That’s it, one word.
“Shade? Is that your pet-name for her?”
“Nope, real name,” I say, also looking at Killian.
His eyes are black, with flecks of emerald starting to show around the edges. A sign he’s enjoying himself – or about to.
“Shade isn’t a mortal or a Silvari name.”
“I know,” I say, finally meeting her gaze.
Shadows and Shade, the words echo in my mind in Cook’s voice. Living in the shadows and shade should be easy – it’s all I know – yet somehow I’ve managed to find the biggest, brightest fog light in the whole damn kingdom.
“At least tell me she’s a noble.”
“Nope,” I say, popping my ‘p’s like Seth does. “Nothing but a servant.”
Which makes Killian rumble and straighten from his lean against the bench.
“That doesn’t make any sense. What benefit could this possibly have? Pax told me the prophecy, and none of it mentions a mortal, or a servant – what do they call you? Soot? Why would you have been in the Elorsins’ room when I arrived? In bed with Pax. I still don’t understand how you’re alive.”
My stomach does a hard flip, and all of a sudden I know how Roarke feels when I’m asking embarrassing questions. She starts pacing and tapping one delicate finger on her chin as she thinks.
I, however, don't think, and just start talking. “It’s not like that.”
Because she’s implying we were having sex that first night, which means she’s implying I would sleep with someone within the first week of meeting them, which unsettles me – that’s just not true.
“You haven’t fucked him?” Jada asks.
Her word choice makes me choke on air and Killian growl. The big guy folds his arms over his chest and glares at the woman. No one offers me a pat on the back, like suddenly I don’t exist, just a mortal struggling to breathe to the side of the important people in the room.
“It’s an honest question,” she begins, inspecting her nails as she talks. “That’s how these bonds work. Any mate would be willing to do whatever it takes to please her partner. No matter what kind of person they are during the day, at night, in Pax’s arms, she should be what he needs. I would be. If Pax likes romance, romance is what I’d give him. If he likes it rough, I’d take every blow with pleasure.”
More shock rocks through me. My world feels like it’s been slapped silly and is having all kinds of trouble finding balance again.
Dying in an attempt to please a man in bed is not something on my to-do list. It shouldn’t be on any woman’s list, and I don’t actually think it’s on Jada’s.
She’s offering another opinion buried in there that I can’t put my finger on.
“That’s how this kingdom was built, on Seeds and their needs. Breaking those things is at the core of the rot destroying us all. Why would Aunt Raefiya perpetuate that?” But she doesn’t give us time to respond. “I’ve never cared for who is ruling, you know that, only that they rule with every intention of making this kingdom great again, and this feels like a problem, not a tool or weapon, and not what the prophecy was intending to do. Why would –”
“Jada,” Killian cuts in, making the woman stop pacing.
She takes a deep breath, motioning with her hands like she’s physically pushing her worries down. “Sorry, you’re the last person who wants to hear this, and they’ll be expecting me back at the Castle soon. Walk with me?”
That last request comes out of the blue, with a suggestive tilt to her head toward the front door and the kind of warm smile that someone who has been secretly in a relationship might give a lover. I’m about to grab Killian’s arm and demand the man refuse her when he points solidly at me.
“She can stay here, the building is warded – the whole damn domain is warded, and the place is crawling with Elites.”
Killian doesn’t move. Like maybe the question is so ridiculous it doesn’t warrant an answer.
No matter what, Jada will lose this one, because even if Killian does go for a walk with her – I have to come too. Whatever the woman thinks she knows doesn’t include my bubble.
Before I get the chance to see how far Jada will push things, Seth jogs into the house. His breathing is faster, like he just ran laps around the cottage, but it doesn’t slow his bounce. Bounding all the way to the counter I’m sitting on.
“Jada, are you giving Vexy a hard time again?” he asks. “And Killian, are you playing spectator?”
Killian rumbles, a noise somewhere between being upset about the suggestion and amused by it.
But Jada’s feelings are clear.
She makes an exasperated noise and puts her hands on her hips. “Giving her a hard time? Seth, the world is ending, and she is supposed to be important, but all I see is infatuation and a whole lot of slowing you down. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say she’s working for Lithael.”
“Do you?” Killian demands.
“Do I what?”
“Do you know better?” Seth adds.
“I’ll be finding out, that’s for sure,” she snaps, storming from the kitchen and out the front door.
She doesn’t slam the door, though, and her version of storming barely thuds on the floor. It is formidable, though.
I groan and lower my head to my hands. “Sounds like I made things worse.”
“You didn’t, Seth did.”
Seth holds his hands up in surrender and begins backing away from the kitchen, then turns and makes a quick escape up the stairs.
“Killian?”
He grunts ‘yes’ or ‘what?’
“What if there’s a seal to break this bubble?” I ask, even though I hate the fact that that would involve trusting Jada with my life.
He shakes his head. “No. Even if there was, Jada wouldn’t use it. Sealers wear a shadow of every piece of magic they perform, and they’re inspected at the Black Castle. She would never sacrifice her stature.”
I
