It wasn’t long. It held no pertinent information. But the words enclosed in that letter meant more to him than anything else.
With a smile firmly in place, Daemon refolded the parchment and placed it in the drawer that held all their other letters. He wanted to get back to Lyndaria by the end of the week, and he needed to set things into motion for that to happen. With renewed determination, he pushed up from the bed and headed into his bathing chamber.
A soft snore greeted him as he stepped into his sitting room, Yvaine and Sariah still prone on his couch from where he’d left them the night prior. With a shake of his head, Daemon crossed the space to his desk and set a summons to the kitchen, asking for breakfast and coffee for three to be brought to his suite.
Within minutes there was a knock at the door. Yvaine groaned and mumbled, “Go away,” as she attempted to rotate on the cushions but fell to the floor instead.
“Oh, good. You’re up,” Daemon said, not even attempting to hide the humor in his voice or his smile as he sipped casually from his mug.
“Why are you in my roo—This isn’t my room, is it?”
“Afraid not.”
With an aggravated puff of air, she blew away the hair that had fallen in her face, her eyes flicking to the cup in Daemon’s hand. “Coffee?”
“Always. There’s some for you, too, if you get up.”
Begrudgingly pushing up from the floor, Yvaine shuffled to the tray on Daemon’s desk. She sidled up next to him by the windows with a cup of coffee in one hand and berries in the other.
“I need you to leave for the islands today,” he said without turning in her direction.
“I thought as much.” She popped a red berry into her mouth, then took a sip of her coffee. “What are you going to do?”
“I think it’s time Father and I had a talk,” he answered through clenched teeth, his hand tightening around the bowl of his mug. The thought of having a conversation with the man who’d bargained him off to marry Davina made his stomach turn, but he wanted to…neededto understand why.
Yvaine blew out a breath through pursed lips, then raised her cup in salute. “May the Goddess be with him.”
Turning toward his sister, Daemon raised his brows in question. “Withhim?”
“Well, yeah. I sure as hell wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of your anger. You’re literally grinding your teeth right now at the thought of it; I can see the muscles in your jaw flexing.” She blew out a sharp breath through her nose. “Father’s not going to stand a chance.” She popped another berry into her mouth, chewing thoughtfully. “Just try and keep the shadows under control, okay? No repeats of the marketplace. I won’t be here to sing you back into your right mind.”
Daemon chuckled. “I’ll do my best.” After a brief pause, he asked, “Are you going to bring her with you?”
“Who? Ri?” Yvaine’s shoulders drooped when he nodded, and she directed her attention back out the windows. The silence drug on as she took leisurely sips from her mug until finally, she said, “I don’t know. Things are…complicated right now. We’re together, but nottogether.If that makes sense.”
“It does,” he said, taking a swig from his mug. He knew—better than he would have liked—how true that statement could be. He and Auraelia had onlyjustcome out on the other side of that situation, and he hated that his sister was suffering from the same. He only feared that Yvaine was holding back, and he didn’t know why. “Do you want to talk about it?”
“Not really, no. At least, not right now. There’s too much going on to worry about my difficult love life.”
“On the contrary, now is the perfect time to focus on it. After all, who knows what tomorrow will bring?” Daemon quirked a brow and bumped his hip against Yvaine’s, bringing a small smile to her face.
“You’ve got it bad, little brother.”
“You havenoidea. Did I tell you that Xander asked me what my intentions were?”
Yvaine’s laugh echoed through the room, and she turned to make sure it hadn’t woken Sariah, her gaze softening as it fell over the still-sleeping redhead on the couch.
Time stretched on, and they fell into easy conversation over coffee and breakfast pastries. Sariah joined them a while later, and once they were finished, Yvaine excused herself from the room to prepare for the journey ahead.
When Sariah placed her napkin on the table, a sure sign that she was also about to leave, Daemon said, “You know she loves you, don’t you?”
A sad smile tugged on the corners of her lips, her gaze falling to her lap before meeting his once more. “I do…but I’m not sure ifshedoes.” Sariah let out a gentle laugh. “She reminds me of Auraelia, actually. Well…the little bit of her I know from you and Yvaine, anyway.”
Daemon smiled at the mention of his star. “Perhaps, in some ways, I can see it. But if that’s the case, then the only advice I can give you is to be patient. She’ll come around eventually.”
“And if she doesn’t?”
The sadness in her eyes was reminiscent of the pain he’d become familiar with over the last few months, and his heart ached for his friend. Reaching across the table, Daemon squeezed her hand. “She will. Fate tends to find a way to give us what we need when we least expect it.”
