37
Luka
Kol placed a heavy metal stockpot on the stove and lit it. As the fire caught, it began to lick the sides of the pan. In no time at all, I could hear it sizzling. He grabbed a rather large spoon and dropped in a heaping scoop of margarine from the jar that was standing by his side. It melted almost instantly, creating an aromatic smoke that filled up our kitchen with its pleasant smell. Kol stirred it around until all the butter had been absorbed.
“Do you want some help?” I offered, feeling a bit useless. I’d let him clean up my mess, and now I was just standing there watching over his shoulder as he cooked me yet another meal.
He smiled, and I saw his gray eyes soften. “Well, I know you can eat, but if you’re cooking is anything like Phyre’s—”
“I’m actually quite good. My mom worked as a chef at the palace for a long time. I’m not as good as her, but I know my way around a kitchen.” I hoped I hadn’t sounded too self-absorbed the way that it had come out, but his wide grin told me he hadn’t thought that at all.
He pulled a wooden spoon from one of the drawers and beckoned me with it. “Okay, hot stuff, prove it. Can you make the roux?”
“Easy peasy,” I retorted. “Where’s the flour?”
He pointed to an upper cabinet with the spoon, stepping aside for me to grab it. Quickly clearing off more counter space, Kol handed the spoon to me.
“I’m going to cut some vegetables. Don’t burn it.” He warned, but his eyes danced happily, as if he’d been aching for someone to join him in the kitchen.
I started on the simple roux, adjusting the flour to the amount of already liquefied margarine in the pan. Slowly stirring the contents together until it created a thick, creamy texture. I glanced at Kol. He was busy cutting up broccoli and onions, his hands deftly sliding the knife through the vegetables with ease.
The smell of cooking wafted through the kitchen, and I found myself smiling watching him work. A strange feeling started in my stomach. I had to look away quickly, turning my attention back to the stovetop.
Sweat poured down my forehead. The heat from the stove was no joke. I wiped furiously at it with my sleeve, not wanting to taint the roux. Turning down the heat, I stirred constantly so it wouldn’t burn. Thankfully, Kol brought over a cup of cream to add to it.
He chuckled behind me, but I focused on the pan to the best of my ability, hyperaware of his breath on my neck. I could feel my heart thundering against my breastbone.
He was so close.
“You know,” he murmured in my ear. “You really are quite cute.”
I couldn’t tell if it was the heat from the stove or if I was blushing, but I kept my eyes averted from his. Though I could feel his boring into my back.
“Here,” he said a few moments later, handing me a glass jar filled with fresh milk. “Add about half.”
“Kay.” Something about the intensity of his eyes had me in a choke hold, like I was compelled to do anything he asked. If I hadn’t known he was a sylph, I’d assume he had ashrai magick.
Once I’d poured everything into the pot, he casually scooted me to the side with his shoulder. Not in a forceful way, but assertively. I watched as he dumped in finely chopped broccoli and onions.
“Cheese,” he ordered, still stirring the soup, “There’s a plastic bag in the refrigerator.”
I felt a little defeated and slightly disappointed, like he’d taken over because he didn’t think I was doing a good job, but when I brought the entire bag of cheese to him, he smiled lazily at me and backed up.
“How much?”
He winked, and chills ran up my spine. “The whole thing.”
I did as he asked, dumping the entire contents into the soup. Why did I feel so awkward around him? His flirtatious commentary wasn’t only targeted at me. He was like that with everyone, so why did I get so flustered when he directed it toward me?
Kol reached out to me, brushing a finger over my forehead. I startled, staring at him with bewilderment.
“Wha—”
He smiled once more, this time with a proud glimmer in his eyes, and held up his finger to display the white powder smudged on it.
Oh, so that’s why he kept staring and laughing at me. I felt foolish, so I laughed, too.
“Oops. Guess I’m a messy cook.”
Silver eyes twinkled with curiosity as we locked gazes, and I found myself instantly captivated by them. They shone like the stars in a night sky, or the gleaming waters of a lake at noon. As I stared deep into them, I could feel my heart rate quicken and my breath catch in anticipation.
