Page 31 of The Chaosweaver's Daughter
“I’ll send her a note of gratitude immediately.”
“Dondothat.” The duke spoke so quickly she had to take a second to decipher what he’d said.
“Why not?”
“She doesn’t like thank-you notes.”
“Are you teasing me?” She had to ask.Who doesn’t like thank-you notes?
He shrugged again. Retreating to that place of silence and disarming, unreadable stares.
Perhaps the queen’s dislike of written benedictions wasn’t so odd after all, considering she was related tothispeculiar man. “Speaking of thequeen...” Nes changed the subject and in the most patronizing version of her tutor-voice said, “Did you remember to eat your breakfast, Kahoth? Don’t neglect your lunch, either.”
She spun to walk out the door, but his huge palm landed on her shoulder, sputtering out her forward momentum. Her strange heart pirouetted as she turned back to face him.
He quirked a brow. “What does that have to do with my sister?”
Cheeks heating, in no small part due to warmth from his hand soaking through her sleeve, she pinched her lips.
He stared straight down at her, eyes a swirling stormy gray. “Is she paying you to remind me to eat?”
When Nes bit her lip between her teeth, he brought his second hand up to her arm and tugged her closer so she was forced to crane her neck to maintain eye contact. A burst of energy thrummed through her bones, and her pulse stuttered. Their position felt oddly like dancing but with more tension and less movement.He’d be so easy to kiss— Her lips popped open.
Lord Kahoth’s thumb swiped over her clavicle as he leaned in close to ask, “Did Hevva put pestering me in your job description?”
She nearly laughed at his phrasing but managed to put the burst of energy he roused in her to good use instead, reaching up to squeeze his bicep.Tit for tat.
Startled, he sucked in a breath.
“She is paying me, handsomely.” With that, Nes flashed him a smug smile, spun on her heel, and marched away.
She reasoned it must have been a trick of the blood pumping in her ears when she heard him snort out a laugh as she stomped off.
Nesrinawanderedacrossthenorth lawn with a book and a blanket, anticipating time alone with Rihan in the garden. She paused to scratch a passing wolfhound who’d cut her off and demandedattention. Enoth or Vites, she couldn’t tell them apart, would’ve kept her occupied all day, but the exuberant dog was summoned elsewhere by a shrill whistle, and Nes continued on her way.
She intended to squeeze in a few minutes of reading before her guard came to join her beneath the willow tree, then they’d share the happenings of their days and smooch for a bit before heading in for dinner.
They didn’t have all that much in common, to be perfectly honest. But she didn’t mind. He was charming, a brave soldier who made her feel pretty. It wasn’t like she planned on marrying him. He was a diversion, a distraction from the handsome duke who kept cropping up in her thoughts—a man she could not have. Well this one, she could. So, she figured,why not?With her back against the tree trunk, she pulled out her book to wait.
For the first time in a week, he didn’t come.
An hour passed, which was unusual for the punctual soldier.Perhaps he’s covering another shift?Concerned and finished with her story, Nes folded up her throw and plodded back to the house, veering right, toward the guards’ quarters.
Before she even made it to the doors, she found a welcome sight—though, not as welcome as Rihan would’ve been. Aylin stood in the sheltered entry, relaxing in the shade and enjoying a break from her many duties. The maid plucked an ice cube out of thin air and ran it across her brow. “Miss Kiappa, how are—” her eyebrows shot up at Nes’s tumultuous approach.
“Have you seen Rihan—the blond guard?” Nes clarified.
Aylin shook her gray-capped head. “Thera’s in the wine cellar, she’ll know. If you don’t find your guard first, that is.” With that, she winked at Nes and drew open the door, ushering her inside. “Cut through here, it’s faster than going around.”
Hustling through the long corridor, Nes listened for any sign of Rihan as her eyes swept through each open doorway she passed. By the time she made it to the wine cellar, she’d greeted many members of the duke’s staff and guard, but had yet to sight her soldier. With a sigh, she rapped on the door, slightly ajar, as Thera took inventory within.
“Miss Kiappa.” The housekeeper barely looked up as she continued her count, almost as if she’d been expecting her.
“Do you happen to know where I might find the blond soldier who joined our group from Serkath?”
Thera sighed deeply and turned to face her, her kind eyes heavy, and showing their age.
Nesrina’s mouth went dry.
