“Well, that was interesting,” Lydia said as she pulled out of Kira’s driveway.
“For you, maybe. I seem to have a gift for getting under his skin.”
Lydia laughed. “Better you than me. Who do you think he’s been practicing on all these years?”
“At least you didn’t scratch the crap out of his back. He won’t even let me heal it.”
Lydia took her eyes off the road and glanced at Kira, then looked back with a smirk.
“What?” Kira asked.
“Oh, nothing.”
Kira poked Lydia on the arm. “Tell me. Did he say something to you about his scratches?”
“He didn’t have to. But the fact that he won’t let you heal them speaks volumes.”
“Well, not to me,” Kira said. “Is he still mad and planning to get even or something?”
“Not hardly. It’s an animal thing—like when a dog marks his territory.”
This time, Kira laughed. “Dogs pee to mark their territory.”
“Okay, so that was a bad example, but the truth is, I think he likes that you’re the one that gave him those scars and he’s wearing them with pride.”
“In your dreams, maybe. He hates me.”
Lydia pulled into the parking lot and shut off the engine. She turned so Kira could see her face clearly. “He cares about you. He has for quite some time.”
A little swarm of butterflies took up residence in Kira’s stomach and began to flutter around. He likes me? “But he’s only known me for a few days. How could he like me?”
“That’s not true. He’s known you as long as I have.”
Kira hadn’t thought about that. “But we’ve never met.”
“Well, actually . . .” Lydia bit her bottom lip. “You’ve met, he just . . .” She paused for a moment and then whispered, “He made you forget.”
“What?” Kira felt the blood drain from her face. They’d messed with her memory and she had no idea? It certainly explained why Octavion’s face seemed so familiar to her. He’d obviously left some image of him in the back of her mind. “How . . . how many times has he done that to me?”
Lydia avoided her eyes.
“How many times? I want to know.”
Lydia brought her head up and looked at Kira with a guilt-stricken expression. “Just one other time, but it was my fault, not his.”
“What exactly did I . . . forget?”
“I tried to tell you about myself once, but Octavion found out. He said it was too dangerous, so—he erased it from your memory.”
“And that’s the only other time? You swear?”
“Yes.”
“Well, don’t do that again. Not unless I know first and say it’s okay.”
Lydia nodded. Then she flashed her crooked smile. “I really am sorry.”
Kira shook her head and smiled back. “You better be.” It was impossible to stay mad at Lydia for very long. She had this uncanny way of making things seem okay. “So tell me something,” Kira said. “If he likes me so much, why is he always mad at me? I mean, you said he wanted me dead.”
“Kira. I didn’t say he wanted you dead. I said he thought you’d die. There’s a big difference.”
“Not to me,” Kira said. “He didn’t seem to have any problem asking me to wear the Crystor, or wanting me to give my life to save yours. That doesn’t sound like someone who cares about me.” Her stomach twisted into a knot.
Lydia sighed. “He gave his word to protect me. He honors that above everything, even his feelings for you. It isn’t the first time he’s sacrificed his happiness for my safety, and I doubt it will be the last.” She found Kira’s eyes. “You don’t know how hard it was for him to watch you in pain. If he could have taken your place, he would have.”
Kira thought for a moment. “Okay, so that explains the wanting me dead part, but why is he always so angry? His temper sucks.”
Lydia smiled. “How would you feel if you liked someone, knew everything about them and wanted a relationship with them, but they didn’t know you even existed? You’d be pretty frustrated, too.”
“Well, that’s not my fault. Why take it out on me?”