His head tips back on another laugh. I wonder if he feels the same way I do. Almost delirious, sat at this table with laughter echoing around us. As if it cannot be real.
Callan’s face softens. He shifts, tucking me into him, his lips to the side of my head.
We both notice our silent, avid audience at the same time.
“Ugh,” Rio mutters. His finger waves toward Sol and Matthias. “They’re going to be just as bad as you two.”
“People can onlyaspireto be like us,” Matthias says loftily. He lounges back against Sol, using his chest as a rest and looking up at him. “One day, when all of our souls are in Ellas and our merry band is trapped together for eternity, the Travelers will tell tales of our love around the hearth of Asteria. You wait and see.”
“I do not doubt it,” Sol says quietly. Mattias beams up at him.
“Only after dark, though.” Rio snickers into his hand. Merrick coughs, and he glances at Leo’s wide eyes as Esme chokes down a laugh of her own. “Um… never mind.”
My smile doesn’t fade as I lean back, Callan’s arm a comfortable resting place. It’s surprisingly addictive. There’s a comfort in the air that didn’t exist onVolatus. The strain, maybe, of the pretium, and not everyone being there.
Matthias’s hand bangs on the table when I stand, helping Rio clear the wooden bowls. Merrick takes them from me at thesmall, cluttered sideboard with a small smile, tilting his head. “Go and sit down. There aren’t enough nights like this. We should enjoy them.”
I slip back into my seat as Matthias gets to his feet. His arm sweeps out. “And now, there shall be singing.”
“Absolutely not.” Esme snorts, clapping her hand over her mouth and waving at him to sit down. Leo’s eyes slowly widen, as if in horror. “Solomon, you know what to do. Rio, get the vihuela. Selene, can you sing?”
I shake my head. “I was told as a child I could shatter windows.”
Everyone winces. All eyes turn to Sol, and he glowers. “No.”
Voices chorus in disappointment. Matthias sighs. “My love. You must answer the call, since nobody wants to hear my voice. I’m the last stand. Don’t inflict that on everyone.”
I offer him a smile. “Perhaps we could duet, if Sol refuses.”
His laugh shakes the whole table. “Part of me hopes he says no, just so we can make that happen.”
Rio’s fingers glide along the instrument. His voice softens, almost coaxing. “Come on, Solemn-one. It’s been ages.”
Esme chokes. Silence echoes.
And then I watch with wide eyes as the whole table erupts inhowls. Sol throws a forgotten wooden spoon at Rio with a snarl in his throat. It bounces off his forehead, but he only laughs harder.
Esme wipes tears from her eyes before she glances at Sol’s face, only to collapse again.
Callan leans in to explain, his whole body shaking. “Sol has aparticulardislike for that nickname. It was a favorite of ours when we were children. He was always so serious.”
Matthias swipes his hands down his face, forcing out a breath before he fixes Sol with a pleading expression. “Please.”
Sol’s face wavers. “No.”
“For me?” Sol hesitates.
“I’ll do thething,” Matthias whispers, almost under his breath. Esme guffaws, and he elbows her, still grinning.
Sol rolls his eyes. But the thin line of his mouth softens as they exchange glances. “Fine. One song.”
Cheers ring out. Callan’s hand claps against the table as he leans back, his arm leaning around the back of my chair. He’s grinning, his whole body relaxed. “I’m sorry. We get a little overexcited when we’re all together.”
“Without the life-or-death situation,” Esme adds. “Doesn’t happen often.”
“No,” Callan says softly. “It does not. Not nearly enough.”
I feel a small head against my arm. Leo leans against me, and I shift until I can lift my arm in silent invitation. He pulls his stool closer until he’s a warm bundle curled against my side, and we wait.
