Page 22 of Omen of ice
Kitara looks from the Aphelian to me, then back again. “Doesn’t she know what’s been going on?”
“She’s been informed.”
“Oh, good.” Kitara sighs. “We wouldn’t want another episode like the one we had last month.”
“Last month?” The Aphelian’s brow lifts.
“Nothing,” I assure her. “It was nothing.”
“It was absolutely notnothing!” Kitara folds her arms. “Valen and I were in the gardens last month,occupiedwith—”
The Aphelian rolls her eyes. “Skip ahead, please.”
“Well, we were come upon by three Fae who tried to kill Valen.” Kitara frowns. “Some Fae think that because Valen is a bastard, he’ll make a horrible monarch one day, but I—”
“I would sooner cut off my own hands than become the monarch of the Winter Lands. You know that.”
Kitara smiles. “Anyway, they tried to kill him, and—”
“Obviously, they didn’t succeed.”
Kitara shakes her head, smiling, her gaze going from the Aphelian to me. “Valen managed to scare them off.”
I remember being furious that day. Partially because of the interruption and partially because I’d been in a foul mood to start. When Kitara found me, I wasn’t interested in her as much as I was interested in the distraction. Any distraction. My magic, so intertwined with my emotions, had been erratic. She’d given me something else to focus on for a time. When the three intruders came…
“It was my impressive physique, no doubt.”
The Aphelian snorts. “More like yourwinning personalitysent them away screaming.”
Kitara chuckles. “I like her. She has a sense of humor.”
“Not really,” I say.
“Valen faced them, and they must have seen that he wasn’t to be trifled with.”
“They ran away?” the Aphelian says, and it’s impossible to miss the note of suspicion in her voice.
They did run away, but I suspect it was more because my control slipped. While there weren’t any obvious signs of my magic, the air grew noticeably colder, and I’m sure they saw something in my eyes… There’s no doubt in my mind that was the incident that spurned Orbik to seek out another Aphelian. The attacks have increased since that day. We chalk it up to the whole bastard thing, but I have my suspicions that it’s something more.
I spread my arms. “What are you doing here, anyway, Kitara?” We need a change in subject. I haven’t known the Aphelian long, but I can tell she’s already gearing up to launch a barrage of questions—ones I’m not in the mood to answer.
“Oh, you know…” Kitara winks and swishes her hips. The material of her skirt sways in the breeze. “Father sent me to fetch some special ingredients for tonight’s supper.”
The Aphelian stiffens just a bit. She narrows her eyes at Kitara. “Doesn’t the estate have someone who does that for him?”
“Oh, well, normally, yes.” Kitara beams at me. “But some ingredients Father deems too delicate to allow the kitchen staff to handle.”
“Such as?”
Kitara’s smile fades. She looks from me to the Aphelian and frowns. “Hammond root is extremely delicate. It bruises far too easily.”
The Aphelian cocks her head to the side. “What’s he making?”
“There’s no need to be suspicious of Kit.” I laugh. “We’ve known each other forever.”
“Yes.” Kitara nods. “But I can understand the caution. He’s making ansted pie—Lord Orbik’s favorite.”
I grin. “Now that we’ve cleared that up…”
