Even when his heart began to fail, he begged her.
Despite years of trying to bury it, that feeling had only grown with every bit of news, every glimpse of him she dared catch. Every victory made her proud, and every whispered rumor about him made her ache with envy.
She had never stopped loving him, no matter how hard she tried.
Cyrus made a soft sound of relief in the back of his throat. “Then it’s okay, Camille. I’m… I’m sad for us, but I’m happy foryou.I only want the best for you. Finding a consort is a dream, and I’m sure he’ll be able to offer you more than I ever could have.”
“Oh, Cyrus,” she breathed, “you would have made me happy, too. It’s just…”
“Different,” he finished for her.
“Yes.”
“It’s all right. I’ll be okay, Camille. As long as I know this is what you want, then I can handle it.” He paused. “My mother will be relieved, at any rate.”
A startled laugh burst from her lips. “Did she dislike the idea of me joining the family so much?”
He sounded scandalized when he answered,“No,no! She just never liked the idea of me in a union, that’s all. She wanted me to find my consort. You know how much my mother likes you. She calls you hersharp little gem.”
Camille swiped at her eyes, unspeakably relieved to hear some levity returning to Cyrus’s baritone. “She is lovely. Your whole family is. I really looked forward to getting to know everyone better.” Her chin wobbled. “I wanted to be a part of your family, Cyrus.”
“You still can,” he promised her. “We love you. You will still be my friend, Camille. Nothing has changed there. Whenever you want to stay with us, you can.”
“I’d love that. Maybe after…” Camille blanched, trying to think of some distant point in the future when she might be able to visit her dear friend. When could she do that? She struggled to imagine whattomorrowwould look like, let alone months, years from that point.
“After things are settled,” she finally finished, stumbling over the words.
“I understand,” he replied, soft and gentle, like he didn’t want to spook her. “This is a vulnerable time for you and your consort. Take as much time as you need.”
“Gods, Cyrus, you are such a good man.”
He laughed, but there was a note of self-deprecation in it that rankled her. “Not very elvish though, am I? I suppose I should be snarling or ready to fight right now. That’s what a real elf would do, right?”
What he meant was adominantelf.
Cyrus was elvish down to his bones, but he wasn’t aggressive, didn’t have the territorial streak that so many elves were born with. He was a kind soul, and she hoped that one day he would find a consort who would protect that softness in him, not demand something he couldn’t give.
“You areperfect,”she told him, a low growl in her voice. “Anyone who tells you otherwise can come see me.”
“Yeah?” There was a smile in that single word, as big and beautiful and soft as he was.
Relief made her dizzy.He doesn’t hate me. Thank the gods.“Yeah,” she answered, “and I’ll send what’s left of them to your mother.”
Cyrus’s laugh boomed through the speaker. “They’d never find the pieces!”
She mustered a smile, answering, “Good.”
“Well, I don’t know aboutgood,but…”
“Certainly efficient, I thi—” Camille was interrupted by a knock on her door; two quick, hard beats that made her jump. The proximity alarm chimed.
Sliding her legs out from under her, she rushed out, “I’m sorry, Cyrus, someone is at my door. I’ll call you back, all right?”
“Sure. Take care of yourself, okay?”
Fondness for Cyrus made her chest tight when she answered, “Of course. You do the same.”
The line went dead. Dropping her phone onto the couch, Camille cinched the silk tie at her waist. She padded out of the living room and down the hall toward the front door. Some deep instinct told her it wasn’t Viktor at the door, so she assumed it was either Margot or another relative sent to make sure she wasn’t a sobbing mess on the floor.
