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But I was salivating. I blamed the aroma, a mix of vanilla and other things, like a summer’s night at the beach or the wind blowing sea air.

Wait, that wasn’t the cupcake at all. It was her scent. Because she stood right there, on the other side of my desk, and I could smell her.

Like her eyes, her scent was salt and sea in summer.

“Go on,” she pressed, holding the tin a little closer.

“Err—Kley, don’t be offended, but Lucian doesn’t do too well with…” Gideon started, then hesitated from the coffee station in our cramped office. “Proximity? And strangers. And general human interactions requiring speech.”

Next time, I was letting him die.

If he had to say anything, he could have told her I was sensitive to light, damn him. He knew that.

Realizing that I would seem like a nutter if I didn’t say something,anything, I made myself lift my eyes to hers. “You’re very kind.”

I took a damn cupcake and stared at it.My fingers didn’t burn on contact, which was promising.And the smell got to my stomach.

“I hope you like it,” Kleos told me, remaining in front of me. “It has a touch of magic, but it’s healing magic—neutral, not light.”

So, she knew that was my hesitation. Gideon must have mentioned my sensitivity at some point, after all.

I took a bite.

Closed my eyes.

Chewed.

Hades help me, I think I’m hard.

Two more bites and the cupcake was obliterated. I eyed the rest of the tin. There were still four inside.

“Healing magic?” I found myself echoing.

It was as close to small talk as I could manage, and I decided it was better than begging for a second treat.

“Well, see, I’m joining the department as an archivist, but anyone in the Guard has to go through basic training. Just in case of an attack, you know. And our mentor is a dragon.”

“The tyrant?” I prompted.

Her eyes widened. “So youwerepaying attention! Well, she acts like a tyrant, yes, but she’s a literal dragon. It’s Gideon’s mom. She’s a shifter. So her idea of endurance is completely unrealistic and I can’t survive the day without some pain relief.”

I felt like skinning a dragon.

Which wasabsurd. I knew for a fact it was good to be pushed in training. Anyone working here was at risk of attack—demons, gods, hexed colleagues, random objects lying around all over. Being prepared saved lives. I should have told her to suck it up.

“You should try faebloom. They open up at midnight—that’s when they should be picked. There should be some in the public garden, near the canals. They eliminate aches. You could extract the essence and mix it into the batter, or just make tea.”

“I heard of those! We grow them right in Highvale? I never knew.”

I noticed how animated her eyes seemed, their shifting blues dancing as she smiled.

“There aren’t many above ground,” I told her, mentally making a note to pick some from my garden. “They favor darkness.”

“Like you,” she said. “I’ll look for some. Thanks…hm…Regis?”

She wasn’t sure what to call me. At least she didn’t go for Mr. Regis.

“Lucian,” I said, automatically offering my hand.