What would Rissa say?
My sister would remind me that Rose’s entire existence up to this point hadn’t been devoted to our cause, as mine had. That I couldn’t expect her loyalty to us to be so unwavering after a mereweekthat she would set aside her own needs, her own turmoil and shock, in a single moment. She’d tell me to swallow my pride and pessimism and remember all Rose has been through and what she’d put on the line for us.
Letting out an exhale, I stood abruptly and paced in front of the couch, needing to release this frustration before it grew. It would do me no good to aim it at her—not when she had come here for the right reasons.
“I wish you had said something last night, but I suppose I can’t blame you,” I said slowly, glancing at her. “You’ve been through a lot the last few days.”
Her eyes narrowed. “You’re taking this…well.”
“I’m thinking.”
A timid, relieved smile played on her lips. “Better than yelling,” she said. I grunted, and her smile widened slightly. “There’s that scowl.”
I stopped in front of her, and her face fell. “Iamsorry, Leo,” she said. “But I’m here now.”
“How can I be sure this doesn’t change your commitment to us? Your loyalty?”
“Because I wouldn’t have come to you if it did. I still want the same thing I did yesterday before finding all of this out. I still want the Somnivae curse broken and this empire set free from his rule.” She stood and gazed up at me, the top of her head reaching my lips. She looked so fierce, so resilient, even in the face of her obvious distress. A beautiful storm ready to wipe out those in her path.
“And even though I kept this from you, I still meant what I said last night,” she added. “Idowant to be friends. But as you can see, there’s a reason not many people want to get close to me.” She spoke the words as a challenge, not a plea for pity. Not an excuse.
“Perhaps they’re scared,” I murmured.
“What do they have to be scared of?”
Fates, this woman. I couldn’t seem to stop myself from responding. “Themselves, maybe. The way you might make them feel. How bold you are with your magic, how unapologetic you are with your words. You challenge them. You challengeme.” My fingers itched to graze hers, the hitch of her breath chipping away at the tightness around my chest. “That’s enough to make anyone feel a bit of fear.”
She held my stare, surprise glistening in her eyes. She wasn’t expecting that. Maybe I had layers, too. Sides she was beginning to uncover bit by bit.
That thought used to frighten me. But for some reason, knowing she was letting her walls down too, that we were both toeing that line, scared of the precipice yet walking it all the same…it made it less daunting.
“Thank you, Leo.” Her voice was so quiet, it was like a breath. “Thank you for listening. For not getting angry and turning me away.”
This time, I couldn’t stop my hand from raising to rest on the back of her neck, my thumb skimming her jaw. “I told you last night, you don’t have to thank me.”
“Because we’re friends,” she said, drawing out the words.
My lips twitched. That title felt searing with my skin against hers. “Yes. Because we’re friends.”
She swallowed, and I tracked the motion, the air crackling and snapping around us. I could feel her pulse at her neck, could see it thrumming the way it had in that alcove last week. I brushed my thumb along it and sensed it jump beneath my touch.
The door flew open with a bang.
Rose inhaled sharply, turning to move away from me.
“Leo, can you please tell Chaz to—oh, I’m sorry, am I interrupting something?” my sister asked, her voice hitching up at the end as she stared at me with her head cocked. A sly grin peeked on the edges of her lips. Any hint of our confrontation that morning seemed forgotten.
I glanced at Rose, a silent conversation taking place between us. We needed to tell Rissa about her newfound relationship with Gayl, but I wanted to make sure she was ready.
Rose bit down on her lip, then nodded at me. I turned back to my sister. “Rissa, there’s been a…development.”
When I paused, she unclasped her cloak and threw it onto the couch, giving me an expectant look. “Well, am I supposed to guess?”
Rose jumped in. “I came here to talk to you both because I found out that Gayl is my father’s brother.” Her voice was stronger this time as she talked to Rissa, not stopping to wait for a reaction. “He grew up in Feywood until his mid-twenties, when he and my father got into a massive fight and he left the province. I confirmed everything with my aunt Morgana this morning. It—it’s true.” She cleared her throat, her nerve seeming to falter. “He’s my uncle.”
Rissa stared at her, her eyes roaming over Rose’s features for a moment, and then strolled into the kitchen, grabbed an apple from a small basket, and leaned against the counter. The only sound in the house was the crunch of her first bite as she examined both of us across theliving space.
“Did you know or have any suspicion about this before last night, Rose?” she finally asked.
