Page 35 of Lich's Mate

And maybe, just maybe, he would trail his hands along the expanse of my arms. He would lean in a little too close, and whisper something in my ear that makes me tremble. This scenario entices me, even when I know it shouldn’t.

“No, I don’t,” I reply swiftly, shaking away those thoughts. “Once everything is said and done, I don’t see myself staying in Ikoth for very long. So I’ll have no need to learn how to read your language.”

Kavian lets out a small exhale. I wish I could see into his thoughts. I wish I could know what he truly thinks about me.

“Suit yourself,” he says. Those words don’t have any malice to them, surprisingly. “I wouldn’t be surprised if you changed your mind. My native tongue is beautiful.”

“I’m sure it is,” I whisper, staring at his retreating form. The strength in his legs and the gracefulness of his movements. I never knew a demon could be so beautiful.

When he leaves, I feel a strange emptiness surrounding me. A silent longing for his presence. Shutting the book, I return it back to its rightful place on the bookshelf and head out into the hallway, hoping to see Kavian.

But he’s gone. And I’m left with a confusing mess of emotions within my chest.

One of the servant girls, Yilly, taught me how to use a black substance called chil to create pictures on a canvas. I’m not the artistic type, but when nightfall came and sleep wasn’t working in my favor, I decided to give it a go.

I coat my fingers in the black, sticky substance and start dragging them along the blank canvas. There’s no rhyme or reason to what I’m doing, but it gives me something to think about as I stare out into Kavian’s lush estate gardens.

No one else is around, except for a few nocturnal birds that coo out in the distance. But there’s something that tells me that I’m not going to be alone for long. Footsteps, to be more precise.

“Meera.”

Glancing over my shoulder, I see it’s Kavian standing a short distance away. His eyes flicker towards the chil on my fingers and the mess on my page.

He chuckles. “No one is usually up at this hour.”

“I couldn’t sleep.”

Trying my best to ignore him, I continue painting. There are very vague shapes on my page, so I work with what I have to create a picture. My breath hitches in my throat once I feel Kavian come closer, his heat and his shadows emanating off of him noticeably.

“...Is there something you wanted to talk about?” I ask softly, a shiver coursing down my spine at the feel of his breath on my skin. He leans down close so that he can look at what I’m doing over my shoulder. “Kavian?”

“I just wanted to watch you. Who taught you to do this?”

“Yilly. She said that I looked bored sometimes, so this was supposed to help.”

“Interesting,” he mumbles. My chil-covered fingers are shaking, so I quickly move them along the page to keep my hands busy.

For some reason, he reaches out and takes my wrist in his hand. I freeze completely, unsure of what to do next. I yield all control to him in an instant, which both surprises and delights me.

What is it about him that makes me act this way?

“Let me help,” he says, dragging my hand across the page so that the painting starts resembling one of the trees in front of us. “You’re an interesting creature, Meera.”

I smile. “Why’s that?”

“I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone else who would wake up in the middle of the night to coat their fingers with chil and start drawing. It’s silly,” he says, letting go of my wrist. I’m starting to miss his touch already. “But it’s interesting.”

“Well, I told you that I couldn’t sleep. It was either this or die of boredom in my bedroom.”

“That won’t do,” he says, shaking his head. His eyes shine bright with the faint glow of the moonlight illuminating them. “Come. Wash your hands. I’ll serve you a cup of something.”

Both of my eyebrows shoot upwards. “You don’t have to serve me anything. And what are you doing up, anyway? I thought I was the only one.”

“I work late,” he replies. Then, he shoots me a quizzical look. “And that’s a strange question to ask the master of the house which you are occupying.”

“I was only curious.” I shrug, offering a grin.

He wets his lips before answering. “Curiosity can often get you in trouble. Come on.”

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