14

  Warm Embrace

  Adam knocked on the door of Lorelei’s home. He’d decided to come as soon as he left the meeting with the King’s Hand, he wanted to talk to her. Elsa had left him a while ago. She had been called to attend a knight’s meeting, apparently there would be other Gold-Ranks present. She had told him that it didn’t happen frequently enough to be a meeting that could be missed, at the same time, it wasn’t rare enough to be a momentous occasion.

  It was important, but no more than that.

  With the timing of the meeting, however, Adam suspected the explosion might be the topic of discussion, or rather how it had been allowed to happen and what caused it. He hoped it wouldn’t bring new problems, but with his luck, who was he kidding?

  He considered whether Julius might let slip that he’d caused it, but after the meeting he’d just had, he didn’t think the man would do anything like that. It was quite obvious that he and the King’s Hand had wanted to handle the matter themselves, silently, quickly, and unfairly. It wouldn’t help anything if Julius told the entire Knight Order that some stranger had caused the explosion. It would just raise more questions when they were trying to lay low, and might even tempt a few decent knights—if there were any besides Elsa—to look into this ‘stranger’ and hear what he had to say in defense.

  Also, Julius didn’t strike him as the forgiving type. Adam had gotten a sense of his character when he’d first threatened him in that room. He was another twisted person, he enjoyed breaking things and watching them break. No way would he allow the threat Adam had made go unanswered, he would want to inflict more punishment, completely break him.

  They at least had similar ideas in that regard.

  Adam silenced the thoughts of Julius for now and his mind circled back to Elsa, the position she was probably in at the meeting, how difficult it must be for her. Protecting the kingdom was her duty, yet she would have to forsake it just to protect him. He had caused the explosion, and even if she chose simply not to say anything, that would still be a lie by omission. Yet, he knew that she would. Why? He didn’t know, but she truly seemed to care about him. It was surprising to think, but since he arrived in this world, she’d always been the one constant presence, looking out for him, helping him in whatever way she could.

  Whether or not there were ulterior motives behind her actions, it didn’t really change much about the situation. She’d done so much for him, more than anyone else in this world, and that had to count for something at least. But how had he responded to all the kindness she’d shown? With suspicion, and then more suspicion. It was understandable at first, even excusable, but now, it just made him seem like an ungrateful piece of shit.

  He owed her something at least; the truth about himself? About everything? His first instinct was to shut down the idea, his mind screaming that it was too risky. Who knew how she would react after learning he wasn’t from this world and might have resurrected, and besides he never once asked her to care, that was all her choice. Adam blew out a sharp breath and quickly squashed the thought, not liking how it sounded in his head.

  Whatever else he might be, he wasn’t an ingrate…

  Returning to the present, he raised his hand and knocked on the door again, but there was no response. Just as he was beginning to get worried and was about to knock a third time, he heard the sound of footsteps and quickly calmed down. She probably hadn’t heard him until just now. A second later, the door cracked open. Lorelei peeked out, and the moment she saw a glimpse of him, she threw it wide and rushed into his arms, clinging to him tight.

  Adam was too surprised to even hug her back, he just stood there.

  “Thank you… thank you so much, Adam,” she whispered, tears filling her voice as she wrapped her arms tighter around him. “Thank you.”

  Adam didn’t need to guess the reason she was thanking him. He’d wanted to confirm that her kids had really come back to her, that they hadn’t been left out of Julius’s “rescue”, and from her reaction, it seemed there was nothing to worry about.

  “They came back,” he said simply.

  She nodded quickly, then pulled back from him, composing herself as she wiped the tears from her face. “Sorry… I’ve been a mess today,” she said, and as she looked into his face properly for the first time, her hands rose to her mouth. “Adam… you’re hurt.”

  At her words, Adam gently touched the raw bruises on his face. Luckily, there was no swelling, only a few dark purple blotches he had seen in the mirror. Elsa had explained to him that the healers thought it was best to let some things heal naturally.

  “It’s nothing, don’t worry about it,” he said. “I’m fine.”

  Her hands fell from her mouth and she looked at him intently, her blue eyes flashing with deep concern. “Are you certain? I can take you to a healer I know. She’s close.”

  Adam shook his head. “I’m fine, really,” he said.

