REPUTATION

23

After spending most of the evening discussing everything they had learned, the group eventually parted ways to eat and rest.

Aria sat alone in her room and scribbled some notes from the day into the journal she'd brought with her from home. They still had a full day until her parents and the rest of the Royal Assembly arrived, along with the Legion Council, and she didn't want to waste it. There had to be some piece she was missing, something that hadn't dawned on them yet.

She desperately wanted to prove to her parents that she was capable of leading. That she was worthy of being heir to their kingdom. But as soon as she started missing them, she was reminded of the lies they'd fed her over and over. She tapped her feather pen furiously on her desk. She didn't want to be that kind of ruler. The kind that lied to her people. She wouldn't be—

A knock on her door interrupted her thoughts. She pushed back from her chair and opened it to find Luka, dressed in a casual tunic set, his hair hanging in damp, curly clumps tucked tightly behind his ears. Like he was fresh out of the bath and had come directly to her door. The fresh smell of soap covered his distinctly smoky scent .

"Hi, Princess," he greeted her with that sly smile of his, running a hand through his hair. If she didn't know better, he looked nervous , of all things.

"You really don't have to call me that," Aria said flatly.

He squinted at her. "I'm not allowed to call you a sprite, and now I can't even call you your literal title? What am I supposed to call you then?"

She stared back at him. "I do have a name, you know."

"Mother of Mallium…" he cursed under his breath. "Fine, Aria ."

"What do you need?" She looked out beyond him and realized the hall was dark, save for the torches that lined the pillars. The evening had escaped her. "Is something wrong?"

"Does something have to be wrong for us to talk?"

"Well, it's just that every time you or Evelyn come to my room, it is usually to deliver a threat or bad news, so…"

"Does Evelyn come to your room often?" He raised an inquisitive brow. Apparently, he still didn't know about their little run-in the day before.

Aria smirked, crossing her arms. Two could play that game. "Would it bother you if she did?"

"I'm not easily bothered."

"Your behavior the last time we found ourselves at the Sanctum says otherwise."

A faint blush gathered along the base of his neck, just barely visible in the dim light against his golden skin. His lips stretched into a thin line. "That's why I'm here, actually," he said.

"Oh?"

"This is me asking if you'd like to accompany me for an evening by the fountain. I'd like to take you up on your offer from that night. "

A brow crept up her face in scrutiny, ignoring the slight flutter in her chest. She had a lot of notes yet to write, she reminded herself, and he had interrupted her. Priorities, Aria. "Why?"

"Gods, must everything have an ulterior motive to you? Maybe I just wanted some company. You may be holding onto some of your fae animosity toward us shifters," he joked, "but I, for one, have tried to get past that. I thought we'd become friends."

"Is that what we are? Friends?" Her head tilted playfully. She enjoyed teasing him, enjoyed their banter. It was fun, in a strange way. Different from most of the friendships she had at the Institute.

"Allies, at the very least, right?" Luka was losing steam, regret written across his features that were limned in the torchlight. "Don't make me beg," he said, "If you're not interested in a walk, just say so."

"I'm not sure I would mind seeing you beg, now that I think about it."

"Been reading more shifter romances, have you?" he asked with a laugh.

"What, with all my free time?" Aria echoed the sound, rolling her eyes. "Fine, let's go."

She slipped into her shoes and clicked the door shut behind her. The hall was just barely wide enough for them to walk side by side as they made their way to the courtyard, their shirts brushing each other as they walked.

As they emerged into the open square, Aria was awed by how bright it was, lit by the nearly-full moon. It was magnified by the white stones around them, creating a glowing ambience with a lull of the trickling fountain across the way. They were, surprisingly, the only two people in sight. How deep in thought had she been that it had gotten so late?

"So, what is the occasion?" she asked cautiously.

"You seemed far away again at dinner. I thought you might want to get out of your own head for a bit."

"Was it that obvious?"

He chuckled. "Let's just say no one would hire you for espionage."

"Yeah, I've come to that realization lately." Their steps echoed against the stone. "Is that the only reason? You just wanted to cheer me up out of the goodness of your heart?"

"Well, can you keep a secret?" he replied in a whisper as they neared the fountain. She narrowed her eyes, not bothering with a response. He continued, leaning in close. "As it turns out, I kind of enjoy our conversations. Don't tell anyone, though," he added quickly, "I can't have word getting around that I like hanging out with you. It would ruin my reputation."

She stanched the smile that grew on her face. "Your reputation of being unfriendly? Or the one about how you don't like fae? Perhaps the alpha male reputation? I don't think you have to worry about any of that. Those reputations precede you."

"Oh, good," he said with an exasperated sigh, "what a relief."

Aria wasn't sure how to respond to his admission. It warmed something in her to know she'd earned his appreciation, after everything. That he felt the same pull to her that she'd been explaining away, afraid to admit to herself.

Instead of responding, she took up a seat along the edge of the fountain and slipped her shoes off, dipping her toes in the cold water. Despite the bumps it raised along her skin from the chill, it was the next best thing to sitting along the beach .

Luka noticed Aria rubbing her arms and said casually, "I would heat the water for you if I could access my magic in here."

The offer took her aback. "I don't mind the cold water," she said looking down at her feet, "it gives me a little jolt of energy. I like that shock sometimes."

