And I’m up here.
Watching stars I can’t name.
Waiting.
But not idle.
Because I’ve got stories now. Allies.
And when he returns, I’ll be right here—his for however long he wants me and for whatever comes next.
I shiver at the thought.
Kael watches me, his eyes narrowing slightly.
“Too cold?”
“No,” I lie, though it probably is. “I just… prefer heat.”
“Of course you do,” Kael murmurs, and with a similar flick of his wrist, his own tent materializes—closer now, and maybe larger than before, of course, because men—but I don’t care about that.
Because just inside? There’s an enormous in-ground pool that glows from within.
Steam curls from the surface like it’s been freshly poured from the heart of a volcano.
I gape. “Are you sharing that?”
“If you like, milady,” Kael says with a graceful incline of his head. “It’s yours.”
“I haven’t gone swimming in forever. Back home it’s winter,” I murmur.
“Then I insist you indulge, Lady Delia,” Kael offers with a bow.
But he doesn’t need to persuade.
I’m already nodding like a woman possessed.
“Hell yeah. That thing is calling to me.”
This feels like one of those parties I used to sneak into back in high school.
Where the house was too big, the music too loud, and the drinks probably spiked—but none of that mattered. It was about the feeling.
The rush of being alive.
And right now, here in this weirdly beautiful wasteland filled with ancient warrior men and impossible beasts, I feel happy. Free.
Like I finally found my place.
Alaric excuses himself with a soft smile and a dip of his head. There's something courtly about the way he moves, despite the fact that he could probably flatten a mountain with one hand.
“Please excuse me, Lady Delia. Gotta check in with Jules. She gets twitchy if I go dark for too long.”
My head tilts, curiosity sparked. “Jules?” I ask, even though I have a sneaking suspicion I already know.
“My viyella,” he says, and there it is—that faint glow behind his eyes. Love. Real and unguarded.
“Oh! She’s pregnant, right?” I blurt, a little too enthusiastically.
