The room tilts and sways.
“Eh, easy, Kaya. You have to be still for a bit.”
He tries to ease me back, but I fight him and remain upright.
“I don’t have time for resting. I have to bake. With one hand!” My eyes are burning, damn them. I don’t have time for tears either. “This blasted concoction is making thinking impossible!”
“This blasted drink has healing properties that Delixian says will knit your bones faster if you remain still for another hour. You’ll still have to remain splinted and not use that hand for a while, but?—”
“I need this hand! I am the baker! I want to be independennnn…”
Cyrus spreads his wings more fully and I’m cloaked in a golden, sage-hued light. I feel so safe and like nothing matters but us right now. I sit back, allowing my eyes to close and my thoughts to float away.
I hear Cyrus talking as the concoction takes over again.
“…and I will make your chocolate croissants,” he whispers. “Laini and Tully will help. We will get it done, don’t worry. Just sleep…”
Chapter 10
Cyrus
Blessed Stones, but Kaya is so lovely when she sleeps. She’s angelic when awake—pure of heart and with a goodness that shines through her smile and her eyes. But now? She looks like a goddess awaiting the moment she will rise to bring the entire world peace. But it’s not like she is all smiles and flowers. When she’s angry, everyone had better watch out. She doesn’t get riled easily, but when she does, it’s something to see.
I laugh quietly at myself. I’m a fool for this woman. I can deny it all I want, but I’m lost. If I worked my usual rakish way with her, she’d let herself be seduced. It’s incredibly tempting.
Her skin is radiant and softer than lamb’s wool. I can only imagine how she would feel melting into my arms, her delicate body against me, and her quiet voice in my ear… I would be gentle with her. She knows so little about love and the art of love. I would give my left wing to be the one to teach her, the one to draw out what makes her feel the most pleasure. My lips ache to feel her sweet mouth and to make her gasp with delicate strokes of my tongue. I would take her away. She deserves a long break from her work. She loves baking, but she needs to find her pleasure too, to experience it all. What would she like? Amassage? Foot rubs, most likely. I would start there and let her relax.
I cough quietly and adjust my trousers. Looking away from her lovely form, I focus instead on the row of scrolls and books the healer has stacked on his shelves near the front door.
I won’t follow my longing for Kaya. She deserves a steady fellow—perhaps the wool merchant that I heard Laini was going to introduce her to today, even though the thought makes fire rise in my chest and tickle the back of my tongue.
I have a bloodline to research. I could never make her happy. I’d drive her nuts with my adventurous ways.
While Kaya continues sleeping and recovering, Delixian provides me parchment, ink, a quill, and some notewater. I send a message to Trustan. He knows where I keep Kaya’s bakery key and he can manage selling what she has in her display case for the first morning rush. We covered for her when she caught that fever going around last summer. I also pen notes for Laini and Tully, asking them to meet us at the bakery if they can this afternoon.
When Kaya eventually wakes, I’m relieved to see the color has returned to her cheeks. Delixian examines her broken thumb and checks her pulse and so forth. Once he has determined she is well enough, he kindly feeds us some strong black tea with orange rind and sizable bowls of roasted asparagus soup with lemon.
“Don’t push it with that broken bone, Kaya,” the healer says as he takes our empty bowls and piles them on the tea tray. “Come back to see me in a couple of days if you like, and I’ll recheck you.”
“Do you think there is any lasting damage from whatever happened with her temperature because of the ghost?” I ask, feeling sick that Kaya followed me into a dangerous place.“Have you ever seen anyone chilled like that from a ghostly experience?”
“I wasn’t when I saw it. Neither have I treated anyone with these effects. But I’ve read about such instances. Normally, the victim of the ghost’s fury recovers after a dose of citrus fruit and some rest.”
“That’s why you put so much lemon in that soup, isn’t it?” Kaya asks.
“It is.” Delixian’s blue mouth lifts into a smile. Everyone loves Kaya. “Anything for you, Mistress of the Bakery.”
Kaya blushes and grins down at her lap. “It was delicious. Thank you. I’ll send your payment over tomorrow with Sio, all right? By the way, he talks now.”
The blue pixie’s eyes widen. “That’s a new one on me, too. I know the old kings and queens used to have a line of talking maplecats.”
“That must be what Tully was referring to when she mentioned his bloodline.” I use one of the healer’s linen napkins to wipe down the table.
Delixian nods. “You’re lucky to have such an old, wise familiar at your shop.”
“I am. He’s very loyal.”
The healer lets us leave, and Kaya seems back to her old self. She’s talking quickly, planning out the day to finish Lady Egrettington’s order. We discuss the making of chocolate croissants and whether or not she has enough ingredients, and once we are back at her bakery, I send Trustan to the pub. I help Kaya finish serving the rest of her customers, and once Laini and Tully arrive, the place is empty, and we are ready to start baking.
