The morning air was crisp, scented with pine and something faintly floral that I couldn’t place. The veranda stretched wide, polished wood gleaming faintly in the sunlight, and I stepped to the railing, letting my fingers trace the carved patterns. The forest below seemed endless — dark green meeting soft morning mist — and for the first time in days, I felt a little… untangled.
“You weren’t scared off too badly by my cronies, were you?” Kael’s voice was soft behind me, teasing but careful. I glanced over my shoulder, blinking at him in surprise. He leaned casually against the frame, arms crossed, that infuriatingly perfect grin on his face.
“Honestly?” I admitted.
“I… I like them. All of them. They feel… different. Safe. Not… like Herion. Not so... stiff.”
He nodded slowly, as if we
