Page 16 of Lake of Sorrow

“A lack of interest isn’t the problem.”

The men fell silent. Even though Kaylina couldn’t see them from the bed, something told her they were both looking in her direction. Warmth crept into her cheeks as she began to feel she was doing something wrong by eavesdropping. Not that it was her fault they hadn’t shut the door to the office.

“To have her in your bed and do nothing about it,” Targon said, “you really are cursed.”

“Yes. Did you finish reading this?” The newspaper rustled.

“I got the gist. It’s like the others that have come out since this dubious press started publishing daily instead of weekly.”

“Since the castle invasion and the assassination attempt,” Vlerion said.

“Yes. Whoever’s running the paper clearly wasn’t pleased that their side was defeated. There are enough details that are correct in the stories about the beast that I assume some of the Virts who saw you got away to talk about it.”

“Yes.”

“What happened down in that dungeon? While I’m not sad that you lost it and decimated their forces—more than decimated them—it’s unfortunate that there were witnesses. Witnesses who are now linking the beast to the rangers for the public.”

“I don’t remember exactly.” Vlerion paused.

Was Targon giving him a skeptical look? Vlerion had said his memories of when he was a beast were fuzzy, but did that hold true for the moments before he changed? When he was still fully human?

“Kaylina was in trouble,” Vlerion admitted.

“That’s what I figured. Were the rebels going to maul her?”

“No. One of the guards was trying, or had at least tried, to rape her.”

“Your mother is right. She’s a problem for you.”

Targon’s tone held not a hint of empathy for Kaylina’s experience, and she bared her teeth at him through the wall.

“Seeing any woman in that predicament would have made me lose it,” Vlerion said stiffly.

“Yeah, but she makes you extra crazy. For lots of reasons.”

“You’re not helping.”

“You didn’t rape her after dealing with the guard, did you? As the beast? How come so many of those men got away? The beast usually kills everyone in its path.”

“Of course I didn’t do that.”

“Don’t give me that look. I’ve seen your mother’s scars.”

Kaylina curled her fist in the silence that followed. She was tempted to leap to her feet and rush in to defend Vlerion.

“I’ve done more research into your curse than you might suspect,” Targon added, his voice gentler. “I know what happens when you change isn’t your fault, but that doesn’t keep it from being horrific.”

“She’s fine,” Vlerion said, his tone clipped. “The men got away because there were fifty of them, and they had the common sense to run from a beast.”

“I guess she wouldn’t be sleeping in your bed if you’d given her a reason to be afraid of you.”

“No.” After a long pause, Vlerion said, “She does have reasons to be afraid, unfortunately, but not that one. Not that time.”

“What about next time?”

Footsteps sounded. Vlerion pacing? “I don’t know. Is that what you want me to say? I’m doing my best to make sure that the situation, the possibility, doesn’t arise. I’m…” He exhaled a long breath. “I wouldn’t forgive myself for that.”

“What about for beheading rebels?”