The reality of the situation slams into me, into my heart, making itself a veryrealandimminentthing. It’s no longer some far off concept talked about in brief anticipation.
This is happening.
It’s happening because I’ve chosen it.
With this, Ryc and I will bemarried.
No barter.
No contract.
Nothingforced.
Everythingchosen.
Were the hells to learn I left them forthis… they’d never understand. How could they? Demons don’tlove.
“Little love,”Ryc’s voice unfurls in my mind.
Startled, my fingers fumble, snapping the box shut.
“How goes today’s lesson?”
I turn my gaze to Lilith’s empty seat.
“It’s been… illuminating,”I reply.
His amusement curls through our bond.“When you’re finished, I’d like to see you.”
Shoving the box back into my boot, I stand from my seat.“Yes, I’d like that too. We’re finishing up now. Find me in the arboretum.”
?????????????
The decadent scent of smoky saffron reaches me long before Ryc does thanks to the spelled warm breeze pulling through the trees. It sets my heart racing.
Leaning against the stone railing of the small footbridge, I peer past the box in my hands to the waters below. Several shiny-scaled fish circle under me—shimmering shades of blue, orange, purple, and red waver across the water’s surface.
The pull in my chest grows taut and straightening myself, I find Ryc stepping onto the bridge. His eyes lock with mine as I turn.
“How are you feeling?” he asks quietly.
Birds chirp and sing in the trees above as he waits for my answer.
“Fine,” I answer, but my regret is instant. I shake my head. “No. Not fine. Worried.”
His brows crease as he approaches.
“Have you met with the council?” I ask.
“I have,” he answers with a slow nod. “And they’re not going to permit us entry to Illa Ysari. Not before we ascend.”
He stops before me, leaning a hip against the railing. The disappointment on his face clear.
“Even with Rowen?”
“Even with Rowen, Fenryn, and Darin, it wasn’t enough,” he says, his chest rising with a deep inhale. “So, I’m working on other arrangements.”
“Other arrangements?” I repeat, both confused and concerned.
