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"Someone is always going to try and kill me. I refuse to be shut up in this damn place, paranoid like my father." Khan cupped her cheek. "It's going to be fine, although I am touched by your concern."
"I'm only concerned that I won't get a chance to read your library if you die," she teased, trying to lighten the mood.
Khan chucked her under the chin. "You keep telling yourself that."
Fen's eyes widened. Did he just flirt with her? Surely not.
"If you two are finished fucking about, maybe we should get going?" Kemes said. Fen had no idea how long she had been watching them on the other side of the room. "Have you put your charm on yet?"
"What charm?" Fen asked.
Khan flexed his fingers. "I usually put a charm on so people's eyes will slide away from me unless I talk to them directly. It's about as invisible as I can get. If you permit it, I'll put one on you too."
Fen's magic burned in her hands, the runes on her tongue tingling, knowing she could do a similar charm for herself. She wanted to feel Khan's magic on her too much to tell him.
"I permit it. It will help me feel less nervous about being stared at," she said.
"I would think you would be used to it by now," Khan replied with a wink.
"Smooth, cousin." Kemes slow clapped. "Now get on with it. We only have so many hours before it's noticed that you are gone."
"Stop being such a nag, or I won't let you come in and harass Asten when we go to the Thothi," Khan told her.
"Oh, please, like I'd care. I have already seen enough of his stupid laboratory and stupid glasses for this week. He's taking forever to analyze that wine. You should have made friends with a Thothi that was more capable."
Khan rolled his eyes where only Fen could see and whispered, "She has a crush."
"You can barely tell," Fen replied, grinning as Kemes continued to list all of the mysterious Asten's flaws.
Khan placed his fingers to her cheekbones, and Fen's stomach fluttered. "The charm won't hurt. You don't need to look so worried."
That's not what I'm worried about.
Fen needed to stay focused on the plan. She would learn to read, mine Khan's library and incredible brain for magic, and then she would go back home to…
Cool, glorious magic rushed over Fen's skin like a sweet caress of shadows. She could smell rich earth and lush, strange flowers, and under that, Khan's strength and the vast well of power he kept locked up.
"Ohhh," she breathed softly. Khan's eyes were bright with magic, lips moving with whispered words of power. She leaned into his touch and his magic, intoxicated by the intimacy of both. She had never felt magic like it, and her own power seemed to want to wallow in it, to drown in him…
"Fenrys." Khan's voice was a ragged growl forcing Fen back to herself and out of the bubbling well of magic between them. Khan was too close and not close enough. She wanted to kiss him or push him back; she couldn't decide which. Her magic retreated enough that Khan's charm snapped into place on her skin and settled.
"What was that?" he whispered. His eyes were heavy with desire and confusion and longing.
"I d-don't know," she stammered. "My magic touched yours…"
"I felt…" Khan couldn't find the words.
"Me too."
Khan's fingers tightened on her cheeks, his eyes flooding with magic again. "I need..."
"Later. We can figure it out later," she whispered, struggling to keep her magic in check.
Kemes appeared between them. "Okay, we are leaving. Both of you take a step back from each other, or I will throw a pitcher of water on you."
Khan's hands dropped away, and Fen felt like she could breathe again. Too much magic. Too much man. Maybe this was the reason seiðr wasn't taught to men at all. It was all too volatile.
Outside. You need to get outside, Fen told herself sternly. Still, when his hand brushed hers moments later, Fen didn't pull away.
