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Chapter Sixty-Two: Bahira

The library is silent upon entry and nearly empty, only the librarian and, surprisingly, Tua occupying the space. I walk up to the small table Tua is seated at, a book splayed open in front of him. “May I join you?”

“Bahira. It has been a bit since we’ve had a conversation. How are you?” He gestures with a hand to the empty chair across from him.

“Well enough,” I reply, taking a seat and leaning my elbows on the table. “And you?”

Tua smiles, the wrinkles around his dark eyes crinkling with it. “I cannot complain.” His pause is laden with a knowing glance. “Have you been keeping out of trouble?”

“Not much time left for trouble when I’m helping Kai gain the trust of his people back.” I enjoy the way Tua’s eyes flare for a moment. I had thought him to truly care about coaching Kai, but it’s become abundantly obvious that Tua has his own agenda. What that is exactly, I’m not sure of yet.

“Ah, yes. How do you feel you have fared in those efforts?” he asks, tilting his head contemplatively.

“It doesn’t matter what I think. What have his advisors said?” Admittedly, Kai had not told me much about their feedback.

Tua joins his hands together beneath his chin, his gaze biting as he exhales in an exaggerated manner. “They did not find merit in your ideas that he brought forth, and they let him know as much.” My eyes widen in surprise. Not that the advisors had not liked the ideas, but that Kai would go against their advice and do them anyway. The realization that follows makes my fingers tremble—he did it for me . Tua nods his head as if he has access to my inner thoughts. “I cannot say I blame them. Many of the nobles of the court predicted that it would turn into a disaster, which I hope you can agree with.”

A denial and rebuttal rest on my tongue, but I hold them there and cock my head to the side, studying Tua. Though a lot of people had attempted to degrade Kai with their insults and accusations about how he was to blame for the blight, the ones who came to him with problems that were legitimate had their issues resolved. Kai and I talked about the things he had done on our way back from Honna. He had seemed pleased with the results of working closely with his people, and I couldn’t help but feel pride in him.

When the silence lingers, Tua closes his book and leans forward, matching my position. “Change takes time. It takes fortitude, but it also takes support. In a kingdom such as ours, not even a king is all-powerful.” Conviction colors his tone, the words spoken harshly despite the placid look on his face.

“And he shouldn’t be. It is why councils and advisors exist, to help guide the king into choices that better the land he rules over.”

“Precisely, Princess. It is important to remember that time is on the side of the plans that have already been put into motion.” I clench my jaw at the use of my title, casting a quick glance around the empty library. Tua offers me a pointed smile before standing and pushing his chair in, walking around to my side. I cast my glance upward, his brown eyes now ringed in a faint golden glow. “What are your plans this evening? There is going to be a celebration here at the palace, and there is a theme for the party.”

Feigning an ease I don’t feel, I lean back in my chair. “I think I might opt to read in my room instead.”

Tua chuckles, as though he expected that answer. “Perhaps a wise decision. The gods know that I hate having to mingle at these things.” With a knock of his knuckle on the table, he heads towards the library’s exit.

I call out to him when he’s halfway there. “Tua, what is the theme for the party tonight?”

He halts his steps, barely looking over his shoulder at me. “Masquerade.”

Kai and I sneak out the back of the palace. He said it was necessary to do so, as Tua had asked him to meet with the court advisors this evening before the party. He is apparently inclined to avoid them all.

“Should you skip meeting with them? What if they want to discuss everything you’ve been working on?” I ask, thinking of my conversation with Tua earlier.

“An extra day will not kill them, despite how they may act. Besides, rain is predicted to fall tomorrow, so this is the only opportunity we have to come out here before it’s too flooded.”

It’s nearly sunset, orange and bright pink painting the sky overhead. The temperature is beginning to cool, the oppressive daytime heat sweetening into a slight evening chill. It reminds me of the last days of summer back home, the signal that the Autumnal Ball is nearing.

“What about the masquerade party? We’ll be missing that as well.”

Kai snorts from where he walks ahead of me, the path only wide enough for us to stay in a single file line. “Do I look like someone who partakes in that sort of revelry?”

“You don’t exactly look like someone who is keen on anything ,” I retort.

Kai chuckles, pushing an overgrown plant from our path. The trickling sound of the waterfall fills the air, the temperature dropping even more as we clear the last bit of the jungle. We step out into the open space I saw the day I followed Kai—only, this time, we’re on the ground. The waterfall looms in front of me, mist from its powerful flow coating my skin. The water above is the brightest blue I’ve ever seen, white caps forming where it crashes into the stream below. Unlike the scent of salt that normally permeates the air, the smell that lingers here is one of damp earth and pungent florals. Blooming purple flowers line the banks, and I suspect they are the reason for the perfumed scent.

Kai lets me study our surroundings a little longer before he gestures for me to follow him. We walk for another ten minutes before a second body of water comes into view. Steam curls into the air above the aquamarine pool cradled within a white stone formation in the ground.

“How did this get here?” I ask, marveling at how the spring seems so out of place.

“It’s been here since well before my family line held the throne. It may even be as ancient as the island’s creation itself.” Kai walks around the spring to where the surrounding rocky outcrop has created a small natural cave. “When my mother and I still resided in the palace in my early years, she would often bring me here. I preferred to splash in the water by the waterfall as opposed to boiling in this pool.”

