The King's Gamma (#Wattys2024)

One Hundred and Two

The water charm burned in my pocket all afternoon.

I shouldn't have taken it. Gareth had made that clear. Yet here I was, standing outside the Golden Lotus teahouse, the smooth blue stone warm against my palm. The scent of jasmine and spiced wine curled through the air, and laughter spilled from the open doors.

One drink, I told myself. One look at him, and then I'll leave.

Inside, Felix lounged at a low table like a lazy cat, his golden hair spilling over his shoulders, his violet eyes half-lidded with amusement. A group of young mages clustered around him, hanging on his every word.

"—the problem with most water constructs," he was saying, swirling a glass of something dark and honeyed, "is that they lack imagination." He flicked his fingers, and the liquid in his glass rose into the air, twisting into the shape of a dragon that coiled around his wrist before splashing back into the cup. The apprentices gasped.

Then his gaze slid past them—and locked onto me.

A slow, pleased smile curled his lips.

"Ah," he purred, setting the glass down. "My stray has returned."

The other mages turned, their expressions shifting from awe to confusion as they took in Hal's rough-spun clothes and travel-worn boots. Felix waved a dismissive hand.

"Leave us."

They scattered like startled birds.

Felix patted the cushion beside him. "Come. Sit. Tell me why someone with eyes like stormclouds is wandering Trellis alone."

I stayed standing. "I'm not alone."

"No," he agreed, pouring a second glass. "You've got that grizzled bear of a minder. But he's not here now, is he?" His gaze raked over me, lingering on the curve of my throat, the line of my shoulders. "And you came anyway."

I didn't answer.

Felix sighed dramatically and leaned back, the neckline of his robes slipping to reveal a flash of collarbone. "So suspicious. I only want to talk." His fingers tapped against his glass. "Tell me, Hal—what do you think of Trellis so far?"

"It's... crowded."

He laughed, bright and surprised. "An understatement." His fingers twitched, and a tendril of water slithered from his glass to curl around my wrist—cool and light as a breath. "But there are pleasures here, if you know where to look."

I shook it off, and the water dissolved into mist. Felix's eyes gleamed.

"Ah, so you do have magic resistance. Interesting." He leaned forward, close enough that I could smell the spice on his breath. "What else are you hiding, I wonder?"

His fingers brushed my knee—a fleeting touch, gone before I could react. The bond flared in response, a warm pulse beneath my ribs.

Felix stilled. His nostrils flared slightly, as if catching a scent. Then, slowly, his smirk returned.

"Fascinating," he murmured. His hand found mine, his thumb tracing idle circles against my palm. "You're full of surprises, aren't you?"

Felix's fingers traced up my arm, leaving a trail of goosebumps in their wake. The water mage had somehow closed the distance between us without me noticing, his knee now pressing against mine beneath the low table. His violet eyes gleamed with predatory amusement as his thumb brushed the sensitive skin of my inner wrist.

"You're trembling," he murmured, his breath warm against my ear. "Is it fear... or something else?"

The bond burned in my chest, a wildfire spreading through my veins. Every logical thought screamed that this was dangerous, that I should pull away—but my body leaned closer instead, drawn to his heat like a moth to flame.