Page 4 of The Keeper of the Kingdoms

I held up a hand when Nyx stepped into my workspace. “I don’t have time for this.”

“For a visit from a friend?” Nyx chuckled like he was innocent.

“For anything other than my work.”

He looked over my shoulder, scanning the texts I had open. “What are you working on?”

I pressed my eyes closed, trying not to be curt with him. “We are understaffed and we have a host of medicines to be picked upin the morning, and none of them are complete because the healer who usually makes them was called home to see his dying grandfather.”

Nyx stepped back, rolling up his sleeves.

“What are you doing?” I asked, putting my knife down to wipe my forehead with the back of my hand.

“I’m going to help. What do you need me to do?”

“You can’t help.” I sighed, returning to the chopping I was doing.

“Did something change about my ability to do prep work?” His tone dripped with sweetness, but I knew it was a trap.

Males.

“No, General, you can still chop as well as any Forest Kingdom apprentice. You can’t help because we both know what this really is.” I blew my hair out of my face, bending to my work and doing my best to ignore him.

“Oh? What is it?” Nyx returned to reading over my shoulder. “I’ll get the tubers.”

I almost put down my knife but then thought better of it, turning on him with it angled in his direction. “Stop in your tracks, Nyx Asra.”

He wore an amused smile but heeded my words, holding up his hands in a paltry defense. “I’m listening.”

“You’re going to try and use helping me to create a way to talk reason to me. I know what you’re going to say—” I cut myself off as he began to laugh. It was nice to see after all that he’d been through. Daily, I worried we’d never be able to find the lightness in life again after Kol’s death. But I was not pleased he was finding it in my situation.“What is so funny?”

“It’s rather adorable how you can’t even properly aim a knife at me.” He disarmed me in a heartbeat, setting the knife back on my cutting board before I’d even processed what happened.

“Zaria is right about you being a douche.” I slumped against the workbench, taking some of the pressure off my aching feet.

Nyx raised his brows in surprise. “I genuinely want to help.”

“Don’t you have a military or something to run? This cannot be the best use of your time.” I crossed my arms over my chest.

“It’s after midnight. Save for an emergency, this should be my free time, should it not? I finished my work and thought I would check in on my friend before retiring.” Nyx’s smug smile had me thinking of getting my knife again to get him out of the apothecary.

“Wait, what time did you say it was?”

“After midnight.”

Where had the time gone? There wasn’t enough in the day to do my normal tasks as it was, let alone all the tasks stacking up on my personal list I wanted to do to prepare us for the impending war. Those things could not wait, but I had to do more research before I could present my theories to Nyx. He would hear me out, but I needed to have something solid before he would take it to the King.

“I have to finish.” I wiped my hands on my apron and tried to remember where I was.

“So let me help. You need it.” Nyx pressed.

“Don’t you have a mate to get to?” I questioned, wondering where Zaria was.

“She’s asleep. Long so. She is still adjusting to the relentless schedule and physical demands.” The threat of war was getting to everyone. I felt it in all aspects of my life. Fae were fearful and it bled into every interaction.

“And why aren’t you with her?” I asked, sure I’d caught him.

He broke our eye contact, showing a side of himself I’d never seen before. Pure vulnerability. He sighed. “Every time I close my eyes, I see Kol.”