Page 14 of Sun Elves of Ardani

He paused, then extinguished the flame. Kadaki watched him, wary, and her stomach clenched when he stepped closer. She couldn’t read his expression, and if pressed, she couldn’t have said whether he was about to do something nasty to her or strike up friendly conversation. He seemed to be waiting for her to speak, and she was doing the same for him.

“I’ve forgiven you,” he said finally, his words barely accented. Just by his voice, she might have taken him for an Ardanian, if not for the superior attitude. His arrogance was palpable.

“Excuse me?”

“For when you tried to kill me earlier.”

“I didn’t ask for your forgiveness.”

“I’ve granted it to you, nonetheless.”

“And I wasn’t trying to kill you.”

He smiled. “I know. If you’d really wanted to kill me, I’d already be dead, wouldn’t I?”

She looked away, glaring out the window. She couldn’t even appreciate the view anymore. She wanted to go back to bed. But she wondered if he might grab her if she tried to walk away from him.

“I’ve missed you,” he said.

She looked sideways at him, trying to decide whether he was making a joke at her expense. His expression looked genuine. But she was usually terrible at discerning other people’s intentions. Maybe he was making fun of her. Maybe he was trying to charm her so she’d do what he wanted.

Why did you leave me, then?She couldn’t bring herself to ask. She couldn’t bring herself to tell him how much he’d hurt her. She couldn’t make herself that vulnerable to him. To anyone.

He took a step closer, his body almost touching hers, and raised a hand toward her face, reaching for a stray lock of hair. She pulled away before he could reach her. His hand hovered for a moment, then dropped to his side. He took half a step back, turning toward the window.

“Tell me about your husband,” he said. There was a reserved sharpness in his voice, like he was trying to sound less annoyed than he really was.

“He’s wonderful,” Kadaki said. “He’s the kindest, most generous, most attractive man I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing.”

Neiryn scoffed. “He’s not that attractive.”

Anyone with eyes could see he was incredibly handsome, albeit in a different way than Neiryn was. “Of course he is. Don’t be ridiculous.”

“There’s no accounting for taste,” he said. “He seems a bit doltish to me.”

“He’s the opposite of doltish. He was educated in some of the best schools in Ardani.”

“InArdani,” Neiryn said, as if Ardanian schools could hardly be taken seriously.

“You don’t know anything about him. You’ve just met him.”

“I’ve seen enough to know his sort.” He lowered his voice in a mocking imitation that sounded nothing like Roshan.“Oh, yes, Commander! Whatever you say, Commander! Happy to serve in any way I can! May I lick your boots, Commander?”

“That’s enough,” she hissed. “I’ll not stand here and listen to you insult my husband. He’s a good person, which is more than can be said for some people.”

Neiryn scowled at her, his yellow eyes almost luminescent in the moonlight. “You don’t really love him.”

“I do. We’re very much in love. I’m very happy here.”

“You don’t seem happy to me.”

“You don’t say? You’ve barged into my house, made threats, demanded our things, ordered us around, and I don’t seem happy about it to you? I suppose I should be delighted by all of this.”

“There’s no shame in marrying someone for their money. But you should have the courage to tell the truth about it.”

“Did you think it was impossible for me to fall for someone other than you?” His face went blank. Kadaki went on before he could speak. “Yes, I admit I was attracted to you when we first met. But that was a very long time ago. You can’t still think any of that matters now. This is—it’s pathetic.”

There was a silence that felt very long. Neiryn arched an eyebrow. “I apologize if I gave you the impression that I cared about your love life.”

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