Grinning, I round the steaming spring to join him as he pulls off his pack to set it against the stone wall. “How long did you live in the palace?”

“The first five years of my life,” he answers.

I set my own backpack down, my spear scraping against the cave wall and causing sparks. “Why did you leave?”

Kai turns to look out over the spring and into the jungle. “Normal shifter offspring manifest into their animal for the first time around the age of two. Yet I made it to five and still had shown no signs of being able to shift. So my father sent my mother and I back to where he took her from.”

Shock draws my eyebrows up. “ Took her ?”

Kai nods, his jaw hard as a muscle there tenses. “My father was halfway through a royal tour of the kingdom when he arrived in Honna. My mother helped serve him and his entourage, and he was, according to Iolana, very smitten by her beauty.” He pauses, taking a deep breath before turning to look at me. “He demanded for her to be available to serve every meal. He extended his trip and began inviting her on walks or to dine with him in private. My mother had never had so much attention on her, let alone by someone of such importance.”

“She got swept up in it,” I surmise.

“She did,” he replies softly. “He asked her to come back to the palace with him. She knew he was married, but he led her to believe that the queen would be alright with him seeking the pleasure of another, as they hadn’t been able to sire an heir.”

“Was that true?”

“Partially. They hadn’t sired an heir, but his wife was not aware of his side activities. When my mother arrived at the palace, she was hired as one of the help and continued to see my father in private.” Kai’s face is a whirling storm of emotion—sadness and anger are the strongest, but there is also an undercurrent of grief. “Shortly after, she fell pregnant. Fearing his response, she kept me secret for as long as possible before she had to tell him.”

“Was he angry?”

Kai shakes his head, an incredulous scoff leaving his lips. “No. He was elated . He pampered her the entire pregnancy. She became a lady in the queen’s circle—the friends she had made as a palace worker now served her . My father doted on her, even taking her out to public events in the city. Everyone came to know her for what she was—the king’s favored mistress.” His words grow quieter as he speaks until the last one is hardly above a whisper.

When he doesn’t continue the story, I don’t push him to tell me more, not when he’s already given me so much of his history. Sensing he needs a shift in the conversation, I gesture towards the pack he brought. “Are we eating or getting wet first?”

His eyes snap towards me, the pain bright in them receding as his mouth curves into a smirk at the double meaning of my words. He leans in closer until I can feel the warmth radiating from his body. “Dinner first. Dessert later.”

Desire coils deeply within me, my core aching in a way I know Kai can detect. His eyes flare as they move down my body, but he forces himself—if a bit stiffly—to squat down to his pack. A red blanket is the first thing he takes out, carefully spreading it onto the surprisingly smooth cave floor. I pinch my lips together as he meticulously places glass containers of food in the center, a bottle of wine and two metal chalices and plates accompanying them. It’s absolutely a fucking picnic.

When he stands, he looks expectantly at me, gesturing for me to take a seat. At the delighted look I know is on my face, his brows draw together. “What?”

“Nothing. This looks great.”

Kai opens the containers, the rich scents of grilled meats, steamed vegetables, and soft rice wafting up from them as we serve ourselves. “The chefs did an incredible job,” I say between bites, following the decadent tastes with a swig of sweet wine.

Kai clears his throat, and I swear a blush colors his cheeks. “I made this.”

My fork freezes halfway to my agape mouth, surprise completely rendering me speechless for a moment. “You can cook ?”

He shrugs, resting his elbows on his widespread knees. “It’s a bit of a hobby.” My laugh echoes out in the small space, my surprise at knowing that this beast of a man enjoys cooking makes his blush grow even more. “ Bahira .”

Though I’ve come to realize that I like his jagged edges—the anger, the attitude, the domineering way in which he simply exists —it also feels good to see a part of him that no one else ever has. “No, no. I’m not laughing at you.” It’s clear he doesn’t believe me, his gaze moving out to the spring as his fingers curl in tightly until his knuckles turn white. Reaching over our meal, I grab his chin and force his eyes back to mine. I choose each of my words carefully, unwilling to have him think I’m anything other than awed. “I am rarely ever surprised, and yet you are nothing like I thought you’d be. Well, that’s not entirely true. You are definitely a brute. You’re short-tempered, more animal than male sometimes. I’ve certainly wanted to kill you on occasion.” He growls, attempting to jerk from my hold, but I tighten my fingers. “But you have consistently surprised me, Kai Vaea. I must admit, I have never been happier to be wrong.”

Small flecks of gold brighten in his irises as he inhales deeply. I release his chin, holding his stare for a moment longer before sitting back and unlacing my boots. Standing, I pull my tunic overhead and then remove my pants until I’m only in my undergarments. I feel the shift in the air as Kai’s gaze devours me. He, too, stands and, with torturous slowness, removes all of his clothing. The last rays of sun highlight his body, showcasing his perfect skin and sculpted muscles. When he eyes me in challenge, that gruff look sending another core-pulsing thrill through me, I remove my undergarments until I’m fully naked as well.

A deep noise thrums from Kai’s chest—akin to the rumblings of an animal either extremely pleased or whole-heartedly not, though I suspect it’s the former. He reaches his hand out for mine, our calloused palms scraping together when I take it, and leads me into the springs.