The common hall of the Boar's Hollow had grown louder as the night deepened. Tankards slammed wood. Smoke curled beneath greasy lanterns. Beast-folk laughed through tusks and fangs while canal-water dripped outside beneath the crooked bridges of Vessel Town.
Yet the moment Hog Grinnard spoke the words Sevenfold Shroud, the noise around Kael seemed to dull into a distant murmur.
His spine stiffened.
Across from him, Lyra Farrow had gone perfectly still as well. One pale hand rested against her teacup. Her half-lidded eyes gave nothing away, but he could feel her listening.
"The Sevenfold Shroud?" the girl in purple said sharply. "Wasn't it destroyed by the Wandering Fox?"
"That's what folk say." Hog Grinnard rubbed his thick hands together beneath his apron. "But who actually saw it destroyed? Nobody. And lately there's been strange business out in the Dread Mire."
The green-clad girl leaned forward. "What business?"
"Undead and fiends raising hell all across the marshes. They nearly swallowed Mirekeep whole." The pig-spirit lowered his voice dramatically. "Then, right when the city was about to fall, a rider came out of nowhere. Wore the Sevenfold Shroud. Rode a skeletal dragon. Tore through the battlefield and broke the siege."
Kael blinked.
The two girls inhaled sharply.
"A masked rider?" the purple-clad one whispered. "Who?"
"No one knows," Hog Grinnard said smugly. "But everybody's saying the same thing. Nine chances out of ten, it was Lord Caeron the Pale himself. Son of the Sevenfold Demon Lord. Master of the Sevenfold Dominion."
Kael froze.
Caeron...?
The green-clad girl frowned. "Impossible. I heard Lord Caeron was ambushed three years ago by rebels inside the Dominion. Crippled so badly he became a useless invalid."
"Well, little mistress knows plenty," Hog Grinnard chuckled. "I don't know the truth myself. But travelers from outside all tell the same tale. The Dominion's full of miracle healers and nightmare alchemists. Maybe they fixed him."
He spread his hands.
"And if not him... then who else could wield the Sevenfold Shroud?"
The purple-clad girl stared into her wine.
"If the Shroud truly returned..." she murmured, "then the bloodshed outside's only beginning."
Kael's jaw tightened.
He remembered the stories whispered around campfires. The Sevenfold Demon Lord. The Wandering Fox. Entire armies erased. Sovereigns dragged screaming from their palaces.
The hall suddenly felt colder.
The green-clad girl tapped the table impatiently. "You said there were two great events. What's the second?"
Hog Grinnard's piggy eyes glittered.
"The second..." He dragged the word out for effect. "That one's even bigger."
"Stop wagging your tongue and spit it out already," the green-clad girl snapped.
The innkeeper jumped.
"Yes, yes! Right away!" He leaned in close. "A descendant has appeared. The bloodline of a devil even worse than the Sevenfold Demon Lord himself."
Kael's heartbeat slammed hard against his ribs.
"What devil?" the girl demanded.
"If you keep stalling," she warned, "I'll butcher your fat ass and roast it with garlic."
Hog Grinnard swallowed hard.
"It's the one you mentioned before. The monster who supposedly destroyed the Sevenfold Shroud." His voice dropped to a whisper. "The Wandering Fox."
Both girls jolted.
Kael's entire body went rigid.
"The Wandering Fox?" the purple-clad girl breathed.
"That's right," Hog Grinnard said eagerly. "The Shadow Fox who turned all Three Realms upside down."
Kael forced himself not to move.
Not even breathe.
"He had descendants?" the purple-clad girl asked. "I thought he died without issue."
"Oh, he definitely left one behind." Hog Grinnard grinned, enjoying himself. "And guess where the little fox was hiding all this time?"
Neither girl answered.
Both stared at him with icy irritation.
The pig-spirit coughed awkwardly.
"Fine, fine. No guessing." He lowered his voice again. "Turns out the brat was hiding inside the Ascendant Covenant itself. Raised beneath Lady Magister Isara."
The green-clad girl barked a laugh.
"Bullshit."
Kael's fingers tightened around his cup.
"The Wandering Fox and Primus Valder hated each other," she said. "The Covenant helped hunt him alongside the Empyrean Throne and the Aureate Sanctum. Why would his bloodline hide there?"
Kael glanced toward Lyra.