  Lorelei let out a breath and nodded. “Alright,” she muttered. “Please come in. I can at least make you something to eat if nothing else, and you can’t refuse.”

  Adam followed her into the house, and he immediately noticed how much quieter it was today. There were no children screaming or running around everywhere, but the place was still a wreck, evidence of their playtime scattered across the room. Lorelei caught him taking in the mess and she hurried forward, clearly embarrassed, scooping up dolls strewn about the floor along with a wooden board game he didn’t recognize.

  “Sorry, the kids have been excited since last night… this morning as well. They’ve really missed their friends. I only just managed to put them down for a nap.”

  Adam waved her apologies away. He didn’t care about the mess, and even if he did, that would just make him a hypocrite as he was sleeping in a fucking stable.

  “How did they get back?” Adam asked.

  Lorelei dumped the items she had picked up into a small box, then she turned around to face him. “A knight came by the house late last night… after that explosion,” she replied in a quiet voice. “I don’t know if the two are connected, but he asked me to come down to the barracks, that it was about the missing children I reported several days ago, they’d been found. I ran there as quickly as I could… there were so many children, I can’t believe they were all taken under the knights’ noses. I found my children, they were thankfully unhurt, only a little shaken. I was told all the children were rescued by a knight… Sir Julius.”

  Adam concealed the hatred that swelled in his chest at hearing the name. The bastard who had a hand in the abductions was now being praised as the hero. Adam hadn’t helped her because he expected to be praised, but the situation was still really fucked up. He didn’t say anything about it though. There was no reason to endanger her life by telling her what had really happened. Her missing kids had returned, that was all that mattered.

  “Have you talked to them about what happened? Do they remember anything?”

  Lorelei nodded. “Only a little,” she answered. “They said they were taken to a white room, and there were other children … all of them sleeping, then they got sleepy too. That’s all they remember, until they woke up and saw the knight who had saved them.”

  “They were taken? Did they see who took them?” he asked.

  “No,” Lorelei said and shook her head. “They had them blindfolded.”

  White room? Sleeping children? When he’d first heard of the abducted kids, he had assumed the worst, because he was aware of the perverted shit that happened on Earth. But this felt completely different. Why abduct children just to leave them asleep in a room? He wasn’t an expert on magic, not yet anyway, but the sleeping had probably been caused by it. They had been missing for over two weeks, sleeping the entire time just screamed magic. He considered whether everything the kids remembered might be false, to conceal what had really happened to them. But if their abductors were able to manipulate memories, why not just erase everything completely instead of planting false ones?

  Adam knew he should leave well enough alone, that the kids were back, his promise was fulfilled, there was no reason for him to concern himself with this matter anymore and the rest should be Elsa’s to handle. He also knew that it was his curiosity pushing him, not some deep sense of justice. It was like a puzzle waiting for him to figure out, and he liked puzzles, he always figured them out. He inhaled a breath, quenching the thought. This had to be one puzzle he didn’t attempt. He already had enough to figure out. He didn’t need to pile things onto his already full plate when it wasn’t absolutely necessary.

  Right now, he had other priorities, four of them.

  The first was to master the power he felt still coursing softly through his veins, learn everything he could about it, the different ways he could use it, and get stronger.

  The second priority was Julius, and it was absolutely necessary. He needed to learn everything he could about the man, where he lived, his favorite food, his hobbies, who his family were, how many there were, who and what he loved most, his greatest desire, and his worst fear. He would find out everything for the sake of his revenge.

  The third priority was the church, or rather what they were hiding about resurrection magic, that was still his only lead about how he arrived in this world.

  His fourth priority was going back home, either through the same way he’d arrived or climbing the Tower of Heaven and making a wish.

  “Are the children in danger? Will they come back for them?” Lorelei asked in a low voice, her eyes narrowed with worry and her hands clutched close to her chest.

  From his questions, she had caught on that there was likely something deeper going on, and he kicked himself internally for asking them without thinking. The children weren’t in any danger, for now at least. Whatever the King’s Hand, Julius—any other accomplices they might have—wanted to do with the kids, they probably wouldn’t try again until they fixed the problem that had stopped them the first time, and that was him, Elsa and Elliot. They would want to get rid of them first, but Elsa had said she didn’t expect anything to happen soon, not until they had learned more about him, and he intended to use that reprieve to get strong enough to protect himself when they eventually came for him.

