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Peek’s warbling mew sounded from the doorway, drawn in from the commotion. Lorik’s head whipped over his shoulder, likely tugging on the wound, and I frowned, my lips parting to order him back to bed. He needed to keep his heartbeat steady, and he certainly didn’t need to be stretching his wound.
“Abraydus?” Lorik said, voice wistful. “Wherever did you find it?”
My soft spot was Peek, however, as I enjoyed talking about him and hardly ever got the chance to. I found myself straying to the front doorway of my cottage, Lorik turning in his chair to regard me. I scooped up Peek, his long, soft fur tickling my arms and brushing over the bandaged bite on my wrist, the press of his body making it throb.
“In the forest,” I told Lorik. “Years ago now. He was only just born and I looked for days for the mother but couldn’t find her.”
He was staring at Peek, a strange expression on his face.
“What is it?” I asked, trying to relax the stiffbraydusin my arms as the two regarded one another.
“Thebrayduscome from the Below,” Lorik murmured. “Aren’t you worried its magic will draw Severs?”
“What are you talking about?” I questioned. “There arebraydusall over these woods. They didn’t come from the Below.”
Lorik’s gaze flashed up to mine. “That’s a purebraydusyou have in your arms. You can tell by the eyes.”
I looked down at Peek, his vibrant blue orbs shimmering in the sunlight.
“It came from the Below. I’m only surprised you don’t have Severs at your door nightly wanting it back,” Lorik said.
“His name is Peek,” I informed him, my tone testy, glancing back up at the mysterious male across from me, whose lips quirked. “And I don’t. I have a protection barrier placed around my property every moon cycle.”
“And you think that keeps Severs away?” Lorik questioned, his tone agonizingly smug for someone the color of dampened ash. “An Allavari witch’s spell is no match for a Sever. Surely you know that.”
“Well, it’s worked. For years,” I snapped, my shoulders going back as I let Peek back down to the floor when he began to struggle. “The Severs stay beyond the property line. Not once have they ever been able to step foot toward the cottage.”
Lorik’s eyes narrowed and his gaze dropped back to Peek, who regarded him with a hunched back from the floor, hiding behind my legs.
“Then that is yourbraydus’s magic, not that of an Allavari witch. You have yourself a protector,” Lorik said, his tone decided. “Lucky for you, it isPeekwho keeps the Severs away.”
I laughed. “I think the infection has taken root. Do you feel feverish?”
“Don’t believe me?” he questioned, leaning heavily in the chair. His bared chestwasshimmering with sweat.
“Thebrayduslive in the Black Veil, and they have for centuries. They certainly have no magic. Peek’s only ability is to eat far more than he should, and he is particularly gifted at catching poor rodents and leaving them on the doorstep. But he certainly didn’t come fromtheBelow”—even thinking it was laughable—“and he doesn’t keep Severs away. A very pricey monthly spell does.”
Lorik’s eyes began to glitter, but I thought it was a trick of the light. When I blinked, they returned to their blue state.
“Are you often driven by logic and intellect, Marion?” Lorik asked. “Or do you think there may be a chance that there are things in this universe even you cannot understand or expect? Things that might challenge the way you think and upheave every last thing you think you know?”
“Logically, I know there aremanythings in this universe I cannot begin to understand.”
Lorik laughed again, this time softer, and Peek crept closer to him, sniffing the air.
“You are a peculiar woman,” he said, watching mybraydusapproach him. “And if we were on Krynn, perhaps, why might you think fate chose you for me?”
I stiffened, my face going hot. The first mention towhatI suspected. He knew it too.
Damn.
“What does your logic decide aboutthat?” Lorik wanted to know, that smug smirk appearing on his face, making the room appear entirely too small again.
“That…that was a fluke,” I told him, straightening my spine, my eyes dropping to Peek as he sniffed Lorik’s boots, which I hadn’t taken off him after I’d lugged him to bed. Peek hissed and backed away slowly. “It’s possible the keeper’s bone had some sort of adverse reaction. Your fangs were coated in it, so when you bit down—”
“Shall we put it to the test again? The scientist in you would appreciate that, surely.”
The flush seemed to spread from my cheeks to just about everywhere else.
