The Beastkeeper's Redemption

Sixteen

Sixteen
-ˋˏ ༻❁༺ ˎˊ-

A hearth had been lit in a small chamber that served as a dining room. It was an unassuming slither of a room that was more of an antechamber, diverting off from the kitchen and larder.

But it was where Kaede was when Izzy strolled across the threshold, dagger held casually at her side, and she stumbled to a halt midstep when her eyes landed on him.

He was close to the hearth in the process of disrobing, illuminated by a soft golden light that shimmered off the mesmerising patterns tapering outwards from the ridge of his spine. His shirt landed with a wet thunk against the back of one of the wooden chairs and he shook out his arms, sending droplets of water every which way and muscles rippling under his bronzed skin. Next, he ran a hand through his mottled hair, darkened with moisture, and tousled the thick strands that hung loosely around his shoulders. When he turned and caught sight of her, her breath froze in her chest as she was reminded of just how large he was, how powerful he seemed as she dwarfed in comparison to his height and broad shoulders, the strength of his chest and abdomen as muscles banded across every conceivable plane of his torso.

Lord, was there no ounce of fat on this male?

His gaze roved over her form, taking in her tousled hair that draped in heavy, unruly ringlets down to her waist, over her breasts and lower yet, until he found the dagger clutched loosely in her hand.

His eyes narrowed at that, sharply returning to meet her unwavering stare. "Is there any weapon you are not familiar with, Miss Hawkins?" he asked, his voice edged with a hardness that made her wary.

The table separated them and she was thankful for the space it provided. Izzy wasn't sure how she would comport herself if Kaede was any closer. Emphatically, she placed the blade on the edge closest to her, its point towards him but serving no threat since it was not being wielded in her fist. "My name is Izzy," she told him with more calmness than she felt. "I have not been addressed with such formality since... for a long time."

Kaede appeared to ignore that, gesturing instead to the dagger on the table between them before crossing his arms over his bare chest. "Intending to threaten me with that to add to your list of crimes?" A look of droll amusement crossed his face then, as if it was inconceivable to him that she could ever pose a threat to him.

And he may have a point there, considering how easily he had overwhelmed her with his magic earlier. But for the time being, he wasn't making any movement to restrain her, and perhaps that was a good thing. Perhaps he had worn himself out and wasn't able to utilise any more magic against her- she had read about this happening to some faeborn, entering a weakened state after exerting themselves too much. That would bode well for her if Kaede had been weakened... though the Beastkeeper hardly looked very weak.

For now, she ignored the accusation that she had committed a crime. "Consider it a... precautionary incentive," she informed him, folding her hands before her to quell the nervous twitching of her fingertips.

"Incentive?" He raised an eyebrow. "For what?"

"To keep what you know of me and my sister to yourself," she said, noting the quirk of his lips as she did so. Truthfully, she had no intention of actually using the weapon against him, but she had figured it a clever ruse to convince him that she was not as powerless as she felt, that perhaps she was desperate enough to resort to something extreme in order to justify retaining their secrets.

A few beats of silence followed her statement and he seemed to be contemplating the situation. Finally, he murmured, "And what would you do if I told you that I had no intention of ever doing that?"