Page 87 of Shadows of Winter

King Balzarak? Vlerion had spoken about him, the man who’d ruled when the druids had cursed the castle, but he hadn’t said Balzarak had been his ancestor. At the time of her questioning, Kaylina hadn’t thought much of Targon’s comment about Vlerion’s ancestors giving up the throne, but the pieces clicked into place now. Maybe it had been the druids’ curse that had prompted the family to step away from rule of the kingdom.

Isla gazed bleakly at a portrait on the wall, a middle-aged man with the same broad jaw and blue eyes as Vlerion. His father? Though the man’s hair was longer, and his face wasn’t as lean and scarred as that of his son, he had a fierce visage. There was a hint of something that could turn savage in those eyes. The same as Vlerion.

The cat brushed Kaylina’s trousers, then wove between her legs.

“When I lose Vlerion,” Isla said softly, “I will have lost everything. The gods did not bless me with any daughters, any who might have avoided the curse.”

“Why do you say when? I’ve seen Vlerion fight. He’s very talented at that. And when I say talented, I mean kind of amazing.”

Isla turned her gaze on Kaylina. She’d been about to crouch to pet the cat, who clearly wanted attention, but Isla startled her by saying, “You are attracted to him.”

“What? No.”

Kaylina remembered the way her body had heated every time Vlerion had touched her, and the way she’d struggled to look away from him shirtless. Heat flushed her cheeks. She shouldn’t lie to his mother, but it wasn’t as if Kaylina would act upon any instinctual attraction she might feel. She didn’t want to be attracted to someone who insisted on being called lord and got huffy because his taybarri liked her.

“If you’ve heard the term animal magnetism, it applies perfectly to the men of Havartaft Estate. I understand it well.” Isla’s voice dropped to a whisper, and she touched one of the scars on the side of her neck. “You’re drawn to them, even if you shouldn’t be. It is not your fault. Many women are affected that way, attracted to the danger they instinctually sense in the Havartaft men.”

“I’m not attracted to Vlerion,” Kaylina tried to assure Isla, though her face remained warm. She caught herself watching Isla’s fingers and examining those scars anew. Those claw marks. She remembered the utterly destroyed fur shark floating in the water, its head smashed in by raw power. Raw power and claws.

“Then you will find it an easy matter to avoid him.”

“Captain Targon is making him train me.”

“Targon should know better than that. Vlerion may excel at training men, but you are not a man.”

“I’ve noticed.”

“And you do not desire to be a ranger? I do not know what Targon is thinking, but I will speak with him. He can find another to train you or release you from the duty altogether. Why has he recruited you?”

“Because the taybarri like me.”

Her eyebrows rose. Maybe that wasn’t the usual reason one became a ranger.

“He thinks I’m an anrokk. I don’t know if you know what that is. I’d never heard of it, and I really doubt I am one anyway. I just have honey, and everyone—and every animal—likes honey.” Kaylina dug in her pocket for the honey drops. “I didn’t intend to give any to the taybarri. I wasn’t trying to suborn them, despite what Targon said. They showed up and helped themselves. Especially Crenoch.”

“Hm.”

Since Isla had only taken a few sips of the mead and didn’t seem that interested in it, Kaylina didn’t expect her to reach for the honey drops. But Isla plucked one out and slid it into her mouth before Kaylina could say she’d made the treats for the taybarri. Oh, well. It wasn’t as if it was a recipe for animal treats. Grandma served the honey drops with tea and mead for afternoon snacks at the Gull.

Isla’s expression didn’t change much as the sweet melted in her mouth, but she did eventually nod. “You have a gift for working with honey.” She nodded toward the glass of mead as well. “Quite a gift.”

“They’re my grandma’s recipes. She’s the gifted one in the family. And the bees forage on flowers from altered plants that grow wild on our islands. That’s our real secret.”

“You may sell yourself short. I believe, if you can avoid falling to the curse of that castle, you could succeed with your business endeavor.”

“Thank you.”

“Targon is foolish.” Isla took another honey drop, even smiling slightly as she popped it into her mouth. “That is where you should focus your efforts.”

“I agree wholeheartedly.”

“There is no need for you to interact with my son at all.”

Kaylina hesitated. It was… a true statement, but why did the thought of not seeing Vlerion again feel like a punch to the gut? They didn’t like each other. Not having to interact again should be a relief.

Isla’s eyes closed to slits as she regarded her.

“I agree,” Kaylina hurried to say. It would be logical to avoid Vlerion, to avoid all the rangers and concentrate on her dream. Her destiny. And this woman might turn out to be an ally, someone who could tell Targon off.

---