Page 210 of A Warrior's Fate

That feeling of disconnect from such a fundamental part of her would be hard to describe to anyone. How truly unsettling it was.

Where had that poison come from?

The killer had used it that night on Kai, Kyran, and Jaden—though hadn’t killed Kai. And that rogue had it in the wasteland.

But the killer was their ally, protecting them, why would they allow the rogues to get a handle of it? And why, after saving Isla in the Hunt, would they give it to Lukas and weaponize him against her?

Isla exhaled sharply through her nose.

Something wasn’t adding up.

It was like they couldn’t decide whether they wanted to help or hurt them.

“Do I have to drag you out of bed?”

Isla jolted at the voice. She spun, checking if Kai was behind her, but found nothing but a small living area and their unmade bed. He must’ve still been downstairs in the kitchen. A decent distance away, but now that her wolf had recovered and the bond settled, communicating was going as expected.

She smiled, drawing in her claws. “I’m coming.”

“Again?”

Isla snorted. “I hate you.”

“Not what I heard earlier.”

For a moment, Isla stood and watched Kai from her spot at the kitchen’s entrance. She’d been quiet on her way downstairs, and he hadn’t turned around yet.

He was clad in nothing but a pair of loose gray pants hanging low on his hips, giving her the perfect view of the shifting muscles and ink on his back as he made their breakfast plates. She bit her lip as her eyes drew down the planes of his skin, lower. Whatever he’d cooked smelled wonderful, as it had last night. He had impressed her with dinner, she would admit.

“Are you just going to stand there and watch me all day?” he asked, still not turning.

She wouldn’t question how he knew she was there.

Pushing off the wall, she crossed the floor towards him. “It seems quiet around here.”

Kai reached for some pepper, sprinkling it over the omelets he’d made. “Staff knew they had the morning off.”

Isla moved to his side to slide her arms around him, scratching her nails teasingly over his skin. “Because they knew I stayed the night, and you needed more time to woo me with breakfast?”

Kai snickered and threw his arm over her back, tugging her close. He picked up a piece of chopped potato dusted with spices and lifted it to her mouth. “I think I’m beyond needing to woo you.”

Isla parted her lips for it, moaning in satisfaction at the tastes that caressed her tongue.

Kai looked away and shifted on his feet at the sound. She held in a laugh. Oh, what power she had over him.

She traced her eyes over his body again—his chest, his torso, down to his waistband, and a bit below…then back up—before snagging on a particular place. She lifted a finger to the black etching of his tattoo. The curves and lines drawn heavy and light. The same, yet different, from the ones Jonah, Rhydian, and Ameera bore. “What do they mean? I asked Jonah once, and he said they were a symbol of codependence.”

Kai barked a laugh. “Of course, he did.” He offered her another bite. “It’s an old pack practice that fell away when lumerosi became widespread—which began with Io, by the way, so thank your ancestors for one of our most painful traditions.” She narrowed her eyes. “We learned about and researched it a lot at the academy, and when we finished school, we got them. It’s our history, our heritage, our bond. The four of us have gone through a lot together.” He paused, his throat bobbing. “A lot of pain, a lot of change, a lot of loss—even before this.”

Isla wouldn’t ask the specifics of what he meant, judging by his demeanor. If he wanted to share, he would, and if the others did, they would, too.

Kai carried their plates to the counter where their stools were still set on opposite sides from last night.

Isla slipped onto hers and smiled sweetly up at him as he placed the dish before her. “Thank you.”

Kai chuckled, joking about how sex and food seemed to be the key to her manners, and leaned down to brush his mouth against hers. Isla held him there maybe a bit longer than he’d intended to stay, deepening the kiss when she felt something inside her break again.

Because that time—those nine days—hung over her head like a dark cloud. And she didn’t even want to imagine there could only be nine more mornings of this with him.

---