“A messy chef is a good one.”
Kol’s hand twitched, but he dropped it beside him. His face crumpled, and I didn’t understand the change in mood. I started to ask if he was okay, figuring his wings might be causing him some pain, but couldn’t form the words on my tongue.
“Yeah,” he said finally. “Well, I need to go stretch my wings and get some fresh air. It should be ready when the cheese is all melted.”
He seemed flustered about something, though I didn’t know what. With a quick nod, he vanished, leaving me alone in the kitchen with the mess we’d created. I finished the soup, making sure there were no clumps of cheese before placing it into the refrigerator.
Nearly two hours passed before he finally returned to the house. I had begun to worry if I had scared him away with my terrible cooking, yet still, I persevered and waited for him to arrive despite the burning sensation of hunger deep within my gut.
He’d offered me no explanation for the change in attitude, and I didn’t press for an answer.
But when he started questioning my relationships with both Rhen and Elm, I couldn’t help but wonder if he thought maybe I was standing in their way.
That was until I offered to pour him a bowl of soup and he uttered a single phrase under his breath when he’d thought I was out of earshot that had me shaking.
I like you.
No.
I must have heard him wrong. No way he would have said something so painfully confusing. And even if he had, he didn’t mean it.
Right?
He was always saying things like that to everyone. I’d heard him hit on literally every single person, no matter their gender or race. It was just—Kol.
No. I laughed uncomfortably to myself.
I like soup? Yeah. That’s it! I had just offered him a bowl.
Right?
Rhen
Elm dropped me off at the door, then glimmered back to the Hunt without so much as a word. I wanted to pull him back, tell him that I knew how to fix it, but I knew better. If I even uttered a word of my plan, he would refuse to let me go through with it. It was better this way, leaving him in the dark, so I watched him disappear into his black shadows.
My heart was heavy as I stumbled inside, tracking snow into the entranceway. I had hope, an almost expectation that Luka would be there waiting to greet me, but no one did.
“Luka?” I called, but it was Kol that answered me.
He emerged from the kitchen with a steaming bowl of something in his hands. “His room, I think.”
“Thanks.”
He blocked my path, an odd expression in his eyes. “Hey, Rhen? Can I ask you something?”
I fumbled over my words. “Uh, yeah. Yes, what’s up?”
“Do you think Luka is still in love? With Elm, I mean?”
Caught off guard, my mouth opened as I processed what exactly he was asking me. “I don’t know. I don’t think so. Why?”
He sighed, a long and heavy sound that radiated from the depths of his chest. “Just—Just wondering if that’s what’s stopping you from going for it. I mean, it’s obvious that you have feelings for him. It’s exhausting.”
I wanted to be angry with him. It’s not his business who I chose to love and when, but the profound sorrow radiating from him told me that he was already hurting. Knowing he was probably thinking of Jules, I let the anger dissipate.
I couldn’t imagine having a love like that and losing it. It was the thing I was most afraid of. Giving your entire self over to a single person, knowing that they have the power to destroy you.
Loving Elm, it would destroy me. But I was willing to let him. Just not yet. I’d wait until the war was over. If my plan worked, I’d tell him how I felt.
If I lived, I’d give the rest of my life to him, if he wanted it.
“I’m sorry,” he said with a groan. “Forget I said anything. It’s just, if I had a chance to get with Jules earlier, no matter what it cost me, I would take it.”
I heard Luka’s heavy footsteps, but when I looked up at Kol to ask for privacy, he was already gone. Back in the kitchen to finish eating, I guess.
“Rhen!” Luka met me with a hug, but I couldn’t muster the energy to hug him back fully. He pulled back but didn’t release me from his arms. “What’s wrong?”
I closed my eyes tightly, inhaling a deep breath as the tears stung the corner of my eyes. I couldn’t help but feel incredibly overwhelmed by all this; it was like an invisible weight pressing down on me and I did not know how to break free from its grasp. I peered up at the feylight, trying desperately to stave off the tears.
“I have a plan, Lu. And you’re not going to like it.”