Sun blinked up at the ceiling of her room, wading her way through the confusion. She could feel her brother's presence near the bed, but he said nothing, maybe giving her some time. He could be considerate like that at times.
The last thing she remembered was parting ways with Zen, making her way home...
With a sigh her eyes drifted over to Kalys, who was sitting on her chair, one leg crossed over the other, his chin in hand and elbow on the armrest as he watched her pensively.
"What happened?" She asked.
"What do you remember?"
"Saying goodbye to Zen, walking home."
"On the way, a couple asked you for assistance. You tried to help. They drugged you and tried to take you."
Her eyes widened, and she sat up. "Gods, I didn't kill anyone again, did I?"
"No. You didn't have time before you were out."
She dug the heels of her palms into her eyes so hard she could see patterns, biting the inside of her cheek. What the fuck...?
The shifting of fabric alerted her to her brother's movement, and when the bed dipped, she felt hands on her wrists, pulling her own down and away from her face. His face was so close to her own that if she leaned forward just slightly, their foreheads would touch. It came as quite a shock when he was the one to make that move, his forehead cool against her own, his eyes slipping closed.
"You need to stop doing this to me, Sun," he uttered, his voice soft and low.
"Doing what?" She whispered back, hoping he couldn't hear the pounding of her heart against her chest.
"Terrifying me."
She'd never imagined anything could terrify him.
He shifted, his nose lightly skimming against hers, his lips just millimetres from her own. If she moved, just slightly... Without putting too much thought into it, she did just that, a featherlight brush of her lips against his. His eyes shot open, connecting with hers, and she pulled back a little, afraid he was about to reprimand her. He didn't, though. She wasn't sure if it was wishful thinking, but she couldn't find an ounce of disapproval or irritation in him.
"Sun..." It came out a husky whisper, sending shivers down her spine and making her stomach flip.
She wanted to kiss him, properly this time, but doubts still lingered about how receptive he would be.
This time he moved first, letting go of her wrists, one of his hands coming up to cup the side of her face. He pressed his lips to hers, firmer than she'd had the courage to do but still soft and tentative, giving her the freedom to pull away if she wanted. Her eyes closed, leaning into him, her hands fisting into his coat.
It was exhilarating and euphoric, and there was a rush of relief at not being denied. Every nerve ending felt like it was on fire, and she was hyperaware of him. His other hand snaked its way around her back, pulling her closer, pressing her against him as he deepened the kiss. She was almost completely enveloped by him, and if she could, she would have burrowed herself in deeper.
A knock on her door had them pulling apart, her looking far more guilty and panic-stricken than him as the weight of what they could have been caught doing settled over her. Kalys calmly let her go and shifted back, putting distance between them.
"What is it?" He called.
Mika popped her head in, giving Sun a smile when she saw her up. Sun felt like her guilt was written all over her face.
"How are you feeling?" Mika asked.
"Fine," Sun replied.
"Are you sure? You look a little flushed."
Sun could feel her cheeks heat further and hoped it wasn't visible. Her eyes shot to Kalys, and she was sure she could see the barest hint of a self-satisfied smirk.
"I'm sure."
"Was there something you wanted, Mika?" Kalys asked, irritation bleeding into his tone.
"The guards want to know what you want done with Thore," she said.
"Thore?" Sun asked. "Was he one of them?"
Kalys nodded.
"Did he say why?"
"He was recruited; he doesn't know by whom, nor does he know why."
"What's going to happen to them?"
"The woman is dead, killed in the altercation. And I am undecided on Thore."
Sun nodded slowly, considering. "Was it set up by the same person behind Solaryse?"
"I suspect so."
Whatever trouble had been stirred up in Solaryse, it had followed them back to Kolver. Did that mean it wouldn't stop until they found who was behind it? Or this mystery person got what they wanted.
"Hold Thore for now," Kalys told Mika. "I'll decide later."
Mika nodded, shooting Sun a smile before leaving them alone. Sun looked to Kalys, biting the inside of her cheek. It was her hope he would kiss her again, or hold her, take her hand, or something. She just wanted him to touch her.
"I'm sorry, Sun," he said, dashing her hopes completely.
