Maybe that was Aflora’s purpose here—to help disinter some of those rumors.
“We need to keep her alive,” I said, lifting my ankle to rest over my opposite knee. “She’s worth more than bait.” Because she might be the key to unearthing a truth long hidden.
“My father would want her dead immediately.” Kols stared at the floor, his expression hard. “I should kill her, Zeph. She’s an abomination. I have proof of it.”
I considered him for a long moment. “Then why haven’t you executed her?”
He continued to focus on the black carpet. “I promised Exos and Cyrus that I would look after her,” he admitted softly. “Not because it’s the right thing to do, but because I want to.” He exhaled a long breath, his golden eyes finally lifting to mine. “I feel this strange urge to protect her, Zeph. I barely know her and yet...”
“You feel obligated to shelter her from the harsh future you know awaits her,” I finished for him, my voice equally quiet.
Because yeah, I understood. That bizarre inclination to watch over her tied into my strange need to teach her, to help her survive. Yet I knew her death was inevitable. The need to take care of her hit me right in the gut, and I had no idea where it came from or why.
“Do you think it has something to do with her being an abomination?” I wondered out loud. “Maybe she has some sort of enchantment woven into her existence that’s forcing us to act in her best interest.”
“Like some sort of self-preservation instinct?”
“Yeah, exactly.” I rubbed the scruff dotting my jaw, a stiff reminder of my need to shave again soon.
I’d let myself go this week as a result of my misery pertaining to my new vocation. Teaching was not for me. I had little patience for idiocy, and half the new students were too green to know their left foot from their right. They’d learn. Eventually.
“It’s possible,” Kols replied, considering my enchantment theory. “I feel half-crazed with lust every time I’m near her. And before you say I’m always like that, this one is different. The others were just challenges I enjoyed conquering. Aflora poses more than just a challenge. She’s a real threat to me and this kingdom. And it goes against all my training to let her live, let alone help her.”
“You’re talking about the choker.” I gave him a hard look. “Tell me you put it on her.”
“You know I didn’t,
” he muttered.
“Fuck, Kols.” This was bad. Really bad. “That was a direct order from Malik.”
“You think I don’t know that?” he countered, shaking his head. “I realized my mistake about thirty minutes after I allowed it to happen.”
“You mean after you jacked off,” I translated, knowing him all too well. He’d told me about the heat spell when explaining his findings about her powers.
“Yeah, twice, but that’s beside the point. I know it’s wrong, yet I still couldn’t put it on her this morning. Instead, I focused all my energy on keeping her under control today.”
“Which, I imagine, only brought you that much closer to her power.” That was how our abilities worked. We fed off the power waves of others. Kols was the strongest among us, the black lines dancing along his arms and chest an indication of his ties to the source. If we practiced our spells together, my strength would grow tenfold. Implying Aflora’s would as well.
“You have no idea,” he muttered. “My power is hungry for hers, and not just in an ascension kind of way.”
“She’s an ideal mate, isn’t she?”
He picked up his beer and took a powerful pull before nodding solemnly. “I’ve felt it from the moment I laid eyes on her. Her personality isn’t helping matters.”
“Meaning?”
“She’s selfless and intelligent, has a backbone of steel, and, let’s not forget, she’s stunning.” He set his bottle back down and dropped his head to his hands. “This is wrong on so many levels.”
I allowed him to wallow for a moment while I contemplated everything he’d said. A few thoughts kept popping back into my mind, most of them dangerous to utter out loud. Similar to the historical secrets I suspected were hidden for reasons that might not be in everyone’s best interest.
However, since we were already having a conversation that could land us both in a dungeon, why not push the boundaries?
“We’ve been told our entire lives that abominations are vile creatures,” I started, considering my wording carefully. “But isn’t it how we use the gifts that matter? Not necessarily who our parents are?”
He lifted his gaze just enough to catch mine, his palms still hovering over his mouth. “What are you trying to say, Zeph? Speak plainly.”
“Aflora is an abomination, but she doesn’t strike me as evil at all. I’d actually call her sweet.”