Page 61 of Lich's Mate

Briefly, I wonder what life would have been like without him, imagining that I’d been purchased by anybody else on that auction block.

Rather than filling my day with schemes, wandering freely over the grounds and among the halls of a mansion, I’d be confined to a small quarters at the top of a house, kept largely out of sight. Every day would be a repetitive grind, cleaning the latrines and the kitchens before my owners woke up.

I don’t know if I could survive that, I think.

And then I think of all the people I could still help if I stayed by Kavian’s side.

Because the fact is that my work isn’t done, as much as I want it to be. There are still people suffering under careless owners, who neglect and abuse them.

And neither is he, I think.

Though I know how powerful Gorran is, I also know there are other slave owners, even beyond Gorran, who are probably even more ruthless. And I can’t imagine that Kavian’s mission ends with Gorran.

Although somewhere, he’s still got a business to run once Gorran has faded away completely and been left without a shred of power.

That would be nice, too.

I could help him.

I curl up into him, feeling his warmth against me.

The truth is that I have no idea what’s in store for me.

But I know that a world without Kavian is as bleak and inhospitable as Ikoth’s deepest deserts.

24

KAVIAN

“So what did you need to talk to me about that was so urgent?”

The weather is scorching, the trees dried and almost barren. Vex and I stand on the grounds just outside the manor.

My eyes peel around the area, looking for traces of Meera. I wanted to make sure I wasn’t followed. Thankfully, she seemed to be taking a nap when I left.

But she does tend to find out things she doesn’t need to know. So I can’t guarantee she isn’t behind one of the decaying trees, listening in.

Vex looks uneasily around him.

“Did you really want to talk out here, in the open?” he asks. “We really don’t want anybody eavesdropping.”

“You made it seem like it was a private matter. If you want to keep this quiet, then this is the best place to have this discussion.”

He looks around, chuckles, then nods.

“Right. I just wasn’t sure how your human would react if she found out?—”

“She’s Meera,” I reply. “Her name is Meera. And she’ll handle it quite fine when I tell her later.”

Vex takes his hands and places them behind his back, then takes two steps forward, starting to pace nervously.

“Can you just tell me what’s on your mind?” I ask.

This interaction is somewhat pissing me off. Clearly, there’s something Vex doesn’t want me to know, but he doesn’t think I’m going to handle it well.

Did he mess up somewhere?

Has Gorran recovered more quickly than we thought?