Sons of Lyra: Runaway Hearts Read Online Free PDF Page B

back of it, his legs crossing.

    His eyes flicked to
her.

    “ I thought we
could have a drink... it’s a wonderful spirit. It will settle both
our stomachs and help the time pass more quickly.” She gave him a
coy smile, fluttering her lashes a little to lure him in. She felt
like adding that she’d been trained well by her family. She knew
the best wines and spirits, and how to check the quality of most
foods in the galaxy.

    He looked over his
shoulder, out of the window.

    What had happened to the
man from earlier? He was different now. There was such confidence
about him, such power. His quiet reserve and air made her feel as
though she was nothing more than a servant girl, vying for his
attention. Why had he changed? The man in front of her now showed
no trace of the excitement and fear she’d sensed earlier. She
didn’t know which she preferred—the confident dashing man, or the
naive handsome one.

    This one felt more
dangerous.

    She felt as though she
couldn’t deceive him, no matter how much alcohol was
involved.

    She felt attracted to
him.

    She gathered her scattered
feelings and opened the dark blue bottle. She kneeled on the floor
while she poured the ruby red liquid into the two small glasses and
then rose to her feet with little effort and all the grace of her
training. He was watching her. She could sense his interest. He
wasn’t curious. He wasn’t intrigued by the drink. All that interest
was directed at her. She sat softly next to him at an angle with
her knees close to his. She placed her drink down on the table and
offered his to him, holding it by the rim with two fingers and
touching the bottom of it with two fingers of her other hand as she
presented it.

    He stared at it and then
at her. She held her smile, extending the drink towards
him.

    His fingers brushed hers
as he took it, sending a shiver through her that she couldn’t
ignore. She turned away to conceal her blush and picked up her own
glass.

    Facing him again, she
raised her glass and knocked it against his.

    “ To running
away,” she said and a flicker of surprise crossed his face and then
disappeared again.

    It hadn’t been hard to
figure out. She was running away after all. It was easy to spot
someone doing the same.

    He eyed the drink, sniffed
it as though checking to see whether it was poisoned, and then
knocked it back in one go. She watched him closely. He didn’t even
flinch. She drank hers, letting it ease down her throat and
enjoying the hot burning trail that followed it. Her head felt a
little lighter.

    She picked up the plate of
food—small titbits of various meats and pastries. She offered it to
him. He declined so she helped herself. It was hard to eat
delicately when she was hungry and was trying to get enough food in
her stomach to stop the spirit from knocking her out.

    Her eyes widened in
surprise when he leaned forwards, uncrossed his legs and shifted to
the edge of the seat. He refilled their glasses.

    “ Minervan, I
presume. It tastes much like Koji.” He held the glass out to her.
She went to take it but he moved it out of her reach. His gaze
burned her as he raked it over her, from her eyes down to her knees
and back again. She swallowed and blinked slowly. He was more
universe-wise than she’d given him credit for. He knew it was Koji.
“They call it Koji for a reason. Do you know what that reason
is?”

    She shook her head. She
did know, but she wasn’t about to make him suspicious by admitting
it.

    “ Koji means
death in Minervan. They say it’s so strong that it has been the
death of men... and women.” He offered it to her again, and again
moved it out of her reach when she tried to take it. “Come, let me
serve it to you in a very Minervan way.”

    There was a hint of
darkness and anger in his voice. She hoped he didn’t suspect what
she was up to. He shouldn’t be so disturbed to find a popular
Minervan drink on a Minervan ship, heading to a Minervan space
station. She was