Page 91 of Shardless

Skye tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear, doing his best to give her a reassuring smile despite the pain the movement triggered. “I’m fine. It’s just a little aether burnout.”

“Aether burnout?”

“It’s…” Skye paused as he tried to think of a way to explain it. “It’s like spraining a muscle. I channeled too much aether all at once, so now I need to take it easy—let my magic recover.”

Taly released a shuddering sigh, and Skye used the pad of his thumb to wipe away a stray tear. “Tink, I’ll be fine after a hot meal and a good night’s rest. And you say I worry too much.”

Taly shook her head vehemently as she reached up and grasped the hand at her face. “No… I’m just really relieved. For a minute, I thought… when I saw you fall—”

“Taly!” a voice rang out.

His eyes scanned the courtyard for the source of the sound, and Skye grimaced when he saw a familiar brassy-haired mage duck underneath the awning. What washedoing here?

“Kit!” Taly waved, drawing the man’s attention. “Skye, that’s Kit,” she said excitedly. “He helped me repair the tower gun.”

“Interesting.” Skye watched the man approach and found himself sitting up just a little straighter. “And he said his name wasKit? K-I-T?”

“Yeah. Is something wrong?” Taly asked when she saw the look of confusion on his face.

Skye shook his head. He would deal with this unexpectedsituationwhen Taly wasn’t around.

“Shards, Taly,” Kit said when he was close enough. His hair, wet from the rain, clung to his forehead, and Skye couldn’t remember ever seeing the usually put-together noble look so out-of-sorts. “For a little thing, you’re fast.”

“Hello,Kit,” Skye greeted icily. “Taly tells me that I have you to thank for getting the tower gun powered up.”

Seeming to notice him for the first time, Kit raised an eyebrow, smirking as he bowed mockingly. “Truthfully, I didn’t do much, milord. I am but a humble aether battery.” Catching Taly’s eye, Kit gave her a subtle wink, eliciting a soft snicker from the girl at the apparent inside joke.

“I see,” Skye replied, his jaw clenching.

Taly, oblivious to the tension between the two men, glanced at Skye. “Kit says that he’s also from House Ghislain. A cousin, right?” she asked, turning back to Kit.

“That is correct, Taly,” Kit replied warmly. An almost genuine smile curved his lips, one that Taly returned.

Placing a possessive arm around Taly’s waist, Skye couldn’t suppress the cocky grin on his face when he saw the other man’s eyes narrow. “You’ll have to forgive me. I have so manycousins; it’s sometimes hard to match the name to the face.”

“Our family is quite large,” Kit replied with false civility. “But if you’re already having trouble remembering things at your age, then you’re going to have a real problem in a fewcenturies.You probably won’t remember half the people you meet.”

A tense silence settled over the two men as they stared each other down. Kit was baiting him, his eyes full of defiance and derision as he silently dared Skye to publicly call him out and sully the image of Taly’s new friend. When Skye almost imperceptibly shook his head, an action he knew the other shadow mage’s magically enhanced eyeswould pick up, Kit’s entire demeanor transformed.

“Well!” the copper-haired Gate Watcher exclaimed, his face the very picture of affable sincerity. “I’ve fulfilled my promise, Miss Caro. I delivered you to your Lord Emrys. I should go see if I’m needed elsewhere.”

Rising from the bench, Taly embraced Kit, a gesture he readily returned. “Thank you,” she said when she pulled away.

Kit placed a hand on her head, giving her a soft, sincere smile. “Anytime.” Turning back to Skye, Kit gave him another mocking bow. “Milord.”

Taly watched Kit walk away, and when he ducked his head to dash back out into the rain, she said, “So that was awkward. Kit told me that you two had never met. I take it that’s not the case?”

“Oh, we’ve met,” Skye grumbled, leaning back and closing his eyes. When Taly settled back beside him, he frowned. Even without his magic, he could just make out the other Gate Watcher’s scent clinging to her. “It’s a long story, one I’ll tell you later—maybe after a few drinks. Needless to say, we’ve never gotten along.”

“I can see that,” Taly replied with a wry smile. “Can’t say I’m surprised, though. You’re kind of an ass.”

Skye chuckled tiredly. “Because it’s all my fault, right?” Opening one eye, he just managed to see her nod in wholehearted agreement. “I just can’t win with you, can I? I suppose, at the very least, it’s nice to know that no matter what I do, I’ll always have you here to put me back in my place.”

“Well, not always,” she replied casually. At Skye’s questioning stare, she shrugged, and herexpression sobered. “I’ll be there for as long as I can, but we’re going to have to say goodbye someday. It’s kind of inevitable.”

Skye’s throat tightened at the implication of her mortality. It was always so easy to forget that she was just a human—that she would die. Before he could reply, she hopped to her feet and stretched, her hands flying to her side as her face contorted in pain.

“Ow… I forgot about that.”

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