Page 161 of The Keeper of the Kingdoms

“I just walked in on something I wish I hadn’t seen.”

“What?” He was almost at the door before I stopped him. “It’s nothing threatening. It was Vanya and—well, Koen doing—” I couldn’t finish.

“Doing what?” Jaxus asked, exasperated.

Not wanting to put words to what I’d seen, I decided to just send him the mental image.

“Oh!” He said in complete understanding.

“Yes, oh.”

“What is she doing with him?” he frowned. He still wavered between wanting to knock Koen’s lights out for what he witnessed that day and giving him the benefit of the doubt. His benevolence only went so far.

“I don’t know, but she looked like she was enjoying herself,” I admitted.

“Well good for her, I guess.” He shrugged, then he scowled again. “But he shouldn’t be doing it in the apothecary. I will see that he doesn’t put you in that position again, Firefly.”

I put my hand on his chest. “Really Jax, you don’t have to. We all get caught up in the moment sometimes,” I looked at him pointedly to remind him of the archives in Calanthe, the library here in the palace last week and the bathroom of the Flaming Pegasus last night. Really he was one to talk.

He smirked. “Fine, I’ll stay off his case as long as he doesn’t give you a hard time.”

“Thank you,” I smiled.

“Things are better between us now. I just don’t want anything to rock the boat.” Although what that hard look meant, I couldn’t tell, and I didn’t like the doubt it created.

There was a light knock at the door, and Jaxus and I exchanged a look.

“Come in,” he called.

The door opened slowly, revealing a solemn-looking Koen carrying my books.

“May I come in?” he asked.

Jaxus folded his arms over his broad chest and fixed him with his take-no-shit stare. “Sure, come in.”

Koen entered and set my books on my workbench. “I wanted to return these,” he said sheepishly, then he looked right at me. “And ask you not to send Vanya back to the Forest Kingdom for this. Please, it was my fault. I shouldn’t have let it get that far in a public space.”

“I wouldn’t send her back for that. You don’t need to worry. She is far too valuable to lose here.”

Koen’s face seemed to refill with color at that. “Thank you. I want to apologize for what you saw and promise you it won’t happen again.”

I nodded, not wanting to prolong it and make it more awkward than necessary.

He dipped his head for a moment, then raised his eyes again. “I also want to apologize for all I have done to you over the years. I have no excuses, but I’m trying to be better.” He scratched the back of his neck, discomfort rolling off him. “I never saw you as an equal, and I never felt like an equal myself. So I picked on you to raise my position. It was terrible and I can only say I’m sorry. But I have recently had my eyes opened. The work you do here is phenomenal. Healers are—” He blushed.

He actually blushed.

“Well, I have very strong feelings for a healer now, and I seeall the ways I was wrong in the past. I hope you can find it in yourself to forgive me one day.”

I smiled. “Apology accepted. You can consider yourself forgiven.”

He dipped his head again. “Thank you.”

He glanced at Jaxus. “Well, I’ll leave you to it,” he said and backed out of the room, leaving us in stunned silence.

“Did he blush?” Jaxus asked incredulously.

“He definitely did,” I confirmed.