Page 35 of Elemental Affections

Avenor made a production of getting to his feet. “Sure. I’m here for you if need anything.” His nod to Ezzyn was mocking, but he lumbered off without more fuss.

Ezzyn watched him go, his nose wrinkling. He joined Anadae at her desk but didn’t sit.

Her mouth curved up. “Slow-release experiment?”

He snorted. “It is real, just not ready for live testing yet. But it worked, didn’t it?” He paused, awareness sweeping in. “Did I overstep? It didn’t sound like a pleasant conversation.”

“It wasn’t.” Her smile wavered. “Thank you.”

“Not at all.” Ezzyn turned to leave. His traitorous feet wouldn’t take him a step. He swung back to face her. “He’s wrong, by the way. You’re plenty qualified for this job. You’re an intuitive mage, Anadae.”

Her smile took on a bemused quality. “How would you know? We’ve hardly done any practical application in seminar yet.”

“I did tutor you in magic, once upon a time.”

“That wasyearsago,” she said with a laugh. “We weren’t really doing anything deep.”

He hesitated, then shrugged. It wasn’t a secret, not anymore. “Your drink. At the social.”

Her eyes widened in realization. She looked down, blushing. “Right. I’d forgotten … that part.” She bit her lip to corral a smile. Asmile,a true one.

It sent a liquid warmth through him to know that the memory of them caused her a soft fluster. A bit of shyness. It reminded him of the other times he’d made her blush that night. How he wanted to have her do it again.

Fuck. If this continued, he was going to embarrass himself pitching a tent in his trousers.

“I’ll work on a new list for you,” he said, motioning toward the paper laid out before her.

“Ezzyn,” she said, voice soft, almost like a question. “Thank you. For everything.”

He looked at her, into her eyes, the closest they’d been in weeks. “I meant it,” he murmured. “I wouldn’t hurt you—your spot here.”

“I…” She ducked her head, smiled to herself. Looked back up at him, a mischievous glint in her eyes. “I didn’t think you would. Either time.”

Her voice fell away toward the end. Went throaty. Minx.

He reached past her for the research log, moving too fast in his rattled state. “This can wait. It’s not—”

The log fell off the desk, whisking away along the hardwood floor. Underneath was another paper filled with Anadae’s distinctive, neat handwriting.

“What is—” Ezzyn only managed a glimpse before Anadae grabbed it, a flush high in her cheeks.

“Nothing! Just some random notes.”

“Stealing my research?” he joked, amusement warm in his tone. “It won’t get you very far as a water mage, I’m afraid.”

“I’m not stealing,” she huffed. “They’re just … notes.”

He waited. Sighing, she relented and let him have the paper. Ezzyn scanned it. “A lot of questions here.” When she didn’t answer, he prodded. “Were you planning on asking me?”

“When?” she said. “During our low-interaction meetings?”

He winced. “I am sorry, Anadae,” he murmured. “I shouldn’t have deceived you.”

“No, you shouldn’t have,” she agreed. Her hands curled against the desk. She breathed a quiet laugh. “As I said before, let’s just move on.”

“Pretend it never happened?” he said in a wry tone.

Anadae raised her brows. “I think moving on is enough.”

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