"Oh," she sighed, eyes downcast.
She felt his fingers take her chin in hand, raising her face to look at him.
"Do not misunderstand," he began. "I don't regret it, nor was it an accident. And I intend to do it again if you're amenable. But there is a right way to do these things. Had any other suitor attempted this with you, I'd have his head."
Her face broke into a smile then, before the rest of his words registered.
"Suitor? Is that what you are?"
She knew that spending time with a suitor, going through a courtship process, she could never be alone with that person. There had to be a chaperone at all times. In that case, the chaperone would usually be her brother or grandfather. And it would eventually lead to marriage. And marriage was still such a foreign concept to her. In the slums, no one married, they formed family units at times but nothing official. And at the academy, no one was talking about marriage.
"If you would consider me. You do have options."
"Emily did say people had sent proposals. But you rejected them all."
"They were not worthy of you."
A wry grin crossed her face. "But you are?"
"No," he said, no levity in his tone. "But I ask you to consider me anyway."
She dropped her smile, answering with the same earnestness. "I don't want anyone else."
It was a massive temptation to just pour it all out – that she'd never wanted anyone the way she'd wanted him, that she'd been attracted to him since the moment she'd seen him but it wasn't all physical now. That she liked just sitting with him, listening to him read, and that she liked their sparring sessions and having dinner with him.
"Our courtship will be... unconventional, considering I'm your legal guardian, brother, and suitor..."
She drew her knees up, wrapping her arms around them. "Is there something wrong with us?" She whispered. "Are we... twisted?"
"I don't know. And I don't care. But if this is an issue for you, Sun..."
She shook her head. "I don't have much of a reputation, but yours—"
He smiled then; it was faint, but a real smile, not a smirk.
"Sweet Sun, I would gladly set my reputation alight for you," he told her.
His declaration set butterflies off in her stomach. No way she was worth that, but – maybe selfishly – she would keep that to herself.
"I don't want things to change, though," she told him. "I don't want to have to be chaperoned whenever I'm with you."
She did not want anyone seeing how they were with each other; it was private. And it would make her uncomfortable and self-conscious around him. They were in a comfortable place; she didn't want to ruin it.
"They don't have to change. I assure you, I can control myself, Sun." There was an amused lilt to his tone. "We'll keep things between us for now, until you're ready or you change your mind."
"Thank you."
He rose to his feet then, leaning over and planting a kiss on the top of her head.
"Rest."
He left the room, and she flopped back onto the bed. She wasn't tired; she had just slept, sort of.
It was only now that he was gone that she realised she hadn't thought to ask how in the hells she had gotten back here.
-
Kalys took a steadying breath once he'd closed Sun's door behind him. His conversation with Lord Vorris echoed about his head. Sun would never be recognised for the person she was; he knew that. So he would keep her for himself, in whatever way she would accept it. Marriage would be a good way to do it. While he would quite happily walk her down the aisle right now, Sun was in no way ready for marriage. He highly doubted she had even given it much thought; it was so far from her mind.
And just like her, he didn't want anything to change between them, to require a chaperone watching their every move. He would not do anything that couldn't be undone; he had self-control. He would move at Sun's pace and progress as she was comfortable.
She had been right about the hit his reputation would take if they ever did announce a marriage between them. But he hadn't been lying when he said he didn't care. He wasn't sure when exactly it had happened, but she had become the most important person he had in his life, and there was very little he wouldn't do to keep her with him. He would happily play the role of both brother and suitor. Whatever discontentment arose, he would deal with it. But it was for the best to keep things between them until Sun was more certain of her feelings and ready to face the backlash. Though he would do what he could to keep it from her, he wasn't so deluded as to believe it wouldn't find its way to her regardless.
Despite his thoughts of the negativity they would face, his spirit felt as if it were soaring. He could still feel her soft lips on his, smell the sweet scent of her shampoo.
Suppressing a smile, he made his way to his study. He had work to do. He would write to his grandfather to let him know of the recent attempt. More guards would need to be kept around the manor; he didn't want a repeat of Solaryse. He would also be on higher alert while he was here.
