Page 146 of Taken By Shadows

Audrie sighed and rolled her eyes. “Fine. Towel. Then tea. Then talk. Because there is no way research is more important than whatever this is.” She waved a hand over me as if I were some sort of curio.

Audrie’s room was chaotic and organised all at once. Her things had been moved to the Alabaster Palace soon after I’d arrived; there was a trunk with clothes spilling out of it abandoned in the middle of the floor as if it had happened only yesterday.

Her books, of which there were many, were in every corner of the room. The small shelf above the mantle creaked under the weight of her collection. The vanity unit had no room for brushes or creams, only books. There was a fork, however, and I glanced to see that her hair was down and missing it. Books claimed every space otherwise. There was barely even room for the basin, which had been shunted to one side.

Poor Turnip was even curled up on a book as he dozed with a gentle snore.

There were a few potted plants that trailed down in curling ringlets amongst the tomes.

“I thought they’d like the plants, like the garden in the library.”

I smiled at her. “Books have feelings now?”

She looked uneasy.

“I’m teasing. They look happy.” Her shoulders rolled, and she smiled as I took a seat on the chaise lounge that was only partially obscured by loose parchment and manuscripts, some half open, some crumpled from where Audrie had possibly fallen asleep on them. I shoved the texts down and tucked my feet under me as I reached for the cup of apricot and cherry infusion that was steaming before me.

The sweet tea warmed my bones as I took a sip.

Audrie had perched on her bed, legs crossed and folded under her.

“Soooo,” she drawled, an impish look in her eyes.

“So?” I looked up from my tea.

Practically bouncing on the bed, she said, “Tell me. Everything. Something. Anything. What happened and why is he in such a good mood?”

“That’s him in a good mood?” I threw my head back and laughed at her assessment. Kaed’s mood was rarely good.

“Well, good is a strong word. Better mood.” She chewed on a ginger biscuit.

But I didn’t really know what to tell her. I knew what she was looking for. The details, the how and the what. What happened between us. We’d arrived like drowned drakes at the door. Together. I wasn’t bound. I wasn’t thrown over his shoulder. He wasn’t storming through the house threatening to throw me in a cell or some such. So something had changed, for me, anyway.

Somewhere along the way, I’d managed to free myself of the yoke of being taken. There was and had been a part of me that was just willing to be out of Shadowfall, to be somewhere else. It was not where I had planned, but was it really the wrong place to be? I’d left Shadowfall with the hopes of finding my mother, my parents, or at least a record of them. Kaed had offered so much to me in just the past few hours. He’d lost his mother so we had that in common in some way. Both bereaved and bereft of that maternal touch. My heart clenched at the pain across Kaed’s face at the memory of losing his mother and sister.

So much had changed that I was struggling to keep up.

Kaed had offered to help with my search for family. I didn’t know what that entailed, but I trusted him on it. And now I was sitting with a friend, in her room, drinking tea. I had Denora. I had Gavrin. Even Turnip was a better friend than most I’d had back home, cantankerous as he was if woken prematurely.

And then there was Kaed. I wasn’t sure what was taking hold, but something stronger than anger had begun to weave its way into me.

“I don’t really know what to tell you.” I shrugged, my shoulders rolling forward.

Audrie shot me an impatient look. Try harder, a single raised eyebrow implored.

An awkward laugh bubbled out of me, and I found the fringing of the chaise incredibly interesting at that moment. “I don’t think I can hate Kaed.”

“I suppose that’s a step above most people in this city. And progress for you.”

“He said I was free.” I looked up at her through my lashes that were now finally dry after the rain. It was the first time I had said it since Kaed had told me.

I was free to leave if I wanted.

“I’m not sure what that means,” I said honestly.

Audrie just watched me.

“I’m not leaving you. I—” My throat dried. “I just don’t know what role I play here. I have things I need to find out for myself. And I don’t know if that’s here. If it’s somewhere else. If it’s with Kaed. I just … A lot happened today, and I think everything has changed.” I sighed like my voice was caught on a stray breeze.