Defying the Lycan King (Kira and Derek) novel Chapter 55

Chapter 55: Catching up with Kai

The late afternoon sun slanted across the courtyard of the main mansion, turning the charcoal stone paths to warm slate and catching the spray from the central fountain in a fine, glittering mist.

It was Saturday, and Kira had wandered out here alone to take some fresh air, since Derek was all holed up in his office, buried in work, and she didn’t have anyone else to speak to. She sat on the wide lip of the fountain, her slippers abandoned beside her, and bare feet dangling in the cool water. Her toes traced lazy circles, sending gentle ripples across the surface. In her lap, her diary lay open. She had written the name "CLAIRE" in bold capital letters, circling it so many times.

She was only half conscious of her surroundings, because most of her thoughts kept drifting back to the same thought: Who was Claire? And why had that woman called her by that name?

She had returned to the same shopping centre twice since that odd encounter, but the woman had vanished without a trace. With a soft sigh, she added a large question mark beside the circled name and sucked her teeth in frustration, narrowing her eyes at the page.

A shadow suddenly fell across the page.

"Well, well," came a warm, amused voice. "If it isn’t the Queen who’s managed to steal my cousin’s heart and half his sanity in record time."

Kira looked up, startled, then broke into an involuntary smile when she saw Kai standing a few steps away, arms folded, that trademark mischievous grin already in place. He wore a casual linen shirt, sleeves rolled to the elbows, dark jeans, and looked far too comfortable for someone who technically wasn’t even living in the palace of Dravengard.

"Kai," she said, closing her diary. "I didn’t know you were still here."

"Officially, I’m ’consulting on security upgrades.’" He unfolded his arms and strolled closer, dropping down to sit on the fountain edge beside her, close enough that their shoulders almost brushed, but not so close she felt crowded. "Unofficially, I’m avoiding my own pack because my mother keeps asking when I’m going to settle down and give her grandbabies. Figured I’d rather annoy Derek than endure another lecture about legacy."

Kira laughed despite herself, the sound surprising her. It had been days since anything felt light enough to laugh at. Kai had always been nice to her, but they had never had a proper conversation.

"Poor you," she teased. "Trapped between a rock and a hard place. Or should I say between a mother and a cousin who looks at you like he’s calculating how much force it would take to throw you off the nearest balcony?"

Kai clutched his chest in mock offence. "You wound me, Your Highness. I’m delightful company. Everyone says so."

"Everyone except Derek, apparently."

"Especially Derek," he agreed cheerfully. "Which is why I like you already. Anyone who can make His Grace scowl harder than usual has my eternal respect."

He dipped his fingers into the fountain water and flicked a few droplets at her, grinning when she yelped and swatted at him.

"Oi!" Kira laughed again, flicking water back. "I’m trying to have a dignified moment of reflection here."

"Dignified?" Kai raised both brows. "You’re sitting barefoot in a fountain, annoying Derek as much as you can, singing ’Sweet but Psycho’ at the top of your lungs at twelve in the morning. Dignity left the building a few weeks ago, darling."

Her cheeks heated at the reminder of that night a few weeks ago. "You heard about that?"

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