Page 153 of Devious Knight

Mackenzie links her arm with mine, and we continue down the garden path.

She starts telling me about the new flavors of ice cream they’ve just brought into the parlor.

We go through the little wrought-iron gates, and she bumps into someone, dropping the bag with her ballet shoes because she wasn’t attention.

“I’m so sorry, I—” Her voice cuts and her arms loosen from mine when she sees it’s Dmitri.

Like Logan, the sight of Dmitri tightens my stomach. I’m not going to ever forget that night in the woods. They were being a bunch of vile assholes. All of them, especially Kade. While he might have redeemed himself, and maybe Logan, too, Dmitri has not. To be honest, he taunted me the most.

At the same time, as annoying and scary as that experience was, it was nothing at all like what I went through with Michael.

While Mackenzie does the usual frozen deer-in-the-headlights stare she reserves only for him, he crouches down, picks up her bag, and places her shoes back inside.

He glances at me first like he’s acknowledging me, then he looks at her.

“Easy, there…spider,” he says, and Mackenzie pales.

He hands her the bag, and she takes it, her hands trembling.

“Thank you.”

He gives her a clipped smile then proceeds down the path. Mackenzie stares after him as I watch her, my curiosity rising. She always gets like this whenever she’s around him, but this is the first time I’ve seen them speak in years.

He called her spider—which seemed to trigger something—and she said thanks. It’s barely conversation, but it’s something for them.

Mackenzie steps forward, looking like she’s going to run after him. Despite the whole horrible woods thing with Dmitri, I wish she would. It’s clear that she has deep feeling for him. If I’m not mistaken, he seems to feel something for her, too.

She takes another step, balls her hand into a fist, and says, “I flew to the edge of the sun, my lord.”

I don’t know what the hell that’s supposed to mean. But Dmitri does. Her strange words stop him in his tracks.

He glances over his shoulder at her, then he turns to face her, his expression still stoic, but his eyes soft.

“Did you see what was on the other side?” he asks, and I realize this must be some code shared between them.

“A swan.”

The corners of his lips crack into a little smile, but it’s gone before it can fully form.

“My lady.” He dips his head and continues on his way.

Mackenzie watches him go, and I walk up to her. I tap her shoulder, and she turns to look at me with sad eyes.

“You flew to the edge of the sun?” I say with a little smile.

“It’s something from when we were kids. That’s the first time he’s said anything to me in years, so I thought I’d try my luck.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

She shakes her head. “I can’t. I can’t go down that side. But that was nice—talking to him.”

“Come on, let go.”

She nods, and we walk in the opposite direction.

As we walk down the path, I realize what’s wrong with Kyle and every other guy Mackenzie dates. They’re not Dmitri.

You can never replace what your heart truly wants. I know. I have firsthand experience.

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