"That's what I love about flying," he mused, and followed her lead, sliding his feet into the water alongside hers. He cursed under his breath at the chill of it, sourced directly from the glacial melt off the Mallium mountains to the west. "My gods, you weren't joking. That is fucking cold." A shiver ran through him.

"You know me, not much for joking," she smiled, but it dropped quickly from her face. "Not lately, at least."

"I'll be honest," he said quietly, "I did have an ulterior motive." She raised her head and met his dark eyes that twinkled under the moonlight. "I was serious when I said I wanted to get you out of your head. I just wanted to make sure you were doing okay after today. It was… a lot to uncover." His voice was soft but pained. Almost gruff. The events of the day must have worn on him, too.

"You know," she sighed, "all things considered, I'm doing okay. I was writing down some notes when you so rudely interrupted me." Her laugh died as it crossed her lips. "Writing usually helps me process stuff, but nothing really seems to help lately."

"Not even talking to your mortal enemy under the light of the moon?" He let out a low chuckle, his eyes traveling to her mouth where they lingered. She searched his face, expecting more jokes to follow, but he just looked at her intently and raised an eyebrow. "Well?"

She normally liked to be alone when she was dealing with things. Sorting through emotions. But… Sitting here with Luka, so meone who felt the same things with the same intensity… It was a nice change. He saw through her attempts at hiding and didn't balk at her for it. In fact, he leaned into it. Pulled her out of it.

"I don't suppose it's hurting anything," she looked away shyly, suddenly made nervous by the intensity of his persistent gaze. Stop being awkward, she demanded herself. He was just being kind, trying to win her over for the sake of an alliance. Definitely not flirting. Right? There's no way, after being with Evelyn, he'd find her worth pursuing.

And anyway, even if he did, she'd promised herself she wouldn't get distracted. But the way he looked at her, the way her skin tingled in his presence. It was becoming hard to ignore. Hard to explain away as anything but a godsdamned crush . What was she, a teenager? Gods , why was she like this? Get a grip, Aria, you have a continent to save.

At her silence, he turned to face her, concern furrowing his brows. "What else can I do to help you, Aria?" Her name sounded like velvet on his tongue when he spoke this way, low and quiet, like their conversation was a secret. Perhaps it was. "Let me help," he said, brushing a piece of hair that had fallen in front of her face behind her pointed ear. The point that had once signified a difference between their people but seemed meaningless now. She met his eyes again, finding a hunger gleaming within them as they traveled down, tracking the outline of her lips. Her heartbeat skipped.

Luka must have felt her pulse quicken, heard her breath hitch, because his pupils dilated as he watched her. It sparked something in her, brought her to her senses. She pulled away from his hand that rested on her cheek. "I—I can't."

"What do you mean?" His voice rumbled through her, warming her core .

Focus.

She closed her eyes, praying for the strength to walk away. "I can't do this, Luka. I promised myself I wouldn't get distracted. I don't need this kind of help right now." She pulled her feet out of the fountain and slipped them back into her shoes, not bothering to wait for them to dry.

He cursed under his breath, standing to meet her. "Then talk to me, at least. I meant what I said. I understand what you're going through probably more than anyone else."

"You don't."

He may have understood her fears about the Unifiers and the equinox threat they still faced, but there was no way for him to understand the battle that waged in her mind about her parents' lies. About the irreparable harm her people had done to his. The burden she carried of what to do with that information.

He never would.

She shook her head without looking back at him. "I need more time to sort through things. I need to think."

He stopped following and watched her walk around the corner out of view, calling after her, "Well when you're tired of thinking, you know where to find me."

She didn't look back.

***

Luka trudged back to his room, alone, frustrated that he hadn't learned his lesson the first time he'd tried to get the princess to open up to him.

He dragged a coarse hand over his beard, kicking his shoes off before stripping and crawling into bed, defeated. He'd been so close to pulling her out of that dark stare, void of any emotion. He knew better than anyone what that stare meant. What laid behind it. He knew how dangerous it could be. And if they were going to succeed on the equinox, they needed everyone at their best. Someone had to make sure she didn't spiral, as he'd done many a time in his life.

I don't suppose it's hurting anything , she'd said. He knew she was hiding how much she enjoyed his company. He knew she felt the same draw, the way the energy around them shifted when they were together. He'd never felt that tug before, and he didn't know what to make of it.

His first reaction had been to tease, to bite. To make her admit that she liked being around him. But he didn't want to let his instincts control him, not with her. Maybe that was fine once, but not anymore. Those instincts were a lot more complicated now. Aria was complicated. She'd already let down her guard with him, just a bit. He didn't want to lose that progress. And yet, he'd just… Gone for it. Like an idiot.

He'd watched her face, contorting as she no doubt debated herself internally about whether to give in to that spark that zapped between them. He wasn't sure what had drawn him to reach for her face, but hearing her breath catch when he did… It was his new favorite drug. Better than even the high of flying.

Usually, Aria volleyed his taunts back at him with confidence. It was what had initially interested him about her—her easy quips and fearless attitude. He'd always been drawn to confident people. But the more they connected, the more she let her guard down. And that was even more addictive.

The shyness she'd displayed tonight, the nerves that coursed through her—it was obvious she felt it, too. That hum. And gods , making her pulse skyrocket, making her eyes go wide and glassy… He liked it. He liked it a lot .

He groaned at the uncomfortable, hardening length pressing against his sheets. He'd pushed her too far today. There would be no relief for him any time soon.

But that didn't mean he would stop trying.