  It was all connected. As long as he was alive, Elliot and Elsa too, the children would be safe from harm, and for him to be able to keep himself alive, he needed to master this new power he had, which circled back to his first priority. Getting stronger:

  Adam offered a smile to ease Lorelei’s worry. “They’re not in any danger,” he said to her gently. “Nothing is going to happen to them, I promise.”

  He was honestly thinking about how much stronger he wanted to get, sure it would also protect her kids, but that wasn’t his primary desire. But she didn’t need to know that.

  Lorelei looked at him, her eyes glistening, almost in tears. Then she nodded.

  Adam sighed. “Anyway, I should be getting home now.”

  “What?” Lorelei asked in surprise and quickly stepped closer to him. “I thought you would stay for a meal, you have to let me thank you in some way… please.”

  “It’s fine, really,” Adam said. “I just wanted to confirm that your kids came back.”

  “No… what about the book? Don’t you want it now?”

  Adam was a little surprised by the way she was looking at him, her bright blue eyes filled with immense gratitude, but also a trace of frustration because he wouldn’t let her do anything to thank him. Why did she want to so strongly? She’d been told that Julius saved the children—a lie, but she didn’t know any better—that was who she should feel thankful toward. Sure, she might feel some gratefulness because he’d tried to help her when no one else wanted to, but in the end he hadn’t found the children himself… Julius “did.”

  “Maybe another time, I need to get home and rest for a bit.”

  Lorelei hesitated for a moment, then nodded in acceptance. She walked him back to the door, but as they reached it, her hands hovered on the doorknob, as if a thought had just occurred to her. Adam was about to ask if she was alright, but he didn’t even get the chance as she spun around, away from the door and straight into his chest, wrapping her long arms around him in a warm embrace, holding on so tight as if she never meant to let go.

  “Thank you,” she said so quietly, her voice thick with emotion. “Truly… thank you so much, Adam. We are little more than strangers, yet you’ve done so much for me, more than I can ever hope to repay… more than I can ever thank you for.”

  The real, raw gratitude in her voice hit Adam a lot harder than he expected, he had to take a full minute to fully steady his thoughts, to remind himself to keep his arms at his sides, even though all he wanted to do was circle them around her trim waist and pull her even closer to him. She smelled wonderful—like earth and flowers—the same scent he’d noticed lingering in her room. Was that what she did? Was she some kind of gardener?

  And her body felt so full and warm beneath her dress…

  “I didn’t do anything,” Adam murmured. “Someone else found them.”

  Lorelei lifted her head from his chest and looked up at his face. Her exhaustion from the entire ordeal was palpable in her blue eyes, yet they still gleamed as brightly as he had ever seen them now that it was over. Her gentle face, golden-yellow hair, and foxlike ears gave her an almost otherworldly appearance. No, she really was a fantasy being. Her very existence still felt a little impossible to him. People like her didn’t exist on Earth.

  “Maybe you’re right,” she said in a soft, warm voice and raised her hand to gently touch his face. “But they’re not the one standing before me covered in bruises, they’re not the one who agreed to help me when I had nowhere else to turn to, despite being a new adventurer, and they’re not the one that gave me hope… that was you.”

  Adam didn’t have any response to that, and he wasn’t sure he could form one right now even if he tried. Lorelei’s hands were still on his bruised cheeks, her palms warm, her touch feather-light, as if she were afraid she might hurt him.

  Then, surprising him, she slowly rose onto her tiptoes and pressed a soft, gentle kiss to his lips. It wasn’t deep or lingering, just a light, warm touch of their lips, and it was over almost before he fully realized it happened. But it struck something inside him.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  When she pulled back, the tips of her ears flicked nervously, and she lowered herself back onto her heels, her gaze darting away. “I’m sorry,” she whispered in a voice trembling with embarrassment and sincerity. “I… I shouldn’t have done that. I just—” She shook her head slightly, unable to find the rest of the words. “I’m just… grateful. And relieved. And overwhelmed. And when I look at you, I… I don’t know how to say thank you properly.”

  “You don’t have to do that to thank me,” he said to her quietly.

  Lorelei hesitated. “I know that, I just…” She lowered her hand and nervously looked away from him again. “There were… other reasons beside just wanting to thank you.”

