Free Saffron by Taige Crenshaw and Aliyah Burke

step back.
    “And Shade and Flare?” he asked.
    Their lives had almost been lost and it was his fault. This was why he always had them separated, so that if something happened it wouldn’t be to both of them. However, Saffron had had him so confused he’d not paid enough attention to the schedule. And that ate at him. Bitterly . Forcing that under control, he focused on actually making it through the conversation.
    “What about them?”
    “You saved them.”
    A laconic lift of a shoulder. “They are important to you.”
    “But not to you?”
    Another shrug. “They are humans. I have no use for them, one way or the other.”
    Either she was the most callous person who lived or she spoke the truth about who she was. “But you act like you like them.”
    “They are nice enough.”
    But she could be just fine without them in her life. While the words weren’t spoken, he knew she meant it.
    Raking a hand through his shaggy, dirty blond hair, he tried to figure out how to handle this. He was pissed off, and yet something about the way she stood there made him wonder if she wasn’t just waiting for his condemnation. Especially after what she’d said when he’d first approached.
    “Well, thank you for that, at least.”
    She gave a regal inclination of her head.
    “What about me?” he asked, all the while damning the devil on his shoulder who prompted him do so.
    Her eyes shone brighter with golden liquid as she raked him up and down with her gaze. “You?”
    “Yeah, me, Doc. What about me?” he prowled closer to her, loving how the pulse along the side of her neck kicked up a few notches and she swallowed rapidly.
    Then she changed, composed herself, and stared down her nose at him. An impressive feat, considering she was inches shorter than he was. “You lied about accepting me.”
    “Oh no,” he growled. “You don’t get to throw that out here. I still don’t know what or who the hell you are. I didn’t lie to you, Saffron…Qetesh…whatever the hell your name is. You know all there is to know about me, but all the while you kept this from me.” He lowered his head until their noses were almost touching.
    “You should have trusted me,” she said.
    Narrowing his gaze, he held her own. “And you should have trusted me .” With a snarl, he backed away, pivoted while muttering to himself, and whipped back around as an ugly thought occurred to him.
    “What about Kade?” he asked, furious to think that his boss would know something like this about her while she hadn’t shared with him.
    “What about him?”
    “Don’t fucking play with me, Doc. Does he know about this…this side of you?”
    “No.”
    Kenric couldn’t explain the relief that swarmed through him at that single word.
    “Why?” he demanded.
    “Why would I tell him?”
    “No, why didn’t you tell me ?”
    She stared solemnly at his face before she shrugged. “Because, when I first arrived, I wasn’t sure if I was going to kill you or not.”
    Ice poured over him and he fought the shiver that raced up his spine. She’d said that as if she was talking about the weather, or what she just ate for dinner. Nothing about her right now was the woman whom he’d told he loved, and who’d said the same thing back to him.
    Clenching his jaw, he nodded. “I see.” He wanted to roar his anger to the heavens but kept the fury locked away. “So, are you done here, then?”
    “I have done what I came to do.”
    If he’d seen a sliver of the woman he’d fallen in love with maybe his heart wouldn’t hurt so much. But he didn’t. This one was so distant and it made him want to gnash his teeth at her.
    “Good. Safe journey,” he said and walked away.
    Every fibre of his being screamed out for him to return to her, but he ignored it and continued on his way. He heard her muttering about humans under her breath but still didn’t stop. I wasn’t sure if I was going to kill you or not. Her words ran in a continuous loop through his