Page 30

The echo of her own words from the basin caught her by surprise.

Kesta laughed before she could stop herself.

The split in her lip punished her immediately. She winced and pressed two fingers to it.

Dreven’s amusement vanished.

His hand lifted instinctively, then stopped halfway between them.

He did not touch her.

Kesta stared at the large scaled hand suspended in the air.

Slowly, Dreven lowered it.

“May I see?”

She hesitated, then nodded.

He moved closer, although not as close as he could have. One clawed finger rested beneath her chin, astonishingly gentle for a hand she had watched break a raider’s wrist. He tilted her face toward the green light.

His skin was warmer than she expected.

Kesta became acutely aware of the shape of his mouth.

That was inconvenient.

Dreven examined the split without touching it directly. The scales at his temples drew tighter.

“It should be cleaned.”

“I know.”

“You say that often.”

“I usually do.”

His thumb shifted slightly beneath her jaw.

For one breath neither of them moved.

Dreven’s pupils widened within the metallic silver of his eyes.

Kesta felt the change in the air between them and knew he felt it too.

Then he released her.

The absence of his hand should not have been noticeable.

It was.

Dreven rose. “Seven minutes.”

Kesta looked toward Lina, who had watched enough of the exchange to be trying unsuccessfully not to smile.

“You have something to say?”

Lina closed her eyes. “I’m in shock.”