His gaze flickers to mine, just for a second.
“Don’t worry,” I continue, trying to ignore the strange tension in his expression. “Since being here, I’ve worked my butt off getting stronger, learning to survive. I just need Varek to let me prove myself so I can head out there with one of the crew.”
Something in his expression tightens—so unreadable that my stomach twists. It’s like I’ve stumbled onto something I wasn’tmeant to. That, or he’s laughing on the inside at the idea of me thinking I’m good enough to survive outside this safe haven.
I sit up straighter, breaking the moment. “What about you? How does one become the prince’s ever-so-silent, ever-so-scowly bodyguard?”
Kael exhales slowly, as if deciding whether to humour me. Then “It is in my blood.”
I wait. “That’s it?”
He inclines his head slightly. “My ancestors have always served the royal family.”
I frown. “You don’t sound particularly proud of that.”
His silence speaks volumes. Interesting.
I shift slightly, watching him. “Ever capture any Riftborn?”
He stills.
Subtle, I am not. But to my surprise, he doesn’t bristle. He doesn’t get defensive. His fingers curl against his knees, and after a long pause, he says, “I had to. As part of my training.”
I study him closely, noting the way his glow dims. It doesn’t seem like something he enjoyed.
“But you don’t now?”
“No.” His jaw tightens. “I never… took to that part of the job.”
I arch a brow. “And yet you became not just part of the royal guard but accepted a position I suspect is high-ranking considering you’re the bodyguard to the prince.”
“I saved Aelith.”
That catches my attention. “Really? Before you were on his protection detail?” I hold back my lip twitch. It sounds like I’ve been watching a whole heap of bodyguard movies. If only. Damn, do I miss movies.
Kael nods. “It was not my job, but… it happened.”
I almost smirk. “Did you get in trouble for it?” I know enough about the Glowranth to understand what sticklers for rules they are.
His lips twitch. Just barely. “No.”
And just like that, I start to see it—something deeper than just the prince’s bodyguard. He trusts Aelith, sure. But Aelithtrusts him. Enough to override whatever hierarchy was in place to keep him close.
I glance towards where Dawson and Aelith are still talking, laughter slipping through the space between us. Then, absently, my gaze drifts to the window. I let out a slow breath. The view is both familiar and deeply unsettling.
The green sky stretches overhead, streaked with ribbons of gold where the sun hovers low. The trees beyond the compound aretootall, their leavestoosharp, like blades waiting to slice through anything careless enough to brush against them.
And the fence—the heavy, reinforced line of defence that surrounds this place—is a necessity, not an aesthetic choice. Because out there? Out there, everything wants to kill you.
Kael shifts beside me, and I glance at him. His gaze is still locked on me, his markings still dimmed, but his expression is unreadable again.
I open my mouth to say something, then think better of it.
He exhales through his nose—almost a laugh, but not quite. Then, to my complete and utter shock, he says, “I could train you.”
I almost fall off my chair.
Okay, no—Idofall off my chair.
