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So rarely did he curse that the profanity caught her off guard,

squelching the sarcastic retort dancing on the tip of her tongue. She wore

tights and her boots, but the tunic had been too restricting to allow her

the range of motion she wanted. So, she’d discarded it.

“It’s a bra.”

“I’m aware of what it’s called, Ivy. Where is your tunic?”

“Uh…” She searched the sand pit until she found the crumpled heap

of black fabric near one of the benches. “There.”

Directing a threatening snarl at Sion, Kai removed his cloak and

wrapped it around her shoulders, swaddling her in it like a baby.

“Leave!” he bellowed, his voice bouncing off the stone walls. “Now!”

Everyone in the training center hurried to obey, but apparently, they

didn’t move quickly enough for him. With a wave of his hand, he

teleported them out of the room to stars only knew where.

“Look,” she said, throwing off the cloak so that it floated to the sand,

“I’m sorry, okay? I didn’t think about it. That doesn’t give you the right

to act like a complete idiot, though.”

“Fine.” Grabbing the back of his collar, he pulled his own tunic off

over his head and threw it to the ground. “Perhaps I’ll just go for a stroll

through the city like this.”

“The fuck if you will,” she shot back, jealousy burning in her stomach.

She huffed, her shoulders falling in defeat when he arched an eyebrow

at her. “Okay, I get your point. It won’t happen again.”

When it came to her personal life, she’d never had to answer to

anyone, never needed to consider how her actions might affect someone

else. It hadn’t crossed her mind that working out in her bra would cause

a problem, and honestly, no one had paid her much attention.

Still, she could appreciate Kai’s position on the matter, and she didn’t

want to be a hypocrite. If she’d found him shirtless in a room full of

women, she’d have probably reacted just as violently.

“I’ll admit I can’t be counted on to be rational when it comes to you,

dove.” Sliding his hands down her sides, he grasped her hips and jerked

her forward, pressing their half-naked bodies together. “You are far too

tempting for your own good.”

“I’m sure you’re the only one who thinks that.” Settling her hands on

his biceps, she squeezed the muscles playfully and smirked. “What are

you doing here anyway? Did you miss me already?”

“I always miss you,” he answered immediately, bending his neck to

brush a kiss across her cheek. “You neglected to attend breakfast…and

lunch. Have you been here this whole time?” He leaned back and

searched the training hall, as if something within its walls held the

answers.

“I went for a run along the trails in the Valley this morning. Tira, Sion,

Wyn, and three other guards came with me,” she added when the honey-

gold of his irises darkened. “I was perfectly safe.”

While she hadn’t realized she’d been working out for so long, it also

didn’t surprise her. She’d had an excess of energy she couldn’t seem to

expend lately. Some days, like now, she could barely sit still without

feeling as if she’d vibrate out of her skin. Moreover, she’d been having

difficulty sleeping the past couple of nights, and while she forced herself

to eat at least once a day, she never seemed to be hungry anymore.

“I know that expression.” Gripping her chin lightly, he urged her face

up until she met his worried gaze. “Tell me what’s wrong.”

“It’s nothing.” She had no reason to hide it from him, so she explained

about her restlessness and lack of appetite. “Like I said, it’s nothing. Just

stress.”

“Ivy.” He breathed her name on an exasperated sigh, pressing his

palm to the side of her face. “Please take care of yourself. I couldn’t bear

it if something happened to you.”

Her heart skipped a beat when he looked at her that way, with so

much love and concern. “I know my limits. Remember, I was taking care

of myself long before I met you.”

“It’s my duty to protect you,” he replied matter-of-factly.

“Your duty? When is the last time you were in a fight? And that

pissing contest in the library doesn’t count.”

When he didn’t answer, Ivy smirked and stepped away, bending

from the waist to unlace her boots. Once she had them off, she tossed

them into the pile with her tunic and scrunched the legs of her tights up

to her knees.

“What are you doing?”

“Getting ready to kick your ass,” she answered calmly, rolling her

shoulders as she leaned to one side, stretching the muscles in her thigh.

“Let’s go, big guy, show me what you’ve got.”

“I’m not going to fight you.” He jumped back when she swung at

him, his expression a mask of annoyance. “Ivy, stop.”

“Scared?” He had several inches and more than a hundred pounds

on her, but she was faster, smarter. “No using magic.”

“I’m not going to fight you,” he repeated, his tone brooking no

argument.

“Oh, come on, it’ll be fun.” She feinted left, then ducked right,

slipping under his arm and sweeping his legs. Standing over him where

he lay flat on his back, she fisted her hands on her hips and frowned.

“You’re not even trying.”

“Ivy, I’m not going to do this. I won’t risk hurting you.”

Irritated with him, she turned to stomp away, grunting when he

caught her around the knees, dropping her into the sand. She rolled

quickly, catching him in the chin with her elbow and disorienting him

long enough to scramble to her feet again.

“No cheating.”

“You didn’t establish any rules,” he countered, “other than I’m not

allowed to use magic.”

He lunged for her again, but she danced out of his reach and twisted

sharply to the right, driving her knee into his midsection. Air rushed

from his parted lips, and he dropped to one knee with a grunt. Before

she could dodge him again, he grabbed her ankle, jerking sharply and

flipping her onto her back.

The soft, purple sand cushioned her fall, but it offered no traction as

she attempted to crabwalk away from her mate. Still on his knees, he

spun toward her, diving across the pit. Fighting against the thick piles of

sand, Ivy didn’t have time to avoid him, so she held her breath, waiting

for him to get close enough. When he did, she wrapped her arms around

his neck, using his own momentum to drop him to the ground beside

her.

“Okay,” he conceded, rolling on his back to pant up at the ceiling.

