House of Artifice by Lyn Forester

Author:Lyn Forester [Forester, Lyn]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Covey Publishing, LLC
Published: 2018-01-12T06:00:00+00:00

GAUNTLETS OVER BREAKFAST

Nikola’s eyes widen in surprise when he enters my room at 0500 to find me already showered and perusing my options in the closet. “Good morning, Caitlyn. I’m sorry I was not ready when you awoke.”

I shake my head, damp ringlets sticking to my neck. “Don’t worry about it. With how active we’ve been the last two days, I couldn’t bring myself to sleep in.”

“Come, let me dry your hair.” He touches my back lightly to direct me toward the vanity in the bathroom. “You don’t want to catch a cold.”

In the mirror, I see his gaze drift around the room, noting the soggy puddle of my nightgown on the floor, the lack of steam that usually clings to every surface after I shower. When he lifts a strand of hair off my shoulder, the cold curl winds around his finger.

He frowns with concern. “Are you feeling okay this morning?”

“Never better.” I smile, a thin stretch of lips over teeth. “What’s on our agenda for today?”

“We have a rare day of leisure.” Turning to the vanity, he lifts a wand from the bottom drawer and turns it on. It hums quietly, and blue light fills the rod. He combs it through my hair. “Is there anything you wish to do today? Shopping perhaps?”

My lip curls with distaste, and he chuckles.

As silence fills the room, I let my eyes drift shut, enjoying the light buzz against my scalp as he dries my hair. It helps to block out my own thoughts and just exist for a few minutes.

At the click of the wand turning off, I open my eyes once more and meet his black gaze in the mirror.

Quiet contentment rolls off him as he sets the wand aside, and finger combs my hair away from my face. “How about breakfast out? You must be tired of fruit and protein scramble.”

As if on cue, my stomach rumbles. Father’s instructions to the cook leave me starving until I get to one of the meetings where they serve real food. “That sounds nice.”

“There’s a small restaurant in the market district in sector nine.” He leans down, lifts the hair away from my ears, and whispers, “I heard there’s a new disc-bike shop within walking distance. We can dismiss the chauffeur.”

It’s a show of loyalty on his part to take me somewhere Father forbids I go.

Through the mirror, I return his smile with a more genuine one this time. “I’m suddenly ravenous.”

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