Page 81

I should get up, if only to prove a point. But damned if this bed didn’t feel good right now.

“I’ll stay, but only if you don’t send Jules and Remy back. I don’t need them.”

He met my stare for a few seconds. “Fine.”

“Since you wouldn’t let me participate, you need to tell me what you found out.” I snuggled down a little deeper in bed. “Did you find out anything?”

“A couple of people spotted Mason yesterday. He’s not smart enough, nor does he have the capabilities, to know how to make diaxa. He had to have gotten help.”

“Herrick.” No one had said it yet, but the second Mason had run off, there was one very obvious place he could turn for help.

“Most likely. I’m guessing Herrick used Mason to get the cookies to you. You’re going to need to use caution going forward.”

“I should’ve killed him.” I shivered, but not because it was cold.

“Don’t worry. You’ll still get your chance.”

* * *

I’d woken the next morning feeling a million times better and was now back on the field, practicing with a renewed vengeance. I’d graduated from a pebble-sized stone to one with a little more weight on it. Luisca was beside me, trying to knock a branch over.

Kaden was across the field, showing some offensive moves to a group who wasn’t quite as tuned into their powers but had a little more brawn to work with. His shirt was off, and a sheen of sweat glistened, as every move flexed the rigid muscles of his abdomen and showed off the sinew in his arms.

“I’d ask where your thoughts are, but I can see quite clearly,” Luisca said.

“Hmmm? Just wondering, I guess.” I shifted my attention back to the stone.

“I’m glad things seem to be smoothing over for you two. Kimmeyada,” she said, and then laughed knowingly.

“Kimme…” I squinted in her direction, trying to repeat the foreign word.

“Kimmeyada. It’s a Kradixian word. It means the all-consuming first blush of love.”

“Oh,” I said, looking back down at the stone, a wave of guilt crushing me again. “I’m not sure this is love.”

“It meansotherthings too.”

“No, I meant…”

It didn’t matter what I said. She was laughing too hard to hear. It was better to let it drop anyway. Especially as Kaden was walking in our direction.

“You look good. Your skin has its healthy glow back,” he said. He ran a finger along my neck, sweeping back an errant lock of hair and setting my skin to tingling in the process.

He was doing that touching thing again, and it made everything so much worse. If we weren’t surrounded by people, I might’ve smacked his hand away.

“Thanks.” I could feel myself blush in spite of the fact that this was an act. I was covered in dirt. Talk about pushing the boundaries of believable. No one would ever think I looked good, let alone glowing, and here I was, cheeks flaming like an idiot, as if he meant any of it. I was going to have a talk with him about laying it on too thick.

“Do you want to go to the river? It’s a little chillier but private.”

I was sure he didn’t mean that how it had come out, but the way his eyes were devouring me, every person watching was going to think we were going there to have sex without being heard. If I’d thought my cheeks were warm now, I could’ve fried eggs on them after that.

“Kaden,” I whispered, giving him a look.

He laughed, and I realized I’d just played into the act even worse. I really was going to kill him.

He wrapped an arm around me, pulling me to him and feathering his lips over mine.

I was about to pull back from him when he started walking us toward the tree cover. He turned me so my back was against a huge tree, where no one could see us, and then kissed me again.