She sat with eyes closed, face unreadable. Maybe resting. Maybe listening to every word.
"I don't know," Hog Grinnard admitted. "But the story came from Young Warden Hadrian Corvel himself. Says he witnessed it personally."
Kael's expression darkened instantly.
"That bastard..." he muttered under his breath.
"So it's true?" the purple-clad girl asked.
"According to the story, one of the Covenant's guardians tried to purge the boy on the spot," Hog Grinnard continued. "But Lady Magister Isara protected him and let him escape."
Kael felt another shock ripple through him.
More hidden truths.
Always more.
The deeper he dug, the more the world seemed built atop lies.
"The guardian..." the purple-clad girl murmured. "Wasn't that the elder whose arms were severed by the Wandering Fox years ago?"
Hog Grinnard nodded eagerly.
"Exactly! So once he found the fox's descendant, there's no way he'd let him go easily."
Kael's thoughts churned violently.
Varek Smolden.
How much had Isara hidden from him? How much had Lyra known?
"And that's not all," Hog Grinnard continued. "Rumor says the little fox carries a treasure everybody wants."
Kael's blood turned cold.
"The Primordial Sigil."
The green-clad girl suddenly grinned.
"Well now." She turned toward her companion. "If that little fox really has something like that, maybe we should catch him ourselves."
Kael nearly crushed the cup in his hand.
A tremor ran through his body.
Then warmth touched his fingers.
Lyra had reached across the table without opening her eyes. Her cool hand closed around his.
The simple contact steadied him more than any technique ever could.
"I doubt it's real," the purple-clad girl said lazily. "And even if it is, people like us wouldn't get near it before the big factions tear each other apart."
She stretched with a sleepy yawn, arching her slim body beneath her robes.
"Gods... I'm exhausted."
"Same," the green-clad girl muttered. "I need a bed."
She waved toward Hog Grinnard.
"We're done listening to stories. Get us your cleanest room."
"At once, little mistresses!" the innkeeper said, bowing repeatedly.
A few minutes later he returned, sweating but smiling.
"Everything's prepared. Follow the servant and he'll take you upstairs."
The two girls rose gracefully from their seats.
As they passed Kael's table, the green-clad one shot him a contemptuous sideways glance, full of smug disdain before disappearing deeper into the inn.
Kael watched them go.
"What the hell were those two?" he muttered irritably. "Talking about hunting me like I'm some stray animal."
Lyra finally opened her eyes.
"Don't bother with them," she said calmly. "Just two little flying spirits."
Kael blinked. "Flying spirits?"
"You have the Eye of Formlessness," she said. "Use it."
He immediately gathered Aether into his Sanctum.
The world blurred.
Then sharpened strangely.
The two girls vanished.
In their place fluttered a pair of enormous butterflies the size of wagon wheels—one green, one violet—gliding behind the servant through the hallway. Their wings shimmered with unnatural colors beneath the lanternlight.
Kael stared.
His control over the technique remained crude, making the forms hazy and unstable, but there was no mistaking what he saw.
"Hah!" he whispered excitedly. "Butterfly spirits!"
Delighted, he swept his gaze across the common hall.
Instantly the room transformed.
The drunken patrons became wolves in coats, armored bears, striped panthers, jackals with jeweled ears, snarling boars clutching mugs between clawed fingers.
Kael nearly burst out laughing.
"Look at this place," he whispered. "A hall full of dressed-up beasts."
His eyes glittered with fascination.
"I didn't know the Eye of Formlessness could do this."
"It's one of the Covenant's supreme detection arts," Lyra replied evenly. "Seeing through shallow disguises is trivial."
Kael barely listened.
He kept scanning the room like an excited child discovering a hidden world for the first time.
A leopard-headed merchant scratched his neck with a hind paw.
A fox-spirit barmaid carried trays through the crowd.
Near the fireplace, two horned lizard-things gambled with bone dice while snarling at each other through smoke.
Kael grinned so hard his cheeks hurt.
"Stop wasting Aether," Lyra said quietly. "The Eye drains you quickly."
She rubbed at her temple afterward.
Only then did Kael notice how pale she looked.
The battle with Prince Thalven had left deep exhaustion beneath her composed face. Even now, she moved with faint sluggishness.
"I'm done eating," she murmured.
Concern replaced his amusement immediately.
He raised a hand.
"Innkeeper! Bill!"
