She murmured an apology for waking him, but he only huffed and closed his eyes again. She stood there, with widened eyes, not knowing what to do or where to go. Bethan thought it’d be weird if she left the apartment without telling him; she also didn’t want to face her nosy roommates or deal with Agatha, likely telling Tharin that she slept over at his house. Even though nothing happened between them, Tharin and Agatha would assume.

It wasn’t until Lupo jumped on top of him and licked his face that Kellan had woken up.

She wanted to laugh, but she feared that would make her head hurt even more.

‘You fell asleep while I read to you, and I didn’t want to wake you or the girls, so I just put you on the bed. The couch would have been too uncomfortable,’ he explained.

She thawed.

Warm.

She felt warm.

The couch would have been too uncomfortable for her but likely backbreaking for him. Her heart dropped. The whole reason she came over was to comfort him, not the other way around. Kellan appeared to be anything but selfless.

Yet, the previous night flashed before her; he read her to sleep, carried her to bed. And would jump to defend her against any threat.

No—

She wouldn’t let whatever she was feeling for him in. She couldn’t afford to. The utter mess and heartbreak that would come out of it would be devastating. After all, once the grimoire was found, she would never see him again. He will return to Zakros and likely become some revered war general, and she would return to being a boring, mousy historian.

She shook her head. Why was she even thinking about this? It’s not like they were pursuing each other.

They were friends.

Nothing else.

He led her to his kitchen, where she was shocked to find Poe sitting by the fridge waiting obediently next to Lupo.

‘How?’ she questioned, staring down at her cat.

Kellan shrugged. ‘I would tell you, but I don’t even know myself; Lupo must have found a way to let him in.’

‘What a capable dog.’

Kellan laughed. ‘You know, I think he can understand what I am saying. And I’m not talking about sit or stay. Sometimes, when I talk about politics or bitch about Sabien, he nods along like he is listening.’

‘It’s really adorable that you talk to your dog about politics.’

Kellan rolled his eyes. ‘I didn’t have many people who went out of their ways to talk to me in Zakros.’

She nudged his shoulder; those green eyes flicked to her.

‘You can talk to me now,’ she said.