Page 34 of A Warrior's Fate

CHAPTER 10

Isla needed alcohol. A lot of alcohol.

Or sex. A lot of sex would work, too.

From her spot atop the infirmary’s roof with her skin kissed by the moonlight that slipped through the cast of clouds and the plume of smoke sent up by the glowing bonfire down below, she trained her eyes across the Wall stretched long behind the treetops in the distance. She now understood why newly minted warriors spent so much time in bars and what were essentially glorified brothels throughout the Imperial City upon their return home from the Hunt. Lulling one’s brain to rest with booze or distracting it with physical pleasures seemed like it would be the only way to turn off the thoughts and memories of that horrid other world that lurked behind the Wall.

She had yet to try either distraction, but no other diversions had yielded any success. Not talking with friends or family, not endless pacing, not reading, not card games. But she wasn’t about to ask someone to smuggle her in a bottle of wine or find a stranger to drag into a supply closet for an escape, she had more class than that—she’d wait for the drinking and a casual tryst until she got back to Io—but with her discharge not until noon tomorrow, she needed something to leech some comfort.

And that’s when she sought out the moon.

She sighed as she let the lunar glow work its magic, allowing its aura to seep deep into her pores. Beneath it, she finally felt some sense of empowerment. Her lumerosi thrummed along her body, but their iridescence was faint. It had to be related to her difficulty shifting which, according to the healer—more practiced in the natural and spiritual and keen on her wolf’s side—would take a while to come back. She’d had a brush with death, and as Adrien had relayed, the all-around healing would be a slow process.

That news, along with her lingering displeasure from having to see Kai and his beta again, almost had her flipping the bed. Thankfully, as a positive, she could get some of the wraps taken off her hand and forearm, and due to her self-approved escapade not resulting in any deterioration, she was free to move where she pleased as long as she stayed on the premises.

The roof counted, at least, in her mind.

So, with the marker in her pocket, she trekked up the several flights of stairs alone and broke into the chilled night air, greeted by the moon, the soothing hum of wind, a chorus of prattling insects nearby, and the faint smell of woodsmoke. She found her perfect corner, close to some shadows where she could look on at the people surrounding the fire at a distance and the trees while keeping herself hidden along the railing. And then she just closed her eyes and tried to relax.

To move on. To forget. Just for a second.

“Beautiful.”

Or not.

Isla huffed at the voice. She didn’t need to turn to know who it was. She didn’t need to ask how he’d found her. Instead, she remained silent and glowered up at the night sky.

Of course, parting with Kai couldn’t have been easy. Not a simple “excuse me” and walk away. Fate liked games. She had a sense of humor. She liked spinning stories, and what better way to have theirs end than the way it began, underneath the radiance of her sister.

Beautiful.

The word had been said in a chuckle, a soft rumbling laugh that stirred a few passion-driven emotions inside Isla despite herself. One of them, a derivative of what she’d felt when they’d first met, would be far more enjoyable for Kai than the other. But the more potent of the two was her rage.

Still quiet, she brought her hand to the rail.

“What, no smartass remark?” Kai taunted good-naturedly, taking a few steps closer until she could see the outline of him in her periphery. He kept to the shadows. “I’ll admit, the brooding is nearly as arousing as the anger, but you silent is also quite unnerving.”

So, he was really going to take this act of his to the end.

“What do you want me to say?” Her tone was even, but the rest of her body betrayed her, nostrils flaring and grip tightening ever so slightly.

Kai wasn’t blind to the actions but apparently blind to the reasons for them. “It’s nice you got those wrappings off,” he said, softer than his earlier heckling. “Are you feeling okay? Does it still hurt?”

Isla’s lips twitched downwards, but she wasn’t sure for what. Anger? Sadness? He sounded like he actually cared.

She could continue her attempt to act cold—something she doubted she could keep up much longer—and hope he’d get bored and disappear, or she could do what she really wanted.

“I heard what you said about me to your beta.”

Even just saying it felt like a weight off her chest. She had refused to turn and look at him as she spoke.

“When I introduced you at the Gate?” Kai asked, understandably confused.

“No.”

The word hung heavy, and the air went still. No whir of wind. No distant crackling of fire. Even the chittering bugs seemed to fall mute.

It didn’t take very long for Kai to put the pieces together. “You—” He stopped himself, apparently finding no need to waste his breath finishing a question. No need to ask how she’d heard or even berate her for the eavesdropping. That was all trivial at this point.

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