“There is no debt, Your Highness.”
“It’s ridiculous for my brother to call me Your Highness. Please. Call me Cauhdin.”
Dez nodded with a slight tilt to show his neck.
“Where do you travel next?” The prince sipped his drink, a small sip.
Cifer did the same and nearly spit it across the room. It was sweet, but the flame that danced across his tongue made his nose tingle and his eyes water. Even the insides of his ears itched.
“It’s an acquired taste,” Dez said. He sipped from his own glass and closed his eyes as if he were enjoying the burning fuel. After a long moment, he replied to Cauhdin. “We’re traveling to Chalcanth. It is time for Cyra to visit her own family, and then we will embark for Hiargus.”
“Hiargus?” the prince snapped and sat up, leaning forward. “What demon possession would compel you to go all the way there?”
“It’s my fault, Your Highness. I have some business there.” Cifer didn’t want Dez to do all the talking for him.
“What kind of business are you in?”
“I am a retriever. I find things or, occasionally, beings, and bring them back.” It was the easiest explanation.
“Hmm. Interesting business. I can see the possibilities. But Hiargus?”
“It was a lucrative contract with a generous timeline.” Cifer lifted one shoulder in a shrug.
“Chalcanth has possibilities for produce delivery.” Dez changed the topic back to the original purpose, and Cifer could have kissed the male in relief. He didn’t like talking about his work, especially to royals and other official-type beings.
They continued their discussion. Cifer was given the task of determining a fair price for their goods and of reaching out to wholesalers who could offload the merchandise quickly. Dez didn’t seem to want to be involved at all.
“I’ll make those calls as soon as possible.” Cifer had an old contact on the water planet, but it had been a while since they’d spoken.
“Don’t rush. We have time. Enjoy the rest of your time here.”
Cifer wasn’t going to waste a minute of enjoying Din’ Gale. If the calls could wait, he could go exploring and ruminate on how to convince Blaize to give him another chance. “I think I’ll get some air, then.”
“There is a path leading from the back lower level. If you follow it toward the woods, it will take you to one of my favorite places. I would guide you, but I must find my mate.” Dez wobbled the tiniest bit when he stood.
Cifer continued down the stairs while Dez went in search of Cyra.
The air outside was moist and rich with the sounds of insects and birds. It was beautiful. It could only have been better if Blaize were with him. Maybe before they left for Chalcanth, they could spend some time together outdoors. She had told him she didn’t go out in the sun much, and he could understand that, given her fair skin, but this path was heavily shaded.
Lost in his thoughts and the landscape, he wasn’t sure how long he’d been walking when he froze, his breath leaving him in a gust of longing. Blaize, posed in front of the most beautiful waterfall he’d ever seen. It would have been stunning without her—the height, the rocks framing the water, jutting into it to cause pronounced cascades on top of the base. The sunlight caught the sprays and made them sparkle and come alive with color. But there was no color more breathtaking than his female, her hair looking like flames in the sunlight. A noise, possibly the pounding of his heart, made her look back over her shoulder.
“Blaize.” The word escaped with the intensity of all the time he’d spent aching for her, all the explanations and apologies she hadn’t accepted.
“What are you doing here?” She whipped around and clutched her sides protectively.
“I didn’t know you’d be here, but I’m glad you are.” He approached her slowly, as if she were a dangerous, injured beast who might strike at any moment. “I have so much I want to say. I miss you so much. Miss talking with you. Working with you. Kissing you.” He tilted his head toward her, a breath of space between their lips.
Chapter 26
Blaize pressed her lips to Cifer’s. He startled before deepening the connection. She poured all her longing and doubts back into him as their tongues tangled. He was warm and spicy, temptation and alarm. She’d spent years alone without the ache that had wriggled its way into the spaces of her heart. He caressed her cheek, running his fingers through her hair. The urge to succumb to his possessive touch, to cast aside all the warnings and dive into him, rolled over her.
But nothing had changed. He was still who he was. She blamed the romantic location, the way his skin shimmered in the forest light, the way her heart pounded around him, dampening all logic. But she wasn’t impulsive. She didn’t kiss bad boys. She didn’t let her heart lead. Not again.
She broke away, shoving him, and stepped back.
He staggered, the look on his face as if he’d been stabbed. “What?”
“I can’t, Cifer.” She struggled for a calm breath and searched for an explanation. “I can’t be with someone like you.”
