Chapter 43

Zavian didn’t seem inclined to fill the quiet. He simply sipped at his tea while eyes remained locked on her face in a way that made Emmeline feel utterly pinned in place.

“You don’t talk much,” she finally ventured in a feeble attempt to dispel some of the heaviness that had settled over them.

One of Zavian’s dark brows inched upward in a silent prompt for her to continue, though he didn’t offer any verbal response.

“You don’t speak unless it’s necessary or useful to speak.”

Zavian’s head tilting ever so slightly to the side in a subtle gesture of arrogance that somehow suited him perfectly. “Good brevity makes sense,” he stated at last.

Emmeline couldn’t resist letting out a bright peal of laughter at that. “I didn’t realize I was sitting with Socrates!” she teased, grinning at him from across the table.

Rather than taking offense at her gentle ribbing, a look of wicked amusement seemed to glint in the depths of Zavian’s eyes. “I don’t like usin