Page 83 of The Gilded Cage

“He’ll come around. Give him time.”

Turning slowly, Kiva faced Jaren again, the breath leaving her when she found his expression no longer closed, but flooded with everything he’d felt while she’d been gone. Fear, dread, desperation. And relief — so much relief that she was safe.

Her knees wobbled at the knowledge of how much power she held over him.

... And at the knowledge of how much, with a single look, he held over her.

Unable to continue holding his gaze, Kiva couldn’t resist — didn’twantto resist — when he drew her into his embrace.

“I won’t tell you not to do it again,” he whispered. “I won’t trap you here. But please, it would mean a lot if you could tell someone where you’re going next time.”

Kiva nodded against his chest, unable to lie to his face, his generous understanding prompting a sharp pain within her.

This was the Jaren that she hated.

Becausethiswas the Jaren that she — that she —

Kiva didn’t finish the thought, refusing to admit how deeply she’d come to care for him.

And it wasn’t only Jaren. If her continued numbness was any indication, Caldon had also clawed his way into her heart, if in a more platonic way. Try as she might, she couldn’t stop replaying his parting glare and his quick, angry departure.

Clearing her throat, Kiva stepped back from Jaren, longing to escape into her room and be done with the day.

“Is that it?” Mirryn asked incredulously from the couch. “Aren’t we all curious about how her reunion went?”

“Mirry,” Jaren said, quietly but firmly. “If Kiva doesn’t want to tell us, then she doesn’t have to.”

“I’d like to know.”

The words came from Naari, who until now had remained silent. One look revealed that she was still upset, having explicitly told Kiva to be smart, to be safe — neither of which she’d been that day.

“K-Kiva?” came Tipp’s hesitant voice. “Will you t-tell us? Please? What happened with y-your family?”

Jaren’s open expression said the choice was hers, but after what she’d put them through, Kiva felt compelled to answer.

“It went ... well,” she said. “We ate scones and drank tea and talked for hours.”

Now she was mixing her stories. If she wasn’t careful, she would be caught in one of her many tangled lies.

“Your brother and sister, right?” Jaren probed. “That’s what Tipp told us.”

“Yes. Zuleeka and Torell.” Kiva only felt safe sharing their names because the Royal Council hadn’t yet been able to identify the Viper and the Jackal, and Tor had confirmed they’d kept their identities secret so they could move freely around the kingdom.

“And where, pray tell, did you meet these siblings of yours?” Mirryn asked, peering at Kiva over her wine.

Since Torell and Zuleeka were safely hidden deep in the forest, she offered another partial truth by saying, “Oakhollow.”

Naari made a startled sound. “You rode toOakhollowon your own? Do you know how many people get lost in those woods?”

“I didn’t go into the woods,” Kiva said, continuing to lie. She almost wished she’d admitted to visiting her grandmother in Blackwater Bog right from the beginning, but then she recalled that at least four elderly residents now knew her secret. If someone were to travel to the swamp and ask questions ... No, it was safer for Kiva to continue talking about her siblings, both of whom would be much harder to locate.

Or that was what Kiva thought, until Mirryn said, “I think you should invite them here for lunch. Tomorrow.”

Kiva’s eyes unconsciously widened. “Pardon?”

“It seems only fair,” the princess said. “You’ve gotten to know our family — we should get to know yours.”

“I — um —” Kiva tried to think up an excuse, but her mind was blanking.

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