Hog Grinnard waddled over.
"One platter of braised trotters, two side dishes, tea..." He counted rapidly. "That'll be two silver crowns."
Kael stared at him.
"Two silver?"
"That's right."
"For that?"
Kael pointed at the greasy empty plates in disbelief.
"You trying to rob me?"
The pig-spirit squinted at his patched clothes.
"First time in Vessel Town, huh?" he said smugly. "Everything costs more here. Besides, my trotters are famous."
Kael almost laughed despite himself.
"Your trotters?"
"My own," Hog Grinnard said proudly, folding his sleeves.
Kael suddenly realized with horror exactly what meat he'd eaten.
For a second he seriously considered chopping the pig-spirit apart and serving him back to the customers.
Instead he forced the anger down and grumbled while fishing for coins.
"Fine."
His money pouch already felt painfully light.
"And I need..." He hesitated.
A room.
One room?
Two?
His eyes slid toward Lyra before he could stop himself.
She sat beside the window, chin resting against one elegant hand, quietly sipping tea while staring out into the misty canals beyond the glass.
Beautiful.
Untouchable.
Kael's heart started hammering again.
"One upper room," he said quickly. "The cleanest you've got."
Lyra showed no reaction at all.
But Kael still felt an absurd burst of happiness.
Hog Grinnard grinned broadly.
"Excellent choice. Room plus food..." He rubbed his fingers together. "Eight silver crowns."
Kael nearly choked.
"Eight?!"
"This is after discount."
"You call that a discount?" Kael snapped. "This place is a fucking bandit den!"
The pig-spirit shrugged.
Kael's face burned hot.
Back at Vane's Summit he occasionally sold herbs for drinking money, but right now everything he owned barely totaled five silver.
Not enough.
Not even close.
"Well?" Hog Grinnard said impatiently. "Taking the room or not?"
Kael glanced sideways at Lyra again.
She calmly drank tea as though none of this embarrassment involved her at all.
Cold sweat formed down his back.
Wonderful.
Can't even afford a damn bed.
What now? Let her sleep in the street?
Humiliation crawled up his neck.
Then something in him hardened.
Kael stood abruptly and slung an arm around Hog Grinnard's shoulders.
"Come here," he said pleasantly. "Need a private word."
The pig-spirit yelped.
The moment Kael's arm tightened, Hog Grinnard's knees buckled beneath the crushing force.
"What— what are you doing?!"
Kael dragged him several steps away from the tables before stopping.
"Tell me something, Innkeeper." He smiled faintly. "What's your surname?"
"Pig!" Hog Grinnard snapped stubbornly. "What of it?"
"Master Pig, then." Kael's smile widened. "Would you perhaps allow me a little credit? I'll repay you double in a few days."
"No."
The answer came instantly.
Kael's smile twitched.
"No?"
"No credit," Hog Grinnard said firmly. "Small business. Strict rules."
Kael slowly increased the pressure around the pig-spirit's shoulders.
"You sure?"
Hog Grinnard's face turned purple.
"Absolutely sure!"
Kael squeezed harder.
The pig-spirit whimpered in pain, fat quivering violently beneath his clothes.
Still he refused.
"Not happening!"
Kael's expression darkened.
"You stubborn fat bastard." His voice dropped low and dangerous. "Listen carefully."
A crooked grin spread slowly across his face. Something savage and charming flickered there all at once.
"You run a black-market inn."
He leaned close enough for Hog Grinnard to smell smoke on his breath.
"But me?" Kael whispered. "I'm the sort of mountain bandit who kills first and counts bodies later."
The pressure around the pig-spirit tightened further.
"I eat without paying. I sleep without paying. And if you say 'no' one more time..." Kael's eyes flashed coldly. "I'll chop your head off right here and drink wine from your skull."
"Kill me and it still won't happen!" Hog Grinnard bellowed. The pig-spirit planted his thick legs apart like a condemned warrior facing the gallows. "I don't care if you're the High Emperor himself! Stay in my inn and you pay every damned coin!"
Kael stared at him in disbelief.
Of all the creatures in Vessel Town, he had somehow found the one fat bastard who feared losing money more than losing his life.
His jaw clenched.
Maybe the only answer was to drag the squealing hog outside and beat him until his bones cracked.
Hog Grinnard looked him up and down. Then suddenly the pig-spirit's tiny eyes rolled sideways with crafty light.
