He pursed his lips. “Okay, well, not normal. I mean, it doesn’t happenthatoften, but sometimes a monster slips past a rune into the Veilwood.”
“I should check on Bri and Kat. What if they were out in the streets? Oh my gods, I knew Kalypso took out a monster in the Dreadmoor, but what if she’s in the middle of this?” She groaned and pressed her forehead against Laz’s chest. “How did you not lose your mind when your brother was out fighting these dangers?”
Lazerath snorted. “Who said I didn’t?” He patted herback. “Come on. I know a break room to get you some tea while we wait for it to be dealt with.”
Sure enough, he took her to a room that looked like it was maintained but barely frequented. He sat her on a small couch, produced a blanket out of who the hells knew where, and proceeded to dig around the shelves until he’d set out a feast of crackers, cheese, and two cups of tea that he’d heated with his own magic.
“You never really get used to it, if I’m being honest,” Laz said, tugging her legs over his lap before sipping his tea. “But you do get better at managing the worry. Hiding that fear.”
“I’ve never been good at hiding anything,” she muttered, then realized the slip when Lazerath tensed underneath her. “Fuck, Laz, I didn’t mean?—”
He squeezed her knee, giving her a soft but genuine smile. “No, no. That’s not… I’m not upset you didn’t say anything about finding Dav there.”
Rosalind leaned against the arm of the couch, studying him for signs of discomfort. “Have you talked to him about it?”
“I want to, maybe, but I also feel like I won’t really understand it until I’m there, you know?” He let out a long sigh. “If anything, I’m grateful for the time to sort out some other things.”
She frowned, cradling the warm tea in her hands. “What do you mean?”
It took him a moment to answer, his gazedistant as he found the words. “I know Dav had his own reasons, but I feel like I failed as a friend because he couldn’t tell me about what he was doing. Money for the business aside, I just worry that…”
With a frustrated grunt, he tucked a leg under him and twisted to face her. “I don’t want to breach trust, but could you tell me, reassure me… it wasn’t because he thought I would judge him for working there, right? Like, for the actual?—”
“No,” Rosalind said, curling her hand over his arm. “In no world did Davarox ever think you’d care about that.”
Lazerath softened enough that Rose could see how much worry had been eating at him. But there was still an unfamiliar tenseness in his shoulders and in the set of his jaw.
“Hey,” she said softly, rubbing her thumb over his wrist. “Is there something else bothering you?”
His brow crinkled further, the very opposite of reassuring. “I don’t… I don’t know.”
As much as she wanted to press, she kept quiet but maintained their touch. Letting him know silently that, whether he needed to talk it out or wasn’t quite ready, she would be here.
“I think maybe,” he began before shaking his head with a laugh. “I don’t think I’ve ever sorted through my thoughts before. It’s very messy in there.”
Rose smiled. “I can understand that.” She took a drink then set her tea aside. “But can I ask if one of those thoughts you’re chasing is about what he might have planned for us when we go to Temptation?”
That snapped Laz out of his sads. “The anticipation is killing me, beautiful.”
“He’s so bossy in those settings, though. That’s at least got to give us some direction.”
“Terrifyingly attentive, too. Still have no idea what he might do.”
“Have you ever been there?”
Laz’s cheeks darkened. “Once. I wasn’t too fond of the illusions.”
She shifted her legs in reassurance. “It’s okay. I prefer that layer of connection, too. But now we know it’s going to beus, and that feels safe.”
Lazerath turned away, not in dismissal, but like he’d followed a thought, caught it, and needed to sit with it to let it settle.
“Yeah,” he finally said, possibly more to himself than her. “Us.”
20
UNTIL THERE'S NOTHING LEFT
Rosalind
