Free Shattered Assassin by Wendy Knight Page B

Heath said.
    “And you’ve been in this chilly hall this whole time. How did I not realize how cold you must be?” she gasped, feeling horrible.
    “There’s a fireplace, just there.” Luke indicated with a jerk of his head. His eyes met hers, asking silent questions she couldn’t understand and so could not answer.
    “No one’s fed us, though.” Benjamin peered into her room hopefully, looking for food.
    “Lady Kristina hasn’t made an appearance yet,” Luke said when Kazia turned horrified eyes on him. “The house staff says this is normal when Lord Jeffery is gone.”
    “Why didn’t any of the servants feed you?” Kazia felt worse by the second. She slept the day away while those sworn to protect her starved.
    “Lady Kristina doesn’t allow it,” Heath muttered.
    “That’s ridiculous. Come with me.” She spun on her heel and stalked down the two flights of stairs to the kitchens. “Why weren’t my men fed?” She snapped as soon as she swung through the kitchen doors.
    “Lady Kristina never told—”
    “I don’t care! They should be fed regardless!” Well, look at that. The tiny princess could sound formidable. Kazia mentally patted herself on the back.
    “Yes, Princess. Of course. Right away.” The cook fired up the ovens and snapped orders to the other kitchen staff, and with a flurry of movement they got to work and Kazia retreated. She was dangerous in kitchens. Fires tended to start easily in her care. She waited until her guards were fed and then spent the remainder of the night prowling the estate. She hadn’t had a chance without Jeffery or Kristina dogging her footsteps since she arrived. She wasn’t surprised to find Luke trailing her, although she pretended not to notice him for as long as she could stand it. But who was she to pretend she didn’t want his company? They both knew better.
    “You should have woken me when my guards were starving.” She didn’t look at him while she admired a painting of some ancient relative, but she knew he heard her when she heard his footsteps coming closer.
    “So you’re speaking to me again?” Luke asked, stopping at her elbow.
    “Yes. Why? Was I not before?”
    “I was Captain last night.”
    “Ah.” Kazia remembered now. She’d never been good at holding a grudge. “Yes, I suppose I am.” They wandered through the room in silence before she finally blew out a breath and crossed her arms. “What is this room supposed to be, anyway?”
    Luke chuckled, his green eyes sparkling in the dim light. “You’ll have to ask Lady Kristina.”
    Kazia shook her head. “She seems to be out for the storm. Of course, our schedules don’t really coincide, so she might be up during the day. You know, like a normal person.”
    Luke smiled as he took her elbow and steered her out of the room and into another. “I’m pretty sure this one is the library.”
    “Judging from the extraordinary amount of books, I’d say you are probably right.” She grinned.
    “You never were normal,” he said, stoking the fire into a semi-raging inferno.
    “Says you.”
    “Yes, but is there anyone who knew you better?”
    She backed away, eyeing him warily. “We don’t talk about that, remember?”
    He followed her across the room. “Maybe we should.”
    “No, we should not. It was your idea, Luke.”
    “Maybe I made a mistake.”
    Her breath caught in her throat. “Why? Why would you decide you made a mistake now?” She threw her hands in the air, glaring at him for all she was worth.
    “Yesterday, when I couldn’t find you…” His voice caught and broke, and he had to clear his throat before he could continue. “I realized what life could be like without you in it.”
    “I haven’t been in your life for three years.” She jabbed a finger at him, but her finger was shaking.
    “You’ve always been there, Kazia.”
    She was caught in his eyes, like the last three years hadn’t even happened, and she was remembering things she had refused to