I tried to nod, and waited for Sean to close the balcony door before I sobbed again. Pulling the scabbard from my belt, I clutched it to my heart, my tears rolling down the leather, making the sun and moon shine.
“Partner.”Rhyan snuck up behind me.
“Thank the Gods! You’re back,” I said.
“Mmmmhhhhmmm,” he murmured against my skin, his arms wrapping around me from behind. “I got some more materials for Meera’s soturion uniform. And I brought back more food for you both. I filled two bags with it. She’s currently chopping everything up for dinner.”
I leaned back against him, letting him take my weight, reveling in the sturdy feel of his body against mine. Of the strength he projected. The strength I felt just being near him. His skin was still chilled from being out all day on patrol in the Glemarian mountains. But I could feel him warming against me, taking on my heat. He tightened his hold on me, our bodies pressed together.
“I thought you’d come home sooner,”I said, my voice hushed.
“I’m sorry, I wanted to.”
“No trouble out there?” I asked.
“No. None.” His lips skimmed along the side of my neck, leaving small shivers running down my spine. They moved lower, growing warmer, down to my belly, between my legs. “Other than …” He grinned, and I could feel the movement, feel his lips turn up. It made me smile in turn. “I missed you,” he said, and brushed his nose against my skin, inhaling deeply. Rhyan pressed a kiss to that very spot at the base of my neck, and then my shoulder, as his fingers moved in lazy circles over my belly.
“I missed you, too,” I said, and turned in his arms, our lips meeting.
“Mmmmm,” he hummed against my mouth. Then kissed the corner of my lips, squeezing his arms tightly around me. “I got you something,” he said, pulling back. He offered a sort of shy smile, like he was embarrassed by the offering. But then he reached behind his back, and placed it in my hands. A black leather scabbard—the kind used to hold staves. “It’s not much, but I saw this and I, well?—”
“I love it,” I said, stroking the leather. It was already soft and worn, and the perfect size to fit Asherah’s stave. “It looks just like your old armor, especially with the sigil.”
Rhyan was still smiling shyly. “They didn’t have any with sigils for Ka Batavia.”
“I don’t care about that. I love this one. It reminds me of you.” I wrapped my arms around him, kissing him again. “Rhyan, it’s perfect. Thank you.”
“Check inside,” he said, opening it for me. The letters L.B. had been painted in gold. “I had it personalized.” He kissed my forehead. “I wanted it to feel like yours.”
My heart swelled. How did this man always know exactly what to do, what to say? What I needed?
He pushed my hair behind my ears, his palms cupping my cheeks. “I know the last few days have been rough. Since theAllurian Pass.” He shook his head, and smiled ruefully. “I just … I wanted to do something to make you smile.”
The memory faded, and I cried even harder, remembering Rhyan’s lips on my skin. His soft touch. His thoughtfulness. I missed him. I missed everything about him. Being able to whisper secrets to him when we were alone, knowing that no matter what I told him, however awful or embarrassing, he never judged me. He just listened, and he understood. Loving me, and always, always protecting me …
“You swore, Lyr. You swore you’d make the pain go away. You swore no one else would hurt me. You lied.”
My vision blurred, the tears like an avalanche.
The balcony doors reopened, the sound mixing with the wind blowing through my hair. Seraphim birds chirped in the distant sky. And a few yards away, children were laughing. Playing. Being called inside now that it was dark. They had no idea. No idea the world was falling apart.
Sean stepped back onto the balcony with Branwyn, and this time, their arms were full. Between the two of them, they held a green blanket, a silver tray with a clear jug of water, and a decanter of something golden. Whisky perhaps. Several glasses balanced on the tray. There was also a second platter, this one filled with food.
“I’m really not hungry,” I said weakly. They’d loaded the tray with far more than I could ever attempt to eat, revealing even more. There was a fresh loaf of bread with several dips, a bowl of nuts, some slices of cake—chocolate. Beside that there were pistachio cookies, hard-boiled eggs, as well as two bowls of fruit, one full of melons, the other berries.
“That’s all right,” Sean said. “There’s no requirement to. But it’s here if you want it. If you change your mind.”
Branwyn handed the blanket to me and squeezed my shoulder. “I’ll be just inside. Call out to me if you need anything, Lady Lyriana. Anything at all. You let me know.”
I nodded. “Thank you.”
“Oh,” she said, “And, um, I wanted to thank you for the warning about my grandparents.”
I sat up. “Cal and Marisol? Are they okay?” I blinked rapidly. “Did you hear from them? Any word about my friends, my family?”
Branwyn frowned. “No, I’m sorry—we don’t know their current whereabouts. I’ll let Sean fill you in on what’s happened. Your friends and family evacuated the inn before the Emperor’s soturi arrived. Cal and Marisol didn’t have any more information than that. They were already gone when I called, and in the process of getting everyone out as a precaution. They thank you for the warning and for trying to help.”
“But they’re safe,” I said, like I was trying the words on—remembering that not everyone had been damned. Not yet. Though a part of me, a part getting louder, was starting to hear the words she wasn’t saying. That there was danger. And the fates of my loved ones were unknown. “If you hear anything else, Branwyn, from your grandparents, or if they know anything about my friends, will you tell me?”
