“Thank you,” she said, her voice quiet but steady.
I blinked at her, momentarily thrown. “Seranni—”
“It’s the first time someone has ever stood up for me,” she said, giving me a watery smile as her eyes skipped away from mine. She looked down, her fingers fidgeting with the blanket’s frayed edge. “I’ve always had to fight my own battles. It was nice to be…protected, for once.”
Her words twisted something deep in my chest, both painful and oddly fulfilling. I felt my throat tighten as I tried to form a response.
“Seranni,” I waited until she met my gaze again. “If you will let me, I will protect you. I was happy to help.”
She nodded again, her face crumpling. Putting her face into her hands, she let out a long half scream, half sob. The raw sound of it made me wince, wishing I could cover my sensitive ears. Still, I stayed where I was, letting her release the storm of emotions that had been bottled up inside her. When she finally looked up, her eyes were red and swimming with tears, but there was a lightness to her expression that hadn’t been there before.
“I can’t go back to Vilusia,” she said blankly. “The minute I do, the whole town will know I had something to do with Voren’s death. Better they think that we both eloped.”
I felt my hackles rise at the sound of the bastard’s name in her mouth. I forced myself to unclench my fists, tamping down the dragon within.
“You can stay here,” I said through my teeth, ignoring the way my claws wanted to extend themselves and hang on to her.
Seranni looked at me in disbelief, and I went on, warming to my idea. “You can stay in the tower for as long as you like. There’s another bedroom upstairs.”
Seranni shrugged, looking lost. “If you’re sure I won’t be a bother.”
I shook my head. “Not at all. In fact—”
Seranni cut me off with a dark chuckle. “Oh, who am I kidding? I have nowhere else to go.” Her expression softened then, and she met my gaze with a small, genuine smile. “Thank you for saving me again, Kael.”
Her gratitude struck me like a hammer blow, rendering me momentarily speechless. I nodded stiffly, clearing my throat. “If you will join me, I’ll take you up to your bedroom now. You can see the rest of the tower tomorrow.”
Seranni nodded, and I led her up the stairs to the empty bedroom. The room was sparse, the kind of room designed for utility rather than comfort. The stone walls were bare, and the single bed was pushed against the far corner, its mattress thin but serviceable. In the dark, it looked drafty and uncomfortable.
“It’s not much,” I said as I lit the fireplace, the flames quickly filling the room with warmth and light. “But it’s warm.”
Seranni hugged the blanket tighter around her shoulders, her eyes scanning the room. “It’s perfect,” she said softly.
I nodded, stepping toward the door. “Goodnight, Seranni.”
“Goodnight, Kael,” she replied, her voice carrying a warmth that chased away some of my lingering doubts.
The next day, Seranni didn’t come downstairs until noon. I didn’t mind. It gave me time to prepare. I busied myself in the kitchen, slicing cured meat and baking flatbread over the fire. The simple act of preparing a meal steadied me, giving my hands something to do while my thoughts wandered.
I was used to keeping late hours, after all, living alone and being subject to insomnia, I had no need to do anything else. I had nowhere to go, no one to see—until now.
Just the thought of it made my step feel lighter. My heart gave a funny little leap, and I had to fight to stop the smile that wanted to spread from ear to ear.
As a child, I had had many friends. Even in the army, I’d made friends easily. For a man used to living with his comrades and enjoying their camaraderie, the eighteen months I’d spent trapped as the mage’s prisoner had been torturous.
Now, I could feel the pieces of my broken self being put back together again. I wasn’t just a beast, a dragon shifter stitched together by dark magic and foul enchantments. It almost felt like I was Kael Duzac again.
When Seranni finally appeared, she looked better—less pale, less stricken. Her hair was loose around her shoulders, and she wore a borrowed cloak I’d found in the tower’s storage.
“Morning,” she murmured, sliding into the chair across from me.
“Afternoon,” I corrected with a faint smile. “Hungry?”
She nodded, and I handed her a plate, watching as she tore into the bread with the kind of appetite only hunger could bring.
Over lunch, she told me about Voren, the man who had accosted her. How a childhood friend had turned into an unwantedsuitor, and then her enemy. Her words were measured, but I could hear the bitterness beneath them.
“He thought he could control me,” she said, her voice tight. “As if I were some prize he could claim. It was infuriating.”
