Maya tangled her fingers in his hair, wanting to reassure him, but she had no idea where to even start and what she actually felt about everything that had just happened. Shaking her head, she opened her mouth—and a huge yawn overtook her.
Her eyes slipped shut, and the last thing she felt was the covers being drawn over her.
The next day, when Maya woke up in the morning, all that was left on the pillow next to hers was a necklace—a red gemstone that Luka had worn around his neck every day of his life—and a note:
I’ll miss you.
~
Now, as Maya dressed for breakfast ready to meet Luka for the first time in three years, she found herself filled with a strange nervousness.
She was here in Kamenev castle, but she was beginning to wonder if Luka really would be as happy to see her as she had hoped. He’d hardly written to her after he’d left, in all the time he’d been away, he’d sent her two letters, one a quick note to tell her that her armor was indeed useful, and he was grateful, while the other had been a short, terse note to pass on his sympathies at learning of the death of her grandmother.
She’d been touched that he’d taken the time to comfort her, even when at the frontlines, that she’d pushed away the awkwardness of their last encounter and written back to him, ending her letter with a wish for him to continue writing to her so that she would know he was well.
Only for her letter to go unanswered. She hadn’t fretted, Luka was at the frontlines, he could hardly be expected to keep up with his correspondence.
Maya’s next letter had gone unanswered, as well, and finally, she’d had to admit that perhaps Luka was ignoring her.
Maya had understood, then, that Luka had wished to go back to their old relationship, but he’d been too worried to broach the topic himself.
So her next letter had been decidedly impersonal, talking of her work and her colleagues. But that had gone unanswered as well. And before she knew it, six months had passed. And then a year.
And now, here Luka was, back home in Drakazov without a single word to her.
Her fingers kept reaching for the little red jewel she wore around her throat, trying to stave off her nerves.
As she entered the dining hall, Maya looked around in surprise. Was Luka not here yet? Strange. He’d always been an early riser.
The maids served her the morning meal, and Maya raised her eyebrows. She looked up at the butler who hovered near the door.
“Where is Prince Luka? Won’t he be joining us?”
The butler hesitated, then shook his head. “After breakfast, the master has asked us to show you to your laboratory.”
“My laboratory?”
“The Prince instructed us to make ready one of the rooms in the castle for your personal use as a laboratory for your work. He said that you would have brought your notes with you.”
Increasingly bewildered, Maya ate quickly. She didn’t linger over her tea, instead choosing to see this arrangement that Luka had made for her. The butler led her to a large, airy room, with floor to wall windows and long, wooden tables running around the walls. A desk, stool and chair stood in a corner. Her equipment had been unpacked and placed on the gleaming tabletops.
“We will bring you anything you may need for your use here, my lady,” the butler said. “Prince Luka was very clear in his instructions.”
Maya said nothing, dismissing him with a polite smile of thanks and a nod. There was no point in asking the butler about Luka again. He would show himself when he was ready. He knew where to find her.
As the hours went by, Maya proceeded to set up her equipment and get the lab running to her satisfaction. And though she tried to ignore it, she was acutely aware of the time passing.
As the day drew closer to noon, she had taken to glancing at the clock in the corner of her lab every ten minutes as she waited, pacing around the room. She stopped on her third circuit of her lab, clenching her hands behind her back.
Luka hadn't come to see her yet.
Granted, he would be busy running his province now that he was back in Kamenev, but he could have spared five minutes of his time for her! And after she had come all the way from the capital for him. When he’d replied to her message, he’d said she’d be welcome, but he certainly wasn’t being very welcoming.
When lunchtime had come and gone with no sign of Luka, Maya had had enough. Forcing the butler to take her to Luka’s office, she pushed the protesting man aside.
Luka was sunken in an armchair, brooding as he looked out of the window, dressed only in his shirt sleeves. He looked up when she barged into the room, his eyes wide.
“What areyoudoing here?”
