“Did you kill a Fae?”
Understanding glimmered in his eyes when she tensed.
“You did. Did he deserve it?”
She was surprised at herself when she nodded.
But he had deserved it.
He might not have gotten to her, but she’d heard all about his reputation on the streets, what he’d done to Kalia…
No, she didn’t regret making him take his own useless life.
“You lived on the streets in Vastala.”
Even if it wasn’t a question, she nodded again.
“Why?” There was only curiosity in Loche’s eyes when she met them.
“I did something even worse.” As soon as the words left her mouth, she drew a shaky breath, not understanding what drove her to be so honest with him.
“I tend to have that effect.” Loche smirked.
But it wasn’t his usual smirk.
It wasn’t lined with smugness or even ridicule—there was more of a softness to it.
Rising from the chair, he pointed to the bed beside her. “Do you mind?”
Averting her eyes, she shrugged and moved to the far side of the bed.
Closer to the door, should she need to get out of there quickly.
The bed shifted when Loche sat down, and the scent of him immediately enveloped her.
If Merrick smelled like wilderness, Loche smelled like brightness. Like a cold winter night when the huge moon and millions of stars lit up the sparkling snow.
Wrapping her arms around her knees, she made herselfdraw air through her mouth, keeping one eye on the man beside her and one on the door to her right.
“What did you do that was so bad?”
Her teeth slammed together as she refused to let the images pressing at her mind surface.
Still, golden-brown hair, brown eyes full of life, and a heart-shattering laugh made their way through. Her sister’s smiling face was like taking a dagger to the heart, and she swallowed hard when her body began shivering.
As Lessia began to shake her head, another knock, harder this time, sounded.
At the same time Zaddock peeked through the door, Merrick stalked into the room.
Flicking his gaze between the three of them, Zaddock waved. “There is a briefing happening right now. All nominees are to attend.”
Loche gracefully got up from the bed but shifted his gaze to hers once more. “You got lucky this time.”
Then he followed Zaddock out of the room.
With a tense Merrick beside her, Lessia fell into step behind him.
Chapter