  So… she liked him? The thought raced over his mind. And the way she was looking at him sparked something in his mind. Adam finally made a move. He didn’t think or plan, he just stepped toward her, one hand sliding smoothly around her waist, the other catching her wrist gently before she could pull away. Lorelei gasped softly in surprise as he drew her back toward him.

  Then he kissed her… deeply.

  She melted into him almost instantly, her soft lips parting and her fingers clutching his shirt as if she’d been waiting for this moment. In two steps, Adam guided her backwards until her back met the door with a soft thud, then his hand slid to her side, her back, drifting lower to grab her soft bottom and she moaned against his mouth. Her body was so soft, so pliant, sinking gently under his palms. Adam didn’t give her a moment, his hands roaming over her entire body, feeling the warmth of her body through the dress she wore.

  Her breath hitched as one of his hands raised to cup her breast and her soft, fluffy tail curled around his leg in a reflex she probably didn’t even realize she had. Adam kissed her deeper, touched her more desperately, and her hips slowly began to grind against his groin, as if wishing there wasn’t all these clothes between them. He wished for the same.

  He lost himself in the pleasure of her body, and for a moment—just a moment—he forgot everything. Julius. The church. His priorities. His restraint. But before he could start tearing off her clothes, a loud thud echoed and his last bit of sense broke through his haze of lust—hers too it seemed—and she reacted far more quickly than he did, her eyes flying open as she tore her mouth from his in sudden panic to look at the stairs behind him.

  They had both forgotten about the kids in the home…

  Seeing that they weren’t being watched, Lorelei visibly relaxed. She didn’t give any sign that she wanted them to continue, perhaps fearing that they would lose themselves again, but she also didn’t push for them to separate. Their bodies stayed close together, his hands still resting on her waist, and their breathing came hard as they tried to recover.

  Lorelei blinked up at him after a moment, lips slightly parted, her cheeks still flushed a bright pink. Whether it was from forgetting about the kids or from what they’d just done, he couldn’t tell, but he found it utterly endearing. “Adam…” she paused, hesitating.

  “I’d like to continue this later,” he whispered gently.

  She hesitated again, biting her lips thoughtfully. Then, finally, a faint, bashful smile formed and she nodded slowly. “… Yes,” she murmured. “I’d like that, too.”

  He slowly let go of her and stepped back just enough to breathe, though part of him already missed having her in his arms. “I should leave,” he muttered.

  “I still wish you’d stay for lunch at least, you look so tired,” she said, finally pulling herself back together again. “I don’t want to send you home like this.”

  “I’ll be fine… you did a lot more than you think,” he replied in a playful voice.

  Lorelei blushed as she caught his meaning, then she gave a reluctant nod and opened the door for him to leave, saying thanks once more before finally waving him off.

  As Adam made his way to the inn, he thought longer about Lorelei, and where this thing growing between them might lead. He knew he was deeply attracted to her, and whenever he remembered how gentle and soft she was, he always felt this strong desire to protect and keep her safe. But despite how she affected him, nothing regarding his intention had changed. He still didn’t plan to have a relationship here. This world wasn’t his, settling down wasn’t an option. He had accepted that getting home might take some time, but that didn’t make it wise to sink roots he knew he’d have to tear up later. He would need to have a serious talk with Lorelei before they got any closer, to know what she expected.

  Adam also considered Katryn. He’d insisted that what happened between them was a one-time thing because of their circumstance, and she’d seemed to understand it. But how would she react if she found out about Lorelei? Would there be jealousy? Anger?

  And there was Elsa… he couldn’t guess what she felt about him.

  He exhaled and pushed the thoughts to the back of his mind. Not right now, he had more important things to focus on… he couldn’t spend time worrying over this.

  As Adam reached the inn, Katryn saw him first, and her eyes swelled with joy before she rushed out from the counter to hug him tight. Her mother followed more slowly behind her, but the old woman didn’t hug him, she just looked relieved he’d returned. He’d been gone for over a day, and he had expected them to be a little worried, but not to this extent.

  It seemed roots were already sinking, whether he wanted them to or not.