"What're you in Vessel Town for anyway, lad?" he asked. "What trade you working?"
Kael frowned. "Trade?"
"If you don't want to pay silver, materials work too." Hog Grinnard sniffed loudly. "Powdered horn. Bliss incense. Jade marshroot. Purple scorpion venom. Parasite-shells. Green mustard crystal. Magnetite essence. Thunder-vein stone. Ghost-vine creepers. Stuff like that."
The pig-spirit licked his lips greedily.
"If you've got something rare..." His voice lowered. "Toad-fat resin. Ghostlight Moss. Then maybe I can offer a very generous price."
Kael blinked.
"Ghostlight Moss?" he repeated sharply.
The pig-spirit gave him a sideways look full of doubt.
"You got any?"
Kael slowly released the crushing grip on Hog Grinnard's shoulders. Then he pulled the Wardian Satchel around to the front of his waist and muttered the unlocking curse beneath his breath.
A pulse of dim light flickered.
The next instant he hauled out a massive chunk of crystalline blue-green ore the size of a child's torso.
Cold ghostly radiance spilled across the hall.
Hog Grinnard froze.
The pig-spirit went completely still, like somebody had hammered nails through his feet.
Kael hefted the glowing crystal in his arms.
"Well?" he said smugly. "Look familiar?"
The innkeeper staggered forward in a daze.
His trembling hands touched the crystal carefully, reverently. Then he knocked his knuckles against it several times and made a sound halfway between a groan and a prayer.
"Saints preserve me..." he whispered hoarsely. "That much Ghostlight Moss? I've lived half my damned life and never seen a chunk this big..."
The noisy common hall abruptly fell silent.
Every eye in the inn locked onto the crystal.
Greedy eyes.
Hungry eyes.
Demon eyes.
Kael suddenly became very aware of how many monsters were inside the Boar's Hollow.
"Gods above..." Hog Grinnard muttered, stroking the crystal with shaking fingers. A long string of drool hung from the corner of his mouth. "Pure as winter moonlight... almost no impurities... this is premium stock... premium..."
Kael grinned.
"So. Can I stay now?"
"Yes! Absolutely!" Hog Grinnard nodded so hard his jowls slapped together. Then he abruptly realized the entire hall was watching.
His expression changed instantly.
The pig-spirit grabbed Kael by the sleeve and hurried him toward the back rooms.
"Come, come, honored guest, this way!" he hissed.
Only after they entered a quieter inner chamber did Hog Grinnard finally turn around with a face split by oily smiles.
"May I ask the young lord's noble name?"
"Kael—"
The word nearly slipped out before instinct caught him.
He paused.
Best not use his real name.
Too many people were hunting him already.
"Cairn," he said casually. "Cairn White."
"Ah! Lord White!" Hog Grinnard bowed so deeply his snout nearly touched the floor. "Forgive my blindness! Please wait a moment while I prepare your finest suite!"
The transformation was so sudden Kael almost laughed.
Moments ago the pig-spirit had been ready to die for a few coins.
Now he looked ready to lick Kael's boots clean.
"Hold on." Kael narrowed his eyes. "How much does this crystal cover?"
"Oh, no rush! No rush at all!" Hog Grinnard waved both hands frantically. "It's late already! Rest first! We can discuss business tomorrow!"
Kael stared after the retreating pig-spirit.
"…Weird."
---
Kael lay crooked against the headboard with both arms behind his head, staring around the enormous room in confusion.
The suite was absurdly luxurious.
Soft carpets.
Polished darkwood furniture.
Silk curtains drifting beside open lattice windows.
Even the bed felt like sleeping on clouds.
"How the hell did that fat pig suddenly become generous?" he muttered. "Didn't charge me a single coin. Then he puts us in a room like this."
Across the chamber, Lyra sat before a bronze mirror brushing out her long dark hair after washing.
Moonlight from the canals shimmered faintly across her reflection.
"There's nothing strange about it," she said calmly. "That pig-spirit fell in love with your Ghostlight Moss."
Kael nodded slowly.
"I figured it was because of that. Is the stuff really worth that much?"
Lyra gave a quiet laugh.
"Not 'worth that much.' Worth a fortune." She gathered her hair together with a thin veil-cloth and tied it loosely. "And the piece you carried out was enormous. Rare beyond rare."
She rose gracefully from the stool and crossed the room toward the bed.