While he wanted to have more bodyguards posted to Sun, even he could recognise how unfeasible such a move would be – the disruption it would cause to Sun's life. And the difficulty she would face in being taken seriously as a Revenant if she required security. Of course, Mika would continue to follow Sun to and from Perdition and wherever she went in Kolver. Clearly that was a necessity.
He did hope she had learned a valuable lesson about being too trusting. If it had been a head-on fight, he was certain she would have walked away unscathed. Whoever wanted her must have known it too, which was why they attempted to drug her before taking her.
The fact the tintype was from her Perdition file was a cause of great concern to him. He would need to find out who else may have ordered copies of it. He knew he had one, and Commander Mercer would as well. And one for Perdition records. Beyond that, no one else should have one.
There was the disconcerting thought that someone in Perdition, or Perdition itself, could have something to do with it.
If he considered how her existence had not been brought to his attention despite how long she had spent in the Academy, her evaluation mission being centred around the Traverse, and now her would-be abductor having access to her Perdition file...
While it could be coincidence, it wasn't a risk he was willing to take. But without any proof of anything, he couldn't go around making accusations.
Ideally, she would just leave the Revenants and stay where he could keep her safe. It would never happen, but he could enjoy the fantasy.
He would need to be careful in how he proceeded.
-
At dinner that night, Sun had a few questions – mostly about what had happened today and how she had gotten back to the manor. He wasn't ready to tell her Mika followed her everywhere she went; Sun would likely take issue with it. He did tell her Mika saw the incident on her way back to the manor – which wasn't exactly a lie. It had happened on their way back.
If Sun suspected anything amiss with his explanation, she didn't show it.
After dinner, as per the norm, they retired to the solar to read. If they sat a little closer together, there was no one to see.
He watched her closely while he read, as he had at dinner. The abduction attempt today hadn't seemed to affect her as much as the last one, though that was quite possibly down to the fact she hadn't killed anyone or been drugged by food or drink that she had trusted.
Occasionally when she was lost in thought her expression would darken, but then she would notice him looking at her, and she would just smile instead. An attempt to hide whatever troubled her.
As they read, he noticed the same troubled expression; he wasn't sure she was even paying attention. Given the events of the day, he could give her some latitude, but he wasn't going to continue reading if she wasn't paying attention.
"Would you like to talk about it, Sun?" He finally said, closing the book.
"Talk about what?" She asked, sitting up so she could see him better.
"Whatever is troubling you."
He hoped it was the kidnapping and not the new turn their relationship had taken.
She let out a sigh. "Just feeling... off, I suppose, about today."
"Which part of it?" He asked.
"Being drugged. Again. Obviously," her eyes flicked up to his, the corners of her lips quirking upwards. "The best part of my day was after, though."
He would never show it, but her words brought him great relief. Maybe she had sensed the insecurity; regardless, she took hold of his hand, a little hesitantly. He knew she feared rejection, but he wasn't sure he was even capable of it anymore.
He was tempted to just lock them both away in the manor, creating a protective bubble that consisted of just the two of them. Sense won out; he would never. Just another little fantasy he could enjoy.
While she was playing with his fingers in her hands, she shifted his sleeve, smiling a little wider at the sight of her ribbon still fastened there.
"Why did you keep this?" She asked softly.
"It was a piece of you to keep with me while you were gone," he replied honestly.
"When I was gone?" It dawned on her then. "You've had this since my evaluation?"
He nodded. "If it's important to you, I can return it."
"It is important, so you can keep it."
Like a knight bestowed his lady's favour. He watched her carefully for any sign she might not mean what she said. She was staring up at him through her lashes, nibbling at her lower lip.
"Do I need to get kidnapped for you to kiss me again?" It came out a whisper, and she was clearly embarrassed she had to ask.
"No need to go that far."
He leaned down, planting a kiss on the top of her head, letting out a huff of amusement at the unimpressed look on hers. He turned fully to face her, one hand sliding over the side of her jaw and pulling her closer to him, and captured her lips with his own. The scent of her hair, the feel of her soft skin against his fingertips, the taste of her...
He couldn't get enough of her, and the fantasy of withdrawing them both from the world took hold again. He had the wealth and means to do so.
To just stay together as they were...