Page 39 of Fate Unchained

He glanced at her father, but Hershel tossed his hands in the air. “She does what she wants. No matter if it’s a terrible idea. Like hunting a vulk on her own.”

Kyril shook his head and stalked forward. He grabbed the smaller coat off the hooks on the wall. “Make sure you’re warm.” Kyril held the coat out for her to put on. She didn’t seem to ever dress herself properly, so he’d make sure she was warm.

Her brows rose, but she didn’t say anything, only slid her arms in and watched him as he fastened the toggles along the front. It was much easier working human clothing when he didn’t have claws. When he finished, they were only a few inches apart, and Lilah’s face tilted up toward his. “Thank you.”

His heart squeezed.

What was she doing to him? He’d never cared how anyone dressed before. He grumbled, “This is better than the crap you were wearing.” And it smelled like her.

“My father’s stuff was waterproof.”

He couldn’t help himself, he cupped her face and ran his thumb over her cheek. His chest rumbled with a small purr. He needed to kiss her again. He bent his head, his lips a whisper from hers, when a growl, eerily similar that of a vulk, rippled through the room.

“Do I need to reconsider, vulk?” Hershel said.

Kyril jerked upright. Damn. Lilah made him forget everything, including her father standing a few paces away.

“His name is Kyril,” Lilah said.

“I don’t care. Hands off my daughter.”

His daughter also had her hands wrapped around his neck, but apparently Hershel was partially blind. Kyril growled and stepped back. “Let’s go.”

He held the door open for her, and as she brushed past him, she said, “You’re rather a gentleman. First my coat, now the door.”

Something inside his chest fizzed at her words. No one in all of Ulterra would ever call him a gentleman, and if they did, he’d take it as an insult, but when it came from her lips, he liked it. “For you, anyway.” And he took her hand.

They stepped into the slush on the road. The cold night was setting in, freezing the soft, partially melted snow and turning it hard and crunchy. Lilah’s home wasn’t far from the gate they’d come through, so they didn’t have far to walk.

This town might be the ugliest place in Ulterra. It was muddy all year from the Wide River running through it, and the small windows in the squat houses made the homes look like they were glaring at passersby. Except for Lilah’s house. Her house was built of stone and wood and stood two stories tall. It was inviting. Comfortable.

He guided Lilah around some horse shit in the road. A whiff of sulfur wafted through the town. Kyril spun and scanned the street. Not a hint of spawn, and if Zann and Finn had scented any, they’d already be here, ready to fight. It didn’t smell fresh either; it was muted.

The sulfur had already faded away as if only a trick of the wind. Strange. Were his senses off in his human form?

“Why does your father want you to keep your power hidden? If someone or something else out there wants to hurt you, I need to know.” He’d track them down one by one.

Lilah didn’t look at him. “My father doesn’t like to talk about us having lightwielder blood. He hid it his entire life because it showed he was different from his parents.” Her step hitched. “He’s adopted, so I think he felt guilty about it.”

“His power is like yours?”

She shook her head. “No. He has the power to infuse his bow so his arrow never misses. Nothing involving runes.”

“Why does he care if you hide it?”

They halted and stood facing each other beside the road, her hand still tucked in his. Her brow wrinkled. “He thinks it’s risky.”

“Working in a library is risky? What’s going to happen? Is a book going to jump up and bite you?”

She laughed, and the entire street came alive with the musical sound. “No. I live a pretty quiet life.”

“Keep hanging out with me and you won’t.”

Her hand tightened around his. “He thinks my skill will draw people who want to use me.” She paused. “And he was right. Look at Boris.”

“But it could also bring people who want to help you.”

Her brow furrowed. “Didn’t you say people can’t be trusted?”

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