She studied his profile. The bold nose and sharply defined lips. A lock of dark hair tumbled across his brow.
“How do you mean?”
“Well, the way our paths keep crossing.”
“Do you live in this neighborhood?”
“Now I do, but I come from another place. It’s on the shore of the Southern Ocean.”
Her interest piqued. The Southern Ocean was at the farthest border of the empire and she often wondered what might lie on the other side. “I’ve never seen it,” she admitted. “But I’ve always wanted to.”
“It’s different from the Parnassian Sea. Wilder and bigger. After a storm, you might see waves as high as that roof.” He nodded at the grand limestone building housing the ballet. “Everything depends on the winds and the currents. The tides, too, of course.”
“Do you sail?” she asked eagerly.
“We have a dinghy. I’ve taken it out along the shore.” He grinned. “It’s hard to capsize, but I’ve managed it a few times.”
“You’re lucky,” she said wistfully.
“That I was tossed into the ocean?” he asked with a note of puzzlement.
Kal snorted. “No, that you learned how to sail. I’ve always wanted to.” She remembered her ship tattoo and decided to stop yammering.“Where’s your hometown?”
“Niss. A bit outside, actually. It’s all I knew until a couple of years ago. I guess you could say I had a sheltered upbringing.”
“Do you have a big family?”
He nodded. “Lots of brothers.”
“Me too.”
He glanced over. “If you don’t like the Lenormand School, where would you rather be?”
Kal sighed. “I’m working on that.”
Levi watched two women walk through the park, arm in arm. “Not that it’s my business, but if you keep sneaking out, they’ll catch you eventually.”
“It’s not your business,” she retorted, “and I know that. It’s still worth it.”
He offered her the zelas. Kal shook her head. She was angry, but not at him.
“I’m sorry,” he said softly. “I say the wrong thing sometimes. You must forgive me. But don’t you have anyone to help you?”
Kal was mortified at the sudden hot lump in her throat. “I do have a friend,” she managed. “But he . . . well, he moved. To another province. I miss him.”
Levi was silent for a minute. “I could be your friend, Kyra.”
She exhaled a shaky breath. “That’s sweet of you. But I’m sure you have better things to do with your time.”
His unsettling blue eyes fixed on her. “I really don’t.”
Kal struggled to think of an offhand response. Something to deflect him. But he looked serious, like he actually cared about her even though they hardly knew each other. It made no sense, and yet she felt safe in his presence. More than she had in weeks.
She remembered kissing his cheek, and wondered what it would be like to kiss him properly.
Levi seemed to read her thoughts. His gaze softened, but he didn’t lean closer. Just watched her, waiting to see what she would do next. Kal Machena never kissed strange men, but Kyra Navarra was considering it when a raindrop struck her cheek, followed quickly by another. The stars were vanishing behind a line of dark clouds.
“The storm’s caught us,” she said.
