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She trailed off, not sure what she was trying to say. But Kaiden didn’t need her to finish.

“I thought that might be the case,” he said, just as quietly. “It’s why I didn’t come before now.”

Alex looked towards the closed door. “Are the others angry?”

He shook his head. “They’re confused. They don’t understand what they saw, that’s all.”

“Did you… tell them anything?”

His fingers tickled across her cheekbone, tracing invisible freckles on her skin. “No. It wasn’t my place.”

Alex let out a small sigh, both relieved and disappointed.

“You know you don’t have to answer their questions,” Kaiden said. “If it’s too hard—if you don’t want to—”

“I know,” Alex whispered. “And I won’t tonight. But soon…” She swallowed. “Soon I’ll have to explain. I owe them that much.”

“You don’t owe anyone anything, least of all to the people who love you. They’ll understand.”

His words were so firm that Alex believed him, feeling his assurance burrow deep into her bones. More than anything, it allowed her the courage to know that she would be able to answer her friends’ questions when the time was right. She knew she didn’thaveto, but she wanted to. She’d kept Niyx a secret from them for long enough.

“You missed dinner. Have you had anything to eat?” Kaiden asked, likely in response to her again rumbling stomach.

“What gave me away?” Alex replied, a small smile tugging at her lips—a miracle in and of itself after the day she’d endured.

“You’ve had thelaendra, though,” Kaiden noted, his fingers moving down her arm to entwine with hers, stroking the clear skin which was no longer scraped and bloodied.

“You too, I presume?”

He made a sound of confirmation, and then softly called, “Sorin?”

This time Alexwassurprised by the arrival of a new person, enough that she jumped as a bright flash heralded Sorin’s entrance.

“How may I be of service?” the Tia Auran asked politely in his native language, not even raising a brow at finding Kaidenin Alex’s room—and on herbed. Their positions were innocent, but it might not have looked that way to an outside observer.

“Dahana, tornas,” Kaiden said, repeating yesterday’s request for some food.

Sorin bowed and disappeared before Alex could protest being hand-delivered a meal when she could just as easily venture into the common room, so instead she addressed her objection to Kaiden.

In response, he asked, “I thought you weren’t ready to answer any questions tonight?”

Alex understood what he was implying. “Are they all waiting for me?”

“Ready as an ambush.”

Alex grimaced, then said, “Dinner in here sounds great, thanks.”

Kaiden chuckled lightly and sat up with her when Sorin returned with another bright flash and a covered tray in his hands. He passed it to Alex and then clapped three times, light appearing from nowhere and everywhere all at once, just like when she’d stayed at the Meyarin palace. Yet again, Alex wondered how much of the Meyarins’ advancement as a race had originated from their years in Tia Auras.

“How do I say ‘thank you’ to him?” Alex asked Kaiden as she lifted the lid off the tray to find a meal laid out for her.

“Merrah mai.”

Turning to the helper, Alex said, “Merrah mai,Sorin.”

A beaming smile broke out on his otherworldly face, and this time he bowed to her as well before disappearing with another flash.

“I like him,” Alex said. “He seems nice.”Unlike Zaylin.