Page 125 of A Vow of Wrath and Ruin

Caiden nodded. “Quite right.”

“Hey, I’ve got an idea. Let’s grab a bottle of wine and head down to the river.” She gave him puppy-dog eyes.

“You won’t get too cold?” Caiden asked.

“If I do, you can keep me warm.”

Caiden tried hard to fight the smile growing on his face. Scholars were often known to take a vow of celibacy until they reached the Grand Master Level, but maybe Ora did not believe in such things. “Of course. It would be the gentlemanly thing to do.”

They stopped outside a lively tavern where the sound of boisterous laughter and song spilled into the street. Caiden hastily bought a bottle of wine, and the two headed to the river walk where lovers were known to have their first kiss.

Only a few people lingered on the boardwalk.

They sat on a secluded bench overlooking the river. Caiden sipped the wine, hoping it would calm his nerves.

“Thank you for this,” Ora said, taking the bottle from his hand. “I haven’t been out in ages. Sometimes, I forget what it’s like to be out here in the real world.”

“Plenty of scholars have families.”

“Yes, but plenty don’t.” She sighed. “I fear I may be the latter. Bound to the work.”

“Are your parents scholars too?”

She snorted. “No, they are wild wailers. They help ships cross the Black Sea. Dangerous work, but very lucrative.”

“And you didn’t want to go into the family business?’

“You saw my gift. I’m an extinguisher and not a very good one.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” Caiden scooted closer to her. “How long have you been here in the capitol?”

“Oh, nearly thirty years.”

“Nearly?” Caiden cocked his head. “You have three bars on your hood. If I’m not mistaken, that’s thirty years of training.”

Her cheeks flushed. “Oh, yes, where has the time gone? Being cooped up in that library, you lose track of time.”

“Maybe you need to get out more?” He prepared himself for the next question. His palms sweated, and he rubbed them on his trousers. “Are you interested in accompanying me to the Woodland Realm for an Ostara festival? I’m supposed to meet some friends there to discuss what we’ve found. We could use someone with your expertise.” His heart beat faster.

“I’ll have to ask my elder,” she said, shivering slightly.

Caiden wrapped an arm around her, and she rested her head in the crook of his neck.

“I promise to be a gentleman the entire time.”

Ora chuckled. “I have no worries about you, Lord of Lightning.”

“Hey, what does that mean?”

“Oh, I uh, just mean you’re known for being a respectable man.”

“I try to be,” he replied.

“Those are hard to come by these days, I hear.”

The hair on Caiden’s arms stood on end. He wanted to kiss Ora, but he didn’t know if she wanted that.

“Caiden…” Ora whispered.

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