrived, but it seems I’ve had to hit the ground running here.”
“I understand,” I said, studying his face. There was always a certain sense of responsibility I picked up from our bond, but the weight of it was far greater on him in the capital. Part of me wanted to ask about everything that’d happened from the moment we parted, and part of me knew it’d only be an exercise in frustration that would probably make me want to punch someone. Preferably the king and queen.
“It’s probably for the best.”
“Probably,” he agreed, but he reached up to cup my cheek, and I pressed my face into his palm, relishing the contact. “I’ve sent word to the enchantress I was talking about, but Yvonne isn’t exactly known for her speediness. Do you have other things to occupy you?”
“I thought I’d scour the library you and Darla mentioned. I don’t think there’ll be useful resources in there, but you never know. If nothing else, I’ll learn a lot more about Camdaria.”
He let out the softest little laugh, like he was afraid if he was too loud, the whole court would sweep in and the two of us would have return to never acknowledging each other’s existence.
“I know I shouldn’t keep you here,” he murmured, the longing across his features so thick I could practically choke on it. “I just wanted to see you, to be near you.”
My blood thrummed pleasantly in my veins, as it so often did when Kai said how good I made him feel. I’d been told I was a negative presence on people’s lives for so long, it was like I was addicted to the praise that fell so easily from his lips.
“Do you feel better?” I said despite myself. Where was the girl who could snap on her cold mask within seconds? Eh, she hadn’t been around for quite a while.
“A thousand times better.”
“I take it talking with your family didn’t go well?”
“It went about how one would expect, but you don’t need to worry about me here. I can handle the shenanigans of my old home.” His thumb brushed my cheek ever so slightly, the tenderest touch, and I squirreled it away inside my soul to cherish for the lonely nights coming up in my future.
“You really think this Yvonne will help?” I said, knowing we needed to wrap up the conversation, even if I didn’t want to. A side effect I’d never expected from being close together was how the attraction I felt, that inevitable pull of our bond, only strengthened over time.
“That’s what I’m hoping.” He took a deep breath. “If we’re lucky, she’ll be able to put some magical buffer between us so you don’t have to worry about your curse hurting me.
“If we’reextremelylucky, maybe she’ll be able to help us figure out the origin of your curse, and maybe even how we break it.”
I doubted the last part, but I didn’t say as much. Even the magical buffer would be a huge relief. Then Kai and I’d be able to sneak in the private time we wouldn’t otherwise.
But it was probably best not to hope, as that just opened one up to disappointment.
“I’ll see you later,” he murmured, clearly reticent to break the moment between us, though we both knew we needed to.
“See you later,” I said, taking a step away.
He exited first, Darla filing in after him. I thought I had a relatively impassive look on my face, but when she saw me, her tongue clicked.
“Hey, you all right?”