“Maybe I’m more out of practice than I thought.” Grabbing her elbow,

he hauled her onto his chest, kissing her quickly before flipping her

beneath him. “I win.”

“You cheat,” she corrected, but she couldn’t stop laughing. “You

have sand all over your face.” She saw his intent a heartbeat before he

lowered his head to rub his cheeks against her own. “Stop,” she cried

through bouts of laughter, squirming to get free. “No, stop. Kai.” She

laughed so hard her ribs hurt when he shook out his hair, raining sand

down onto her neck and chest. “Kai, you idiot.”

“You love me.”

She did, more than anything, but she wouldn’t give in so easily. “You

think very highly of yourself.”

“Say it.”

Ivy clamped her lips together and shook her head, biting the inside

of her cheek so as not to laugh.

Taking her wrists, Kai stretched her arms over her head, pinning her

hands against the ground. Heat radiated from his bare chest, his skin

slick with perspiration, and he leaned in close until the tips of their noses

touched.

“Say it,” he demanded, squeezing her hips with his thighs.

“Or what?”

“So stubborn.” He laughed and nipped at her bottom lip. “At least let

me feed you.” Releasing her wrists, he rocked back on his heels and

pushed to his feet. Straddling her legs, he offered his hand, pulling her

up from the ground. “First, we need to put some proper clothes on you.”

Still laughing, Ivy jogged across the pit to grab her tunic, and shook

out the sand before donning it. “I do, you know.”

“What’s that?” Kai asked distractedly, redressing himself as well.

“Love you.”

Pausing in the act of adjusting his sleeves, he looked over at her with

a cocky grin and winked. “I know.”

By the end of the week, Ivy felt like a crazy person. She still couldn’t

sleep. She snapped at everyone, including Kai. It had gotten to the point

where even thinking of food twisted her stomach uncomfortably, which

only made her moodier. No one wanted to be around her. Hell, she

didn’t even want her own company.

The agitation hadn’t eased, either. She spent more and more time in

the training sim, jogging through the sand on the beach, or beating the

forest trails in the Valley. Still, she couldn’t seem to find mental balance

or dispel the physical disquiet that beleaguered her.

For everyone else, life went on as it always had in Sommervail. The

elders didn’t stray from their lavish homes in the Valley. Kai hadn’t been

murdered. Even Wyn had begun to annoy her less, and he was the only

one who didn’t run in the opposite direction when she walked through

the corridors.

“Good morning, Ivy.” The sentry spoke in hushed tones and lowered

his head respectfully when she stepped out of her room in the early

hours before sunrise. “The shuttle is waiting.”

“Where’s Sion?”

“I’m sorry, I haven’t seen the Helios this morning.”

It didn’t surprise her. Being the other half of her personal guard,

being at her side constantly, meant he was subjected to more abuse than

most. Ivy didn’t mean to be such a raging bitch, and she loathed that

she’d hurt the people she cared about most.

“Let him sleep.” It was the least she owed him. “Tira?”

“The captain is waiting with the shuttle to take you to the Valley.”

Wyn fell into step beside her as she started for the front doors of the

citadel. “Are you sure you won’t wait until after breakfast?”

The concern in his voice surprised her, stopping the caustic retort she

normally gave when someone questioned her about eating. “I’m not

hungry.”

He stared at her for a moment and dipped his head. “Forgive me.

We’re simply concerned for you, Ivy.”

“I know, but I’m okay.”

She wasn’t. Her tunic fell off her shoulders and billowed around her

waist, while her tights hung loosely around her hips and thighs. She had

chafe marks where her boots rubbed against the skin on her legs because

of the wide gap between the leather and her calves.

Kai was so worried he’d summoned a medic to their quarters to

examine her. Then he’d proceeded to threaten the medic when he could

find nothing immediately wrong with her. Medic Winters had collected

a small vial of blood for testing, and promised Kai he’d be in touch as

soon as he had the results. Ivy suspected he wouldn’t find anything. She

didn’t feel sick, just…restless, unsettled.

“Vasili Blackthorn is beside himself with concern. I don’t know if he

would survive it if something fatal befell you.”

Kai had told her the same thing, but something about the way Wyn

said it made her uneasy. Warning bells chimed in her head, tensing her

shoulders and quickening her steps. Her hand went automatically to her

hip, searching for her blaster, and she cursed internally when she came

up empty. By order of the elders, she wasn’t permitted to carry any type

of weapon, not even a butter knife.

She wasn’t afraid of the sentry, but she also wouldn’t consider herself

stupid. Not only did Wyn have a dagger and a sword strapped to his

belt, but he could also manipulate magic. The only thing she had to fight

back with was a sharp tongue, and the sting of her words wouldn’t have

quite the same effect as a blade.

“You know,” she said, stalling for time, “I think I will try to eat

something before we leave.” She kept her stance relaxed and her smile

casual. “Would you please tell the captain to wait for me? I promise I’ll

just be a few minutes.”

“I’ll escort you.”

“No,” she said a little too quickly as she backed down the hallway. “I

know my way. I’ll bring you something from the kitchens.”

Like a butcher knife.

Without waiting for a response, she turned to run, a yell building in

her throat, but stumbled to a stop and gasped when Wyn appeared in

front of her. He reached out, his hand landing on her shoulder lightly,

not threatening in any way.

“I’m afraid I can’t let you do that, Ivy.”

Her vision went black, her head spun, and she had the sensation of

falling into an endless void. The feeling lasted only a second, two at most,

and when the world came back into focus, she doubled over, dry-

heaving into the grass atop her favorite hill in the forest. The rains had

returned, falling in icy sheets that rustled the tree leaves and soaked her

hair.

Droplets splashed against her face, clinging to her eyelashes and