  At her mother’s instruction, Katryn brought him lunch, and they allowed him to eat before finally asking about what had happened. He didn’t try to keep it secret, he told them as much as he thought was necessary, that he’d been kidnapped, but he didn’t say by who, and what had led to it. He’d agreed with Elsa that there was no need for them to know what was really happening in the kingdom, how deeply rotten it was. The truth would only make them fearful of everything, when they could just continue living life as normal.

  Katryn watched him closely the whole time he spoke, probably connecting his injury from the other night to this kidnapping, and maybe even his visit to the church that first day. But she didn’t ask any questions, she just seemed truly relieved that he was safe.

  When he finished his story, they told him to rest and recover, not to bother with any chore for a while. And then surprising him even more, when he began heading to the stable, the old woman stopped him and offered one of the rooms in the inn. He refused at first out of concern for their business, but she’d insisted, saying he couldn’t be of use to her if he didn’t recover well. It was an excuse, he knew, but he didn’t refuse her kindness twice.

  He’d gotten used to sleeping on the hay, but nothing beat a warm bed.

  Katryn followed to show him the room, then she lingered in the doorway even after he stepped inside. “Adam… could we talk for a moment?” she asked.

  Adam hesitated. It wasn’t the request that surprised him, it was the tone of her voice, soft, nervous, almost afraid. He’d half expected her to ask more questions about what had happened, but it didn’t seem like that was where this was heading.

  “Sure,” he said and sat on the edge of the bed. “What did you want to talk about?”

  She stepped inside the room and closed the door behind her, not fully shutting it but enough to give them some privacy, then she sat in the chair across from him.

  “You scared us,” she said quietly. “Me, especially.”

  “I didn’t really plan on getting kidnapped.”

  “That’s not what I mean.” She shook her head and leaned forward. “I know this isn’t your home, but the way you act… like it’s you against the world, like everyone around you is an enemy… it’s a little hurtful. I’m not saying you should give us all your trust, but think of us as people who care about you at least. You never tell us where you go, what you do, you just disappear… only to come back hurt each time. I thought you were dead.”

  Adam sighed. This was exactly what he’d been trying to avoid. His first instinct was to tell her she shouldn’t care, that she should consider him as just another customer passing through the inn. But he bit back the instinct, cause he knew that it wasn’t true. Even he no longer felt like “just” another customer at the inn, though not exactly a friend either. It was like something just in between. And he understood where she was coming from about him disappearing and returning to the inn hurt. It had happened three times now. Truthfully, the fact that they hadn’t asked him to leave out of fear that he might drag the inn into whatever trouble he was involved in, revealed more about their character than words ever could.

  Adam released another breath and looked at Katryn, his expression serious. “I didn’t mean to make any of you feel that way,” he said quietly. “I’m sorry.”

  Katryn gave a nod then fell silent for a few seconds. When she opened her mouth to speak again, she hesitated, shifting in discomfort as her eyes flicked to the door.

  Adam caught everything and his eyes narrowed in suspicion. What was that about?

  “There’s something else…” she whispered slowly. “Something I did.”

  He frowned at hearing that. “What is it?”

  She still didn’t look at him, her hands were clenched, then she shook her head before she spoke, as if arguing herself first. “You should rest,” she muttered and quickly rose from the chair. “We… we can talk about it tonight. I’ll come when everyone’s asleep.”

  “Katryn—” Adam started to say.

  “Only to talk, I promise.” She met his eyes, but only for a second before she looked away again. “Just rest for now,” she said, gentler this time, then left the room.

  Adam watched the door for a moment, then he fell back onto the bed. He wanted to think about everything that had happened these past few days. It felt like it had been a long time since he’d simply sat in a place and thought things through, and there was so much he needed to consider; the new power he had, Julius, there was also the situation with Lorelei and Katryn. But as soon as his head hit the bed, exhaustion swallowed him whole.

  He shut his eyes and allowed himself to drift into slumber.

  Darkness claimed him quickly, but it wasn’t the kind that came with sleep. This felt wrong, unnatural. There was no ground beneath his feet, no sky above his head, not even the certainty of distance. It was just an endless expanse of blackness, like space at a glance, but nothing like it in truth. Space was empty, this was not. The darkness felt old, older than the world he knew, older than light, perhaps older than life itself. It wasn’t a place; it had presence. A slow awareness permeated everything, pressing against his thoughts, making his skin prickle as if he were standing too close to something vast and unseen.