Tomorrow," she said lazily, "you should butcher him in negotiations."
Then she lifted her skirts slightly and climbed onto the mattress beside him.
The bed dipped beneath her weight.
"Aah..." she sighed softly.
The sound alone nearly stopped Kael's heart.
She sprawled face-down across the blankets in utter exhaustion, her curves stretching beneath the thin fabric.
Kael swallowed hard.
"You're not washing up?" Lyra asked without turning her head.
Kael nearly jumped.
"Right. Yeah."
He hurried into the outer chamber to clean himself.
But the longer he washed, the hotter his face became.
By the time he returned, ears burning, Lyra had already pulled the blankets over herself.
Her eyes were half closed.
She looked asleep.
Kael stopped awkwardly beside the bed.
Go in?
Stay out?
Sleep on the floor?
Before he could decide, Lyra spoke in a sleepy murmur.
"Why are you still standing there?" she asked. "You only rented one room. There isn't another bed."
Kael felt like heavenly music had descended upon him.
He practically tore his boots off.
Moments later he scrambled onto the mattress beside her with shameless excitement.
Lyra lifted half the blanket and shifted aside slightly, giving him room.
Kael's soul nearly flew out of his body.
A rough sound escaped his throat as he threw an arm around her waist.
"You sleep in your outer clothes?" Lyra asked softly.
"Oh."
Kael hastily stripped down to his undertunic and trousers, tossing the rest aside. Then he immediately reached for her again with far less restraint.
Her lips were inches away.
Soft.
Red.
Perfect.
He could not stop himself.
Kael leaned down to kiss her.
But Lyra simply closed her eyes and whispered:
"I'm tired. I want to sleep."
Kael froze.
Embarrassment hit him like a bucket of cold water.
"…Right."
He retreated awkwardly.
"Sleep first," she murmured drowsily. "Tomorrow."
Then her arm slipped around him.
She pulled herself against his chest and buried her face beside his shoulder.
Within moments her breathing deepened.
She had fallen asleep for real.
Kael looked down at her quietly.
His chest tightened.
"She must be exhausted..." he thought.
Again and again she had been wounded because of him.
Again and again she had protected him.
And since escaping Prince Thalven they had barely rested at all.
Kael lowered his head and kissed the soft strands of hair near her temple.
"How many lifetimes did I spend earning this kind of devotion..." he wondered bitterly.
Emotion churned through him.
Then he remembered the conversation downstairs.
The Sevenfold Shroud.
The rumors spreading through Vessel Town.
Questions tangled endlessly through his mind until exhaustion finally dragged him under.
---
Kael dreamed uneasily.
Sweat covered his brow.
Somewhere between sleep and waking he heard faint knocking sounds.
Wood against wood.
Soft splashing.
For several moments he could not remember where he was.
Then his hand touched smooth silk blankets—
—and he suddenly realized Lyra was no longer in his arms.
Kael jerked upright instantly.
Panic flashed through him.
Only when he saw the graceful silhouette standing beside the window did he finally exhale.
Right.
Vessel Town.
The sounds were probably canal boats passing beneath the bridges outside.
Lyra stood facing the open window.
Barefoot.
Wearing only a pale jade veil of soft translucent silk.
Morning wind drifted through the chamber, stirring the thin fabric around her body until she looked less like a woman and more like some wandering spirit of rain and mist.
Kael climbed out of bed quietly.
Then after only a brief hesitation, he stepped behind her and wrapped both arms around her waist.
Lyra did not resist.
"It's raining," she said softly.
Cool damp air brushed across his face.
Outside, dawn had barely begun to brighten the sky.
Fine rain drifted over Vessel Town in silver threads, veiling the houses and courtyards in mist. The canal waters rippled gently beneath the drizzle. Willow branches swayed beside the banks, greener beneath the rain.
An old black-canopy boat drifted slowly away through the morning haze.
Kael felt strangely cleansed.
The heat and anxiety from his dreams faded little by little.
"It's beautiful," Lyra murmured.
"Yeah," Kael said quietly. "It really is."
He rested his chin lightly against her shoulder.
"If things could stay like this forever..."
With you here, he thought silently, this place feels better than any palace.
Lyra smiled faintly.
"Don't be greedy." Her voice carried a softness almost sad enough to hurt. "Beautiful things rarely last long. So enjoy them while they exist."
