Slowly, Kael released her wrist.
"Calm?"
he asked, his tone gentle.
She rubbed at her wrist where his grip had been, never taking her eyes off him.
"Mhm…"
she murmured.
Kael leaned back and settled into the chair.
"What's your name?"
He crossed his arms.
"Melrose,"
she replied, pushing herself up enough to rest against the bedframe.
Kael studied her in silence.
'She must be extremely weak in her current state.'
If what the men had said was true, if Melrose truly was a spy from Eireindaile, then there was no chance she hadn't already considered every possible way to kill him. Especially now.
"Melrose…" Kael said as he rose to his feet. "Will you be able to go undercover again, or are you completely exposed?"
She turned to watch his back as he looked out through the window.
"I should still be able to return to the Valthorne mansion," she said. "I was only noticed while relaying information to Eireindaile officials."
Kael tilted his head slightly.
"Torin?"
he asked calmly.
Melrose's eyes narrowed.
"Where are my clothes?"
she asked a moment later.
Kael nodded toward the living room.
She pushed the blanket aside and stood, moving carefully as she crossed the room. Gathering her clothes, she walked into the bathroom and closed the door behind her.
After ten minutes, she stepped out of the bathroom and set a neatly folded pile of clothes on the table. Then she moved to the fireplace.
She fumbled with her inner pocket for a moment before pulling out a cigarette. Leaning in, she lit it from the flames.
"You really didn't leave any of my clothes untouched," she said, bringing the cigarette to her lips.
"You were dying,"
Kael replied simply.
She inhaled.
'Figures she'd be a good actor.'
Kael walked into the living room.
It had been true at first. She had been dying when he found her. But as time passed, it became clear it hadn't been the whole truth. Like him, Melrose was a Luminaire. Likely rank three. And like him, a fever alone wouldn't have held her down for long.
"They poisoned you,"
Kael said, meeting her eyes.
"I know…"
She sat down at the table. Kael took the seat opposite her.
The poison was the reason it had taken her so long to recover. Kael hadn't treated it directly, but the wounds combined with the toxin would have been enough to kill her if left alone.
Still, by the third hour, she had nearly healed. Yet she remained in bed, writhing, waiting.
That was when Kael understood.
She had been acting. Waiting for him to come close.
And while she had managed to draw him within striking distance, she hadn't managed to land the blow.
"I'll need you to give me everything you know about Eireindaile's attack on Valthorne in late spring."
Kael rested his chin against his palm as he spoke, his voice flat.
She crushed the cigarette out against an empty teacup.
"That information is confidential," she said. "I'm sure you understand."
Kael straightened in his chair.
"That wasn't a request, Melrose."
He reached out, plucked the cigarette from her fingers, and tossed it into the fire. It hissed once before vanishing into flame.
She crossed her arms and leaned back, studying him.
"A mercenary hired by Eireindaile trying to give orders to someone of blood?" A faint smile touched her lips. "You know I'm technically above you, right? Whether you saved my life or not."
She grinned.
Kael was certain now.
She was bluffing.
The table exploded.
A golden blade tore up through the wood, screaming toward Kael's throat. He moved without thought. His hand snapped up and closed around the blade mid-flight, stopping it mere inches from his neck.
With a single, brutal pull, he dragged her across the table. Wood splintered. Cups shattered. They slammed together, face to face.
"Kael, right?" she said breathlessly. "Torin told me about you."
"Activate your mote again."
Kael said, ignoring her words entirely.
Her smile thinned.
Had he seen through it?
The poison was still in her system. Not enough to cripple her, but enough to slow her natural Thought production. She had hidden it well. Forced her body to move and her breathing to stay steady.
'No way he knows.'
"I don't want to," she said lightly, mockery lacing the words.
Even blindfolded, she felt his attention lock onto her.
Then his hand drove forward.
It plunged into her chest, tearing open an old wound with ruthless precision. Flesh split. Blood surged warm along her abdomen.
A broken sound escaped her lips.
His hand pushed deeper, fingers slipping between ribs, tightening around bone.
'He knew.'
Her body betrayed her. There was no strength left to call on.
She couldn't activate it again.
Kael pulled at her ribs until her nose nearly touched his.
"Now," he said calmly. "Speak."
His fingers dug deeper.
'He's dangerous.'
The thought surfaced through the haze of pain. Her eyes had dulled, breath shallow and broken, yet something defiant still clung to them.
She spoke.
By the time Kael had taken everything he wanted from her, the cabin was drenched in crimson. The table lay shattered across the floor, reduced to splinters. Melrose lay amid them, unmoving.
A gaping wound yawned open in her chest, marking where Kael's hand had held her still.
Kael stepped into the bedroom and tore more thin strips from the curtain before returning to Melrose. He crouched beside her.
He assessed the damage quickly, then began tending to her wounds again. This time, there was no bed beneath her, only the splintered remains of the table.
When he was finished, Kael tore a page from his notebook and wrote a few short lines on it. He folded the paper once and pushed it into her coat pocket.
He gave her still body one last glance.
Then he closed the door and headed for Velthoria.
When Kael reached his apartment, the space was filled not with its usual comfortable silence, but with loud laughter and an animated discussion carried out with nothing short of passion.
As soon as he turned the handle and stepped inside, Mael's face lit up.
She sprang from the sofa, grabbed her friend's hand, and marched toward Kael in an exaggerated stride, something halfway between confidence and a catwalk.
"Kael, this is Olivia," Mael said with a grin. "Olivia, this is Kael. Darian's friend. The one I was telling you about, remember?"
Her smile sharpened, just a little.
A wineglass slipped from Olivia's hand and clinked loudly as it shattered against the marble floor.
"K—Kael?"
Olivia stammered, quickly covering her face.
Mael blinked and looked between them.
"You two know each other?"
She nudged Olivia with her elbow, waiting.
After a moment, Olivia lowered her hands and glanced at Kael, then asked the same question, quieter this time.
"Do you… know each other?"
Kael looked at both of them for a brief moment, expression perfectly blank. Then he calmly removed his coat and hung it on the wall hook.
"Yes," he said, bending down to untie his boots. "We met at a bar in the black market a while back."
Mael's lips parted slightly. She looked at Kael. Then at Olivia. Then back at Kael again. Finally, she turned fully toward Olivia.
Slowly, her confusion melted into a grin.
"Ahaaa… is that so?"
She nudged Kael with her elbow and waggled her eyebrows.
Kael stared at her.
Why was she acting so strange?
Mael lifted a hand to hide her mouth as she leaned toward Olivia.
"Smooth, Olivia."
She whispered.
Well, she tried to at least, but Kael heard every word.
Olivia covered her face completely, then bent down to pick up the shattered glass, using every ounce of focus she had to look calm, but when Mael crouched beside her and added, "I didn't know you moved like that, Olivia," Olivia froze.
She straightened, bowed slightly to Mael, then awkwardly toward Kael as well.
"Excuse me… I need to use the restroom."
Her walk looked almost animated as she hurried away, slamming the bathroom door shut behind her.
Kael stepped carefully over the glass shards and grabbed a clean glass from the kitchen, filling it with water. He carried it to the table, sat down, and opened his book.
He didn't get far.
A loud creak cut through the room as Mael dragged a chair out and plopped herself down opposite him.
"Sooo… Kael…" She stretched the word out, her grin nearly reaching her ears. "You two know each other?"
She rested her head on her folded hands, eyes bright.
Kael raised an eyebrow.
Mael leaned in even closer, mirroring the expression, though her lips were still pulled into a smile Kael clearly did not share.
Why did she look like she was waiting for story time from her best friend?