I could take you… But I won’t.

Kael

The scent hit him the moment Veyr and Ryn stepped through the portal in front of Ryn's hall.

He smelled Ryn's warm, dizzyingly sweet scent of lavender, but beneath it was something else.

It was sharp and maddening. It smelled of smoke and iron.

Veyr.

That smug bastard's scent had clung to Ryn's skin like a possessive brand, and Kael hated it.

Kael had been waiting in front of Ryn's room for hours. At first, he had gone to Master Lynsander's sanctuary, but he wasn't there. Then he came to the hall, but still, Ryn was nowhere to be found.

Master Lynsander had told him they went to the festival, and instead of leaving, Kael had waited for him.

He clenched his fists as he watched them heading towards him, both laughing. He hadn't seen Ryn since he was rushed to the sanctuary, and now Veyr was returning with him.

Kael hated it. Ryn was supposed to be laughing with him, not anybody else.