“I’m surprised you didn’t see her on your way back,” Eve says.
“If it’s important, she’ll return,” I say, turning to the table as I reach for the pair of daggers I tucked into the bag.
Truth be told, I’d rather her not return even if it is.
I’ve not the time or mental wherewithal to argue with a past lover over things wholly unrelated to the task at hand.
Wrapping the belt around my hip, I move toward the open veranda. It’s still raining, harder than before, and the curtains billow with the warm breeze. Warm summer nights here, while Erus sits under a shining blanket of snow.
Part of me wonders what the demons here think of the realm. Are they as enthralled or enamored as I am? Do they, too, stare at the night sky? Does Druka?
There’s a whole conversation hanging over Druka and I—one that will eventually need to take place. And despite having nearly two centuries to think on what happened, the way things ended, I still don’t know what to say.
Were she to blame me for everything, I’d understand. Seeing her again dredges up thoughts and feelings I’ve tried to forget. Guilt and shame. I loved her for what she was, knowing we were bound to fail.
Strong arms drape over my shoulders and tuck me against a firm chest. Curling into Ryc’s embrace, I let my head fall to the side, resting against his arm.
“Where does your mind wander, little love?” he asks, his voice gentle.
I heave a sigh, my lips becoming a tight line.
I’m not doing that again. I’m not going to make the same mistakes. Not this time. Not with Ryc. He’s neither Kassil nor Druka.
“To a past serving as a reminder,” I answer quietly.
Pitching myself slightly, I peer at the table, and find it empty. Both Cyran and Eve gone.
“They’re in the hall,” Ryc says, resting his cheek against the top of my head. “I asked for a moment with you.”
A moment of closeness before we’re separated—potentially forever.
He curls himself around me as I curl my fingers aroundhis arm, tucking them beside my chin.
“I don’t know how this will unfold,”his gentle voice unfurls in my mind.“Not knowing. It’s killing me. I’ve only just found you again, and now there’s chance of losing you?”
The worry in his last few words is enough to tear holes through my heart. My grip tightens as I fix my stare through the curtains into the night.
“I wish I could tell you… what the outcome will be.”I melt into him, absorbing as much of his touch as I can.“I wish I knew how this will change me.”
Change me, change us, change our lives.
“That doesn’t matter,”he says, giving me a firm but gentle squeeze.“We’re all bound to change… in one way or another. I promise to love each iteration of you.”
If the fae is seeking to turn my heart bloodied, he’s succeeding.
“I do not deserve you,”I reply and my jaw tightens.“But I promise to try to.”
Ryc chuckles, shifting to press a kiss against my temple.“I’d much rather you promise to return to me. Let me show you how wrong you are. Let me spend eternity showing you.”
Shifting in his embrace, I turn to face him, and he rests his brow against mine.
“Eternity,” I whisper.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
Hundreds of blackdots haloed in red light hang overhead.
The ceiling of the ritual sanctum lies dark stories above, the stained glass dome impossible to discern against the darkened night sky beyond. The cold and unyielding obsidian beneath me proves a less than comfortable place to lie, even with the padding of my armor.
