Adrian pulled the chair closer to the bed. He sat down, arms crossed over his chest, his gaze lingering on Veleria’s tattered shirt. The few times Arthur tried to get blood from her it had ended in disaster.
This girl is going to get your ass killed.
Squeezing his eyes shut, Adrian tried to shake the thought off him. He opened them the moment Veleria spoke up.
“Do you ever dream of past events?” She asked him.
Weird question. Had she even realized what she’d done? Adrian looked away from her, brows knit while an awkward smile pulled at his lips.
“No, but I don’t really get dreams. Too conked from the booze most of the time.”
“Is that intentional?”
His smile faltered. Exhaling harshly through his nostrils, the man scratched his head somewhat vigorously, and then left his palm against the back of his neck. When he peeked back at her through the side of his eye, the intensity of her stare nearly caused him to jump.
“We all have things we want to forget, Veleria. What the hell are you reliving, anyway?” He lowered his hands to his open lap and turned back to face her. She remained locked on him for a while, but as she mulled over the question in her head, her golden gaze drifted downward.
As terrifying as he often found them, it was frustrating how beautiful he found Veleria’s eyes. They were so alien. So captivating. Dangerous, was the word.
—your ass killed.
Veleria looked ahead of her.
“Something that is mine and not mine,” she said, causing Adrian to blink.
“You wanna elaborate on—?”
“It’s like I’m living through my own life, but I know it isn’t mine. I grew up in some dingy shithole. Both my parents are dead. They defaulted on their debts, and I ran the hell away before they could sell me off. Can’t say I’m sad they got their comeuppance.” She scrunched her eyes closed, her fingers squeezing her glabella. “What I am not is a fucking puppet tyrant.”
Adrian just stared at her.
“I can tell myself all this but it still feels like it’s me.” Veleria shook her head, then blinked a few times following an audible sigh. “Adrian, do you know where Kusavah is?”
After a moment of thought, Adrian lowered his brow.
“It’s gone, I’m pretty sure.”
“Gone? What do you mean?” Veleria turned to him.
“Wiped off the map gone. I want to say it was referenced in one of Althalos Cromwell’s books? He wrote a frankly insane amount of history tomes, given he’s well over a millennium old.”
Adrian tapped his foot with minor impatience. He didn’t realize he was doing it.
“The…who?” Veleria cocked her head to the side, clearly confused.
Grimacing, he told her. His foot hit the floor a little harder.
“A fucking lich. Old as shit, utterly ridiculous, asks for complete nonsense half the time—“
“You don’t seem to like him.” Veleria smirked, righting her head.
Adrian shot her a look.
“I fucking hate him, Veleria.”
“He sounds like he’d be useful to me, though.” She said, winking in his direction.
“Let’s just start with the elves first,” Adrian groaned.