  Adam understood then, with a cold, sinking certainty, the darkness wasn’t simply a thing he was inside of, it was alive, and it knew he was there. It was watching him.

  Not with eyes, there were none, but with something deeper. A vast attention focused entirely on him. He felt like a mote of dust caught in an immeasurable void, no, something even less significant. He couldn’t move, he couldn’t speak, all he could do was feel it, feel its curiosity. The presence wasn’t hostile, it wasn’t angry or cruel, it was just curious, like a behemoth that had found a mouse in its domain. Adam sensed its interest sweep over him, probing gently, almost cautiously, as if not wanting to break his mind.

  Suddenly, the vast presence began to recede, not vanishing, simply withdrawing its attention from him. The heavy pressure on his mind eased, but the sense of being observed remained, like a stubborn shadow that would never truly fade.

  Then, Adam gasped and suddenly jerked awake.

  His breathing came in sharp and frantic, and his head flung around wildly as if still expecting to be trapped in that darkness, in that thing. A flood of relief swept through him as he found himself still in his room, night had fallen inside, but it was his room. He buried his face in his hands, scrubbing roughly before exhaling a long, shaky breath. What the hell was that? A dream? No, it felt too real. Some kind of vision? What did it mean? Did it have something to do with his new power? Somehow, he felt that it did. Was it what had brought him here? Given him power? Had it shown itself because he’d used its power?

  The faintest creak of a door opening snapped him alert and his gaze shot forward to see Katryn slipping inside the room and slowly closing the door behind her. She walked to his bed on silent feet and sat beside him first, quickly adjusting to the dark.

  “I thought I’d have to wake you up, but doesn’t seem like that’ll be necessary,” she said almost silently. “Did something happen?”

  Adam shook his head before realizing it was a pointless gesture in the dark. “No, I just woke up,” he said calmly. “Thought I’d just be taking a little nap, didn’t expect to sleep into the night. Guess I must be more tired than I thought.”

  “You are, mother noticed. She plans a big breakfast for you tomorrow.”

  Adam sighed and flopped back onto the bed, forcing the strange experience with the dark presence to the back of his mind. He’d figure it out later, or he might not, this seemed like it could be out of his realm of understanding. He’d never felt this way about anything before in his life, that was the extent of how utterly impossible the experience had been.

  “She’s really kind. I’ll be sure to thank her.”

  “I told you before, she’s all bark and no bite,” Katryn said.

  The mattress dipped as she slowly lay down next to him, resting on her side, facing him. He could see her face faintly, but not her expression. He suspected this was the reason she’d put off the conversation she wanted them to have until now. She didn’t want him to see her nervousness? Fear? Guilt? Or was it something else entirely. Whatever the case, he decided that he wouldn’t bring it up first. He was curious of course, but she’d come to him about it, and she was clearly troubled by the issue. He wanted her take as long as she needed to prepare herself before talking, putting pressure on her might cause her to close up.

  A long moment of silence passed between them.

  Katryn drew a shaky breath. “About the other thing I wanted us to talk about,” she began slowly, hesitantly. “First, I… I owe you an apology. I did something terrible.”

  “What did you do?” Adam’s brow furrowed tightly.

  She swallowed hard, voice barely above a whisper. “I told Elsa about what happened between us. I told her everything… more than everything, I…lied.”

  Adam didn’t rush to respond, he just thought through her words first. He knew Elsa finding out about what had happened between him and Katryn might lead to problems, the girl was like her little sister, it was only natural that she would be protective of her. But why had Katryn told her? Was it just guilt? And how long ago had she told her? Elsa hadn’t acted any differently towards him, her kindness and care for him hadn’t changed. Did that mean she didn’t mind he and Katryn being together? And what was that about lying?

  “Why?” Adam asked first, deciding to go one question at a time.

  Katryn hesitated. “I… I wanted her back,” she muttered.

  Wanted her back? That didn’t make any sense to Adam. “What do you mean?”

  “Ever since you arrived here, the two of you have been together, going off and doing things in secret, growing closer. I see the way she looks at you… the way she never looks at me, and I feel this deep jealousy eating me from inside. I wanted it to stop, I wanted her to turn away from you. That night in the stable, when we slept together… I planned it all out. I used you to hurt her as as she was hurting me… I wanted you apart.”

