Page 42 of Traitor Witch
He smirks, “I’m a man of many talents.”
“I suppose the medals prove that…” I stare at the gold clips on his epaulettes and frown. “You’re high ranking?”
“As high as a man of my position can be.” He keeps his answers evasive, and it makes me suspicious. “If my rank was any higher I’d have to sit at a desk, and battle is too fun for me to risk that,” he pauses. “Do you disapprove?”
“Why does it matter if I do or not?”
“Sirenae women are the warriors in our culture. Males are meant to serve their mates, not fight.”
I want to snort at the absurdity, “Fight all you want. Witches don’t have mates, so you can forget about my approval.”
He stares at me with those shimmering blue eyes. “No. I don’t think I could forget about you if I tried.”
“Try harder. I’ve told you before, I don’t have time for a mate.”
“Maybe you’d feel differently if I could court you inperson,” he says. “If you tell me where you are, I’ll gladly put all of my considerable talent into convincing you.”
The words hover on my tongue, but I hold them back through force of will. Klaus may seem flirty and harmless, but I’m not stupid enough to reveal my location in a suspicious dream while on the run from other witches.
“I’ll pass.”
Rap, rap, rap.
Klaus doesn’t react to the sound, and I frown.
“What is that?”
Klaus shrugs, looking forlornly over my shoulder. “I imagine the sound of the end of our time together.”
“Lady Solar, are you well?”I recognise Nos’s voice, but it’s strangely distant.
Klaus’s eyes narrow. “Who is this male?”
“No one,” I grumble, looking around for the source of the voice.
The dream is fading, the detail leaching from the world and turning it to a foggy, murky grey which then fades to black.
“Nilsa?”
Nos’s voice drags me out of the dream completely, and I jolt straight into a sitting position. The dream and reality are indistinguishable for a long moment until another knock shatters the silence.
“What?” I snap, then curse. “Sorry. Just… give me a second.”
The knocking stops and I roll onto my front with a groan, stretching and grimacing at the state of the robes I fell asleep in.
The white fabric is creased, and my mouth feels drier than the desert. I don’t have a mirror, but I know I look like a hot mess.
I take a dab of magic, just enough to smooth out the fabric and remove the lingering traces of sleep from my body.
When I swing the door open, it's just the seer on the other side, which is a relief. I don’t think I have it in me to take the intensity of the others right now.
“Sorry!” Nos apologises as soon as I see him. “I wanted to let you rest, but Cas thought you might be hungry.” He’s staring a little bit past me, as usual, but I smile softly at him, anyway.
Of course, now he’s brought it up, I’m suddenly starving.
“Thanks, I was just exhausted from last night,” I mutter.
Opal chooses that moment to start winding around my feet, making my exit from my room into an awkward dance as I try to move around her.
