Page 74 of Seasons of War
Both Adelle and Kira watched as he walked to the back door—Adelle with the quiet satisfaction of winning and Kira with shock at seeing Zayne follow her orders. He peeled his uniform jacket off and hung it on the third hook of the coat rack. That must have been the one that he always used. Zayne was too orderly to not put everything in its exact place.
The snake tattoo stared back at her from the base of his neck, churning her stomach. What a terrible reminder of one of the worst things a person could endure. Zayne didn't have to see it constantly, but his mom did. It must have hurt terribly every time she remembered what happened to him. While Kira knew nothing of that time, she did know what the snakes meant, and Adelle shared enough details for her to understand.
When Zayne sat without his uniform jacket, he still looked on duty. His shoulders were too straight and his body too tense. He wore a black shirt with sleeves that fell to just above the band on his arm, letting her see more skin than usual. The faint scars circling his wrists evoked images of Zayne fighting against his restraints to save his comrades. The back of her arms ached at the thought of ropes or metal cutting into his skin.
The way he looked that night in the kitchen flitted through her mind. How hard it was to look away from such an image of vulnerability and power in one conflicted soldier.
Dr. Cooper's taunting suggestion rattled her again, and she stared at her plate now. How humiliating. Zayne was a stubborn, cold, and joyless man who ruinedwhat would be beautiful eyes with his icy stare. He was entirely unpleasant to be around, and Kira easily put him from her mind once the impulse passed.
“How are you sleeping?” Zayne asked it so gruffly that it sounded like it took all of his strength to pry each word from his mouth.
“Better. You?”
“Fine.” He looked away.
Stepping out of the room, Adelle left Kira alone with Zayne, and neither of them spoke. She refused to be the one to find something to say. He'd been rude to her constantly. So what if he gave her a bud off a tree last night and apologized? Too little too late.
Yes, he admitted he wanted to protect her from himself, but he was a jerk. A rude jerk who couldn't even pretend to be okay with exchanging basic pleasantries despite direct orders from the Phaedra to make friends with her.
By the time Adelle returned a full minute later, the veins in Zayne's hand looked ready to burst from his skin. So intense.
“I think it's time you met Ms. Pumpkin.” Adelle carried a gorgeous cat with long, pristine fur.
Excitement spread through Kira's chest, and she leaned across the table, drawn to the pet. “You have a cat?”
“Yes. I wanted to let you get settled before bringing her out.” Adelle passed Ms. Pumpkin to Kira, and all the stress vanished while she ran her fingers through the soft fur.
“She's beautiful.” Kira nuzzled her face against the cat. “You're beautiful. You know that?”
Kira's neighbors hated that she fed all the stray cats in the neighborhood. What were they eating without her? She held Ms. Pumpkin close, happy to see one baby safe and well-fed. A little too well-fed.
Setting the cat down on the counter, Kira plopped a kiss on her little nose. “We're going to be good friends, Ms. Pumpkin.”
Zayne rolled his eyes.
Oh, she wasn't even allowed to be friends with a cat?
Pumpkin waltzed across the counter to Adelle.
“Why do you call her Ms. Pumpkin when she's white?” Kira asked.
“My daughter, Andi, named her. We found her in a pumpkin patch.”
The cat lifted her tail and strolled to Zayne, who crossed his arms over his chest. She rubbed along the seals on his forearms, purring and lifting her face in a pleafor him to pet her. Annoyed stare locked on the window, he refused to move while the cat rubbed against him.
Damn it, pet her already.
“Ms. Pumpkin loves Zayne,” Adelle said.
Without realizing it was about to happen, Kira leaned forward and laughed, covering her mouth. Her shoulders shook.
Now Zayne's glare cut to her, but Kira couldn't stop another chuckle from squeaking out. He looked ridiculous refusing to acknowledge that adorable cat.
A loud knock beat against the front door, and Kira jumped. But it was followed by a voice as sweet as a new spring day. “Adelle! I'm coming in. I have a surprise.”
“Mellie,” Adelle called out, eyeing Zayne. “Your fiancée is here.”
Fiancée? It looked like Adelle threw the cat against Zayne's face.
