Page 23 of Of Stars and Lightning
She threw a leaf of mint into the mix.
Maybe Rimemere wouldn’t be terrible. Sol cursed the small spark of excitement that brewed within her. She had to get Lora to go with her. It was either travel with her, or not at all.
The worn hinges of the kitchen door creaked, prompting Sol to look up. She didn’t think she would ever get used to the man’s eyes. The kitchen suddenly felt too small as he stepped closer, those tendrils of shadows swirling around his ankles. Sol’s gaze flickered to them as they spread toward her.
“They don’t bite,” he said, stopping in front of the counter where she lazily prepared a pot of tea.
She eyed the dark clouds. “They clearly do something.”
Cas laughed, bracing an elbow on the countertop. “Well, they won’t do anything to you.”
“Why are you back here?” Sol tapped a foot on the floor, still eyeing the dancing smoke.
“Is it employees only?”
“You can stay if you answer more of my questions.”
He bit on his lip, as if pondering it. “Depends on the questions.”
Sol dropped the spoon on the table and thought through the billions of things she needed to know.
Lora had told her some of Nina’s history, but she hadn’t been able to say much about anyone else. And if Sol would eventually have to travel with them, shewould need to know who she would be traveling with.
“Who are you?” She locked her gaze on him, unwilling to seem small.
A smile pulled at the corner of his lip. “Cas.”
“Cas what?”
“Cas Xanthos. Or Morozov, depending on who you ask.”
“And what is your...position in this group?”
He arched a brow and pulled the empty cup toward him, then the mug of hot tea. “That also depends on who you ask.”
Peeking from the sleeves of his scaled suit, what looked like a tattoo snaked around his right wrist, all the way down to his fingertips. And as he stretched his arm to grab the spoon from the table, the suit shifted, revealing his forearm, where a fresh, circular wound swelled with??—
“Did… was that me?” Sol stammered, reaching to grab his arm out of instinct. Lora had always instructed her to inspect wounds first, to better determine what remedies might soothe them.
Cas pulled his arm back, and Sol instantly withdrew her hands. “Sorry.”
“Yes, this was you. You have quite a bite.” He held his arm between them and tugged his sleeve to his elbow, revealing the teeth marks already bruising.
Her face heated. “I… It was a reaction.”
Cas poured the tea into a cup, gently stirring the leaves aside. His black, wavy hair fell forward, shielding his face as he took a sip.
“I’m not going back with all of you, you know,” Sol said, crossing her arms tight across her chest. “Especially with your incredibly vague answers.”
He looked at her over the rim of his cup, brows scrunching as he set it down. “That… is terrible tea.”
Sol scoffed and walked toward the kitchen door, deciding this man was not the one to have this conversation with. She was just about to push it open when Cas said, “You are. You have to?—”
Slowly, she looked back at him. “I don’t.”
“It’s already been decided, Princess.”
“Not by me, it hasn’t.”