Then she leaned back gently against his chest and closed her eyes.
Kael nearly lost himself right there.
They stood together in silence while rain whispered outside the window.
Time drifted past unnoticed until Lyra finally yawned softly.
"You woke up early," Kael said.
"I had to treat my injuries." She smiled slightly. "I finished one round of meditation already. I finally managed to catch that strand of thunder-force hiding inside my Channels."
Kael brightened immediately.
"You got rid of it?"
Lyra shook her head.
"No. The thunder-force is stubborn." Her expression dimmed slightly. "And I've only recovered part of my Aether. Alone, I can't purge it completely."
Concern immediately tightened Kael's chest.
"What do we do?" he asked. "Can I help somehow?"
A faint blush touched Lyra's cheeks.
"You want to help?"
"Obviously." Kael frowned. "Just tell me what to do."
Instead of answering, Lyra turned her face and rested her cheek lightly against his chest.
Kael grew increasingly anxious.
"How do I help?"
But Lyra asked quietly:
"Kael... what kind of person do you think I am?"
Kael blinked.
The question caught him completely off guard.
"I don't know," he admitted honestly. "You just... feel close."
His face reddened immediately after saying it.
"Close?" Lyra looked up at him.
Something trembled faintly in her gaze.
Kael nodded.
"Like..." He struggled for words. "Like you're part of me somehow. Something I can't separate from."
Lyra inhaled slowly.
Her eyes became hazy.
Kael's heart pounded harder beneath her gaze.
"Shreve Lyra..." he said softly. "I had a dream last night."
"What dream?"
"I dreamed you left." His arms tightened around her instinctively. "You disappeared without telling me. I was searching everywhere for you."
He lowered his head and kissed her hair gently.
"When I woke up and didn't feel you beside me..." He laughed weakly. "I nearly lost my mind."
Lyra gave the faintest sigh.
"I am going to leave," she said quietly. "Once you're settled safely, I'll go."
Kael stiffened immediately.
"You can't stay?"
His voice turned urgent.
"We could just remain here in Vessel Town. Forget the outside world. Forget all this fighting."
Hope blazed openly in his eyes now.
"We could stay forever."
Lyra looked at him for a very long moment.
A sweet curve touched her lips.
But her eyes quietly moistened.
Finally she lowered her gaze.
"I have to go," she whispered. "I must travel to Aureheim with your Master. If the Labyrinth Spire truly contains Yvaine Trillance's Primal Boundless Array... then I'm the only one alive who knows how to break it."
Kael fell silent.
"That," Lyra continued softly, "is why the Primus sent me away from Phoenixspur in the first place."
"What happens if you don't go?"
Lyra smiled faintly.
"If I refuse, then sooner or later the Covenant will drag me back to Phoenixspur by force. And if I'm imprisoned there again..." She shook her head slightly. "Who knows when I'd ever come out."
Her voice lowered further.
"And your Master may face terrible danger alone. The Primal Veil-Map might restrain Yvaine herself... but it cannot counter the Primal Boundless Array."
Kael had no answer.
"Could you really bear seeing Lady Magister Isara endangered?" Lyra asked quietly.
A helpless feeling spread through him immediately.
No.
Of course he couldn't.
"Enough of this." Lyra's tone softened again. "Some things aren't ours to change."
Kael cursed himself inwardly.
"I wish I could actually help."
"You can."
Lyra tilted her head back.
A delicate flush spread across her cheeks.
"I need to recover my strength as quickly as possible." Her voice dropped into a low velvet murmur. "Will you help heal me?"
Kael blinked.
"Of course. What do I do?"
Lyra looked directly into his eyes.
"...Kiss me."
The words wrapped around him like silk soaked in wine.
Kael only hesitated for the briefest instant before crushing his mouth against hers.
Her lips were soft as cream.
Warm.
Dangerously sweet.
Lyra lifted both arms and hooked them around his neck.
The rain whispered outside the open window while they kissed slowly at first, then deeper, hotter.
Teasing.
Yielding.
Taking.
Their breaths tangled together.
Sometimes their lips barely brushed.
Sometimes Lyra bit lightly at his lower lip before retreating with a faint breathy laugh.
Kael answered hungrily each time, pulling her tighter against him until the thin jade veil twisted between their bodies.
The heat between them rose little by little, like embers beneath ash finally catching flame.