“Have you ever experienced a realm collapsing?” Malik asked, his voice still a low rumble.
“No one has ever experienced that,” I huffed. “But I suppose that's your point.”
“It is. We don't know what will happen if Danu's magic dies. The world could slowly crumble, it could explode, implode, or simply vanish. Magic is unreliable.”
I clenched my jaw but not in anger. He'd brought up a valid point that I should have thought of first. That irritated me to no end. I thought I'd been prepared to argue this with Malik but he'd shot me down with three sentences. Shit.
“It's a risk I'll have to take,” I said at last. “An entire realm is in danger—one that is home to several people I love and many more that I care about. I cannot abandon them. Especially not when the Gods may have already done so.”
“The Gods are gone?!” Malik leaned forward in his chair as claws sprouted from his fingertips. “Amara, you need to tell the Danutians to evacuate. If the Gods have abandoned Danu, they must know it cannot be saved.”
“So far, I can only confirm that one has left—the God of Earth. Since the Earth Magic of Danu seems to be the only one tainted, he may have left to save himself from becoming infected. If that's the case, the other gods may still be there and we may still be able to save Danu.”
“That's a lot of mays and ifs,” he snarled.
“It's a realm, Mal. It's worth the risk.”
Malik sighed and sat back. “I don't like this, Mvarra.”
“Noted. But we're talking about thousands, if not millions, of living creatures in addition to the Danutians themselves. And only the Sidhe would be able to blend in with humans if they had to evacuate to Earth. The other races would have to find another planet to colonize or we'd have to integrate them into supe society and find a way to hide them. A mass exodus is not a simple solution.”
“I understand that but you're worth more to me than all of Danu.”
Kyrian chuckled from the kitchen.
“Why the fuck is that funny?” Malik snapped in Kyrian's direction.
“Because Amara said something similar to me earlier—that I'm more important to her than Danu.”
“That had better mean that you feel the same for me.” Mal swiveled his stare back to mine.
“Oh, sweet cinnabar.” I rolled my eyes. “Of course, I do. But loving you more than Danu doesn't mean I want to give up on saving a realm if I possibly can.”
“Whatdoesit mean?”
I went still and serious to say, “It means that if it came down to either you or Danu, I'd let the realm die and save you.”
Malik blinked and the mark on the back of my neck trembled with love—deep, aching, soul-shaking love. His hand shot out and snatched mine, then used it to yank me up, guide me around the coffee table, and pull me onto his lap. He grabbed the back of my head and held me still for his plundering kiss. My arms went around his wide shoulders and one hand slid into his short hair to clutch him closer. His tongue was tender despite his punishing grip and his lips moved over mine in a gentle caress that said more than any amount of words could have. The Fusion bloomed in response to our emotions, filling us with effervescent energy. Malik growled against my mouth and pulled me closer. His mark began to pulse in an erotic rhythm.
“Breakfast!” Kyrian called out brightly.
Malik growled again but this time it was in irritation. Still, he eased out of our kiss to stare at me as he stroked my cheek. “All right. Go back to Danu but if all of the Gods are gone, I want you to return to Earth, Mvarra.”
“If the Gods are gone, I'll come back to you immediately,” I promised.
Malik sighed. “Thank you.”
Then a knock came at the door.
Chapter Thirteen
The men tensed and swiveled their heads to stare at the front door. I slid off Malik's lap but Kyrian got there before me. After a peek through the peephole, he waved down Mal, who was preparing for a fight, and opened the door. Prince Falcan of the Triari Host, Ambassador to Earth and also a friend of mine, stood on my stoop looking dashing in a light summer suit and sunglasses. His black hair was freshly trimmed and he had a tan even deeper than Kyrian's. Perhaps all angels like to bask in the sun.
Falcan was a prince in the same way that Kyrian was. The Triari have two types of prince and princess: those who have achieved the highest military rank in the Host and those who are born royal. There is only one royal prince of Eden—the Triari home planet—and he's my cousin, Prince Altern. He also happens to be a military prince.
Falcan was stationed in D.C. as the Triari Ambassador to America. He was in charge of the Triari Embassy and also kept us in the loop as far as Triari issues went. He'd been the one to present Kyrian with his princehood. But judging by the grim look on Falcan's ethereally handsome face, the news he brought us this time wasn't so happy.
“Fal,” I said in surprise, “please, come in. Have you eaten yet? We're just about to have breakfast.”
