Salvage ~ V1: Nuts and Bolts (Steampunk/ Gaslamp Romantasy ~ FxM, MxM)

Chapter 16: Lord Devratha

"Mentally unstable?" Kazia lashed out as she stalked into the park toward Abrizhen.

This end of the bailey had been cleared, and a number of guards formed a wide ring about them, standing back at a respectful distance.

Abrizhen jumped up from the stone bench and turned to face her. His ocean-blue eyes narrowed and he smirked.

"Where is the lie?" he asked with a hint of amusement. "Just look at you."

"I am angry, not crazy!" she retorted.

"You can't be both?"

"Abrizhen!" Kazia sighed in exasperation, then lowered her voice, speaking softly. "How can you go along with this? You need to please him so much that you'll harm me for it?"

Abrizhen's lips twitched, and his expression fell. He raked a hand through his dark brown, shoulder-length hair. Kazia watched his forelocks fall back around his face and curl around his jaw and she almost smiled to see the familiar mannerism again.

His lips opened to speak but he hesitated, glancing furtively at the guards around them. Forcing a smile, he reached a tentative hand toward her.

"Kitzi, come home," he said sweetly. "We are your family. Let us take care of you."

"You really are doing this?"

"Kazia, you know you can't be out among all these people. It's only a matter of time before you hurt someone. Let our Alchemists help you."

Kazia froze, her face going still and ashen, with only a slight tremble showing on her lips.

"They don't intend to help me," she said, her voice lowered even further, to almost a whisper. "Only themselves."

She bit down on her tongue, trying to push away the memories that were surfacing now. She began to think that this was a mistake, if dealing with Abrizhen meant remembering.

"What nonsense are you talking?" Abrizhen asked. "Only they know how to treat your condition."

"There is no condition!" Kazia hissed. "Do you even know what they did to me? Of course not, you weren't there. You said you would help me, but you were never there."

She took a shuddering breath and stared long and hard into Abrizhen's eyes until he looked away. He was being stubborn, but she could feel shame growing in him. Maybe she had him.

"I'm here now," he said quietly.

"Are you?" Kazia said skeptically. "I think Gorvan's lapdog is here, not my brother."

Abrizhen's eyes flashed as Kazia felt a surge of anger from him, but he only clenched his jaw and said nothing in response. That may have been an overstep. Kazia altered her course.

"Alright, I didn't come to argue with you," she said gently. "I only thought I should come see you. How have you been?"

Confusion crossed his face.

"Me?" he asked. "How have I been? You mean since the day I came home and you were gone? Or how have I been not knowing where the hell you were for the past five years, or if you were even still alive?"

"I was living on a farm," she told him. "No one knew who I was, and I just fixed machines and lived peacefully. I was very happy there. "

"That's great," he said scornfully. "So you were happy."

"Now I have to be here in the castle because I can't be allowed happiness, can I?"

"If you're not happy here then you may as well come home," Abrizhen said crisply.