  Adam heard everything she said, but his utter and complete attention was stuck on only one thing… the way Elsa looked at him. Did that mean what it sounded like? That Elsa had feelings for him? He’d considered the possibility before, but had quickly brushed it off as a delusional hope. Elsa seemed too perfect, untouchable, she was a Gold-Rank knight with the kind of beauty that would put the best-paid supermodels on Earth to shame.

  The idea that she might have feelings for him—a random, suspicious stranger who’d suddenly appeared in the kingdom with absolutely nothing to his name but his name, who was also younger than her—was too far-fetched to consider, so he hadn’t considered it. He never thought of her in the way he did Katryn or Lorelei. She seemed so unattainable that his mind failed to even see her in any sexual light, despite her stunning beauty.

  But if what Katryn was saying was right… Elsa did like him.

  “I didn’t know that Elsa…” Adam hesitated.

  Katryn nodded. He saw the gesture just faintly, “She has feelings for you.”

  “And that night…” He continued, his mind now settled enough to address the other part of her confession. “Everything was part of a plan—your plan, to ruin it.”

  “I’m sorry… I’m so sorry,” she muttered, shifting on the bed as if wanting to shrink in on herself to escape the overwhelming guilt she was probably feeling.

  Adam said nothing for a second. “I see.”

  “Do… you hate me?” she asked, her voice almost lost in the dark.

  Adam heard the fear in her voice as she asked the question, and it made him hesitate, to really think twice before giving his answer. Whatever he said this night would more than likely change their relationship for a long time. Honestly, he didn’t know what to feel about the situation. He hadn’t once believed that Elsa might have feelings for him, so he couldn’t hate Katryn for ruining something that hadn’t been in the process of starting, something he didn’t even know was possible. There was no arguing that it was a screwed up thing to do, and it revealed a devious part of her character, but the fact that she was so ridden with guilt to come confessing to him was also a sign of some decency in her.

  Also, she never intended to cause him harm, and her actions had been driven purely by jealousy, not malice or hatred. All of that made it easier to accept without bearing a deep grudge. It was wrong, but he could understand why she had done it. People did all kinds of things for love, he just had to chalk this up as one of them. Still, that didn’t mean he planned to simply forget the lie and manipulation, it was filed away in his mind now, as proof that she was capable of something like this… it was something he would always remember.

  “I don’t hate you,” Adam finally answered, his voice quiet. “But if there’s someone you have to worry about, it’s Elsa. You have to tell her what you did… and apologize.”

  “I know,” she replied. “But I’m afraid. I really hurt her.”

  “All the more reason to apologize,” Adam said. “I don’t think she’ll hate you.”

  “Perhaps not,” Katryn replied in a small, hesitant voice, not even slightly lifted by his words. “But I broke her trust, it will take an eternity to regain… if I ever do.”

  Somehow, he got the sense that trust was a really big deal to Elsa…

  “You and I… are we fine? Truly?” Katryn asked.

  Adam took a breath, deciding to be honest with her. “I don’t hate you, Kat,” he said first to reassure her. “But you lied, and you used me. That isn’t going to just erase.”

  “Not everything was a lie…” she said in a soft, almost pleading tone and laid so still on the bed. “I really like you Adam, that part was… is real. I don’t mind if you already like someone else, and I’m not asking you to feel the same… I just want you to know.”

  Adam frowned in confusion. “Me? What about Elsa?”

  “My feelings for her still remain,” Katryn said, then hesitated. “After what I did, I know forgiveness is more than I deserve. Still, if I can hope for anything, it’s to be in both your lives someday… if you’ll allow it.”

  What was she saying? She wanted the three of them to be together? Was that normal in this world? He’d never had one proper relationship with a girl before, what Katryn was suggesting made his head spin. Still though, he couldn’t say the idea of being with both her and Elsa didn’t appeal to his lustful side. But would Elsa agree? Would she want something like that? And there was Lorelei, would she also want that? The last thing he expected in this world was to be caught up in a romance web… no, this wasn’t even a romance web, it was closer to building a harem… however, he wasn’t appalled by the thought.

  He wasn’t… not in the least.

  “One thing at a time,” Adam murmured. “… one thing at a time.”