Page 97 of A Warrior's Fate

So, he’d always planned to see her again.

A sudden strangled ring of the bell above the door—so opposing to Davina’s—caused them to jump apart as the entrance to the shop burst open. A chill swept up Isla’s spine, but she blamed it on the air that had rushed through. Her eyebrows shot up as she found herself staring at the face of the person who’d been haunting her mind since they’d met weeks ago.

Ameera, hair done up again in that crown of a bun, pointed at Kai. The alpha cursed under his breath.

“You son of a bitch.” Ameera pressed forward with her finger still up in the air until she was inches away from Kai. She pushed the digit into his chest. “Why would you send grumpy ass to my post? I was supposed to be the one to check the warriors at the border with Rhydian. That was the plan.”

Isla blinked, wondering if all of this was some elaborate hallucination.

Kai and Ameera did know each other, apparently. But this didn’t seem like an exchange between lovers, or even former ones.

“Because I told you not to go to Ganymede.” Kai brushed her hand away, continuing before the wide-eyed Ameera could ask where he’d gotten the information. “General Eli was wondering in what capacity you’d be helping with the rogues. If you’d need to be considered part of his team and under his command as a warrior. He mentioned he’d just seen you at the warrior base”—Kai nodded to Isla—“for the ceremonies.”

When Ameera finally averted her attention, Isla found herself too stunned to be as angry as she imagined she’d be upon encountering the female general again.

The beta’s daughter hummed. “So nice of you to decide to help out, new blood.”

“Meera,” Kai warned.

But Isla ignored it.

She tilted her chin to the general, matching the intensity of her stare. “Not what you expected?”

Ameera flashed her feline grin. “It’s what I was hoping for.”

Isla bit down on her tongue. There were so many things she’d pictured saying to her, but they all felt pointless now. “You could’ve told me that he told you.”

“And where’s the fun in that?” Ameera said. “I wanted to see what I had to work with.”

Before Isla could ask what she meant, there was the sound of a closing door, shuffling footsteps, and then laughter before Jonah and Davina re-appeared from behind the bookshelves. Jonah was holding a decanter of brown liquor and some glasses while Davina matched with her bottle of wine.

Ameera moved away from Isla and Kai, further into the room. “Thank you both for telling me Isla was here. I had to find out from my father during the worst family dinner I’ve ever had.”

Ezekiel.

Ameera gestured to the liquor in Jonah’s arms. “I need half of that.”

As she watched the exchange, Isla had never felt like such a fish out of water. An outsider to this pack, and an outsider to what seemed to be a tight-knit group of friends. She knew nothing much of them beyond their names, and yet it felt like they could read her like a book, standing there, staring, with Kai at her back.

As if he could sense her becoming overwhelmed and uneasy, Kai craned his head down. She could faintly feel his breath as he asked, “Do you want me to walk you back?”

Isla turned to look up at him, taking note of how close their faces were. Becoming aware of the twisting and winding. Aware of the comfort. Aware that of all the unknown she’d just walked into, he was the most certain thing she had.

And maybe it was that which had her nodding without very much thought and saying, “Okay.”

Kai’s brows lifted a fraction of an inch before he smiled softly and nodded. He rose, and Isla found herself missing the closeness. “I have to head back to the hall,” he announced to the room, earning noises reminiscent of groans. “I’m going to walk Isla back.”

“And so it begins.” Ameera sighed overdramatically, reaching over to clink glasses with Jonah. “It’s just you and me, buddy.” They both followed the exchange by drinking their whiskey to the dregs. As Jonah poured them another, Ameera jerked her chin towards Kai. “When will you be unchained from that place so we can go down to Abalys and stop hanging out here? Or actually see you more than once a week.” She added the last part in a murmur.

“I like it here,” Davina said, finding a spot on one of the plush armchairs set up by the shelves. “It’s cozy, and it doesn’t smell like a sewer.”

As an argument began to ensue over the odors of Abalys, Kai turned and waved Isla to follow. He pulled the shop door open quietly, so as not to cut in or draw attention, and held it open for her to pass through.

The beautiful streets of Mavec greeted Isla with moon-touched stone and a cold slap on the face. She sucked in a sharp breath and let it out, watching the faintest cloud materialize before her mouth. It hadn’t been this chilly when she’d left the hotel. She circled her arms around her body to warm her exposed skin.

“It can get pretty cold here at night, even during the summer months,” Kai said while removing his jacket. An action completely at odds with his sentence.

But it made sense when he held it open to her.

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