Mermaid Tear (The Fated #2)

37 | The Archive

Two Weeks Ago


After Kain's declaration, they smoothed over the details of their plan for the next day. Once finished, Melitta stood and brushed the wrinkles from her skirt.

"I should get going if I'm going to talk to Rhode tonight."

Kain yawned and pushed himself to his feet. "I'll show you out, then."

"I'm only a door away, Kain," Melitta replied with a laugh.

She didn't protest further, however, and Kain walked her to the hall. As he closed the bedroom door behind him, Melitta lingered nearby, something unidentifiable in her eyes. Her right hand curled into her middle, as if steading whatever thoughts were crossing her mind.

"Earlier," she began, then hesitated. "That--that was alright, wasn't it? During dinner?"

It took him a moment to follow her thoughts, but when he did his face caught aflame. The memory of being called darling was nearly more embarrassing than the event itself. "Oh, the--yes, that. It, um, it was...fine."

Melitta laughed, her hesitance seeming to fade. "Good. I thought, well, if we're going to be--using names like those is normal. Couples in Cieon tend to be affectionate, right? At least, that's what I've always heard."

"I...think so," Kain replied, scratching his chin. "They are in the stories, at least."

"I see. In that case..."

Melitta pursed her lips thoughtfully, before moving closer to her room. Something seemed to flick behind her gaze, an impulse carefully weighed, before she gave a little beckoning gesture to him and paused in front of her door. Kain's gut twisted with a different sort of anxiety as he stepped closer. She tucked her right hand behind her back, her other catching his collar before Kain had the chance to react.

With a light tug, Melitta pulled him towards her. The world froze as she pressed her lips to his cheek in the lightest, ghost of a touch.

"Good night, Kain."

Her bedroom door jerked open and before time resumed, Melitta had escaped into the space beyond. It wasn't until the lock clicked in front of him that Kain's mind revived, his hand raising to his cheek as if it could smoother the sudden heat burning beneath his skin.

It's an act, he reminded himself. A show for whomever might be watching from the shadows.

No amount of logic could still his rapid heart as he fled back to his room.

Inside, Kain leaned his back against the door. His hand returned to his cheek, fingers playing the exact skin her lips had touched.

"Is something wrong?"

Kain nearly swore. His eyes skipped over his room, locating where Callias had lingered near the coffee table. Somehow, he'd missed the fact the merman had stayed behind when Melitta left. One of Callias' hands laid backwards, palm down, over the chair's arm as his hip slightly leaned against the side.

"Oh, I--" Kain coughed, taking the second to wrangle his thoughts into line. "No. Nothing's wrong. Did you--was there something else you needed?"

Callias hesitated. If he noticed Kain's lie, he made no show of it as he dropped his free hand at his side, fingers drumming against his thigh.

"It's likely nothing."

"But, that means it could also be something."

And whatever it was, it was better than Callias questioning him further. Whether it was an act or not, Kain wasn't sure how someone as overprotective as Callias was would react to what amounted to an extremely innocent, yet intimate gesture.