Page 27 of A Kingdom of Magic and Rain

“Thank you! I found a book about the Kingdom of Solaria in your collection. Did you know that black panthers are native to that realm? I used the tome as a reference.”

“Interesting. And the butterfly?”

“That came from my imagination.”

“Very vibrant. The blue is a beautiful contrast with the black on the panther.”

“I thought so, too!” I exclaimed a bit too excitedly, pleased by his acute observation. Self-conscious, I shifted from foot to foot. “If you were an animal, which one would you be?” I was curious to see if he would give the same answer as he had in my dream.

He took a moment to think it over. “A lone wolf,” he finally said with subtle notes of bitterness in his voice.

“Wolves are intelligent and intuitive, so that fits. Though I would disagree about the ‘lone’ part,” I countered.

“You would?” He arched a brow.

I nodded. “You do have a pack. It is small but close-knit.”

“At times, too close.” He shook his head. “What about you? What animal would you be?”

“Someone once told me that I reminded them of a butterfly.”

Gray took his time studying the butterfly on the canvas before returning his gaze to me. “I can see it.” He smiled. “They are a symbol of happiness and joy, and you did bring light with you when you barged into my world.”

I grimaced. “Clairborne does mean 'a child of light' in the old language, though I don’t consider myself a particularly radiant person.”

“A light doesn’t have to burn brightly to radiate warmth.” Our gazes locked and held. “As beauty doesn’t have to be loud to be exquisite.”

My lips parted on a soft inhale as the paintbrush began slipping from my fingers. Tightening my grip on it, I averted my gaze. “And here I thought I was a distraction.”

“Oh, you are most definitely a distraction. Now more so than ever.” He turned and walked away. “But I find I don’t mind it,” he added so low that I almost missed it. He strolled over to Quilliam’s cage and looked inside. “Um, Emelin? Where is Quilliam?”

“I let him out to get some exercise. He’s right there by the bookshelf.”

Gray turned to me. “You let him just wander around? What if he gets lost or stepped on?”

“He won’t.” I waved away his concerns. “I’m keeping an eye on him.”

“That doesn’t seem safe.” He retrieved Quilliam’s blanket and walked over to the hedgehog.

“If you wanted to hold him, you could have just said so,” I teased as he picked him up.

“I could have.” Gray smiled. “But using the excuse of valiantly coming to his rescue is much more manly.”

We both chuckled as he grabbed a book off the shelf and walked to the sofa.

“Are you going to read to him? How sweet!” I joked with a little laugh.

Gray feigned insult. “I am not reading to a hedgehog, but I can read to you if you’d like.”

“That would be lovely.”

His deep voice joined the sound of rain as I continued painting, adding more dimension to the panther’s black coat. While I worked, the lord read a story about childhood friends who set off on an adventure to explore distant lands. Since I preferred romance, the book was not something I would typically pick up, but it was entertaining, and Gray did an excellent job conveying a range of emotions with his rich baritone.

“Done!” I said after a while as I set the paintbrush down. “I think this might be my best work yet.”

When no answer came, I realized that the room had been quiet for some time. Gray was asleep sitting up on the sofa, with Quilliam climbing over the book in his lap. Smiling to myself, I quickly cleaned up the painting supplies, careful not to make too much noise, and walked over to them. I moved the open book to the coffee table and transferred Quilliam to his cage. Gray was still asleep when I walked back over to him.

Should I wake him or let him sleep? Deciding on the former, I reached for him but hesitated as my gaze swept over his refined features relaxed in his slumber. I had never seen him look this peaceful. Without realizing it, I pressed my fingertips to his cheek. I froze when he stirred from his sleep. A soft sigh escaped him as he turned his face into my touch. With my palm now resting fully on his cheek, I stole a few seconds to admire his masculine beauty before my gaze dropped to his mouth. His lips were parted slightly. What would it feel like to kiss them? I leaned in just as Gray opened his eyes. Our gazes met, and the world felt suspended for a split second before I panicked and backed away, running into the coffee table behind me.