He just looked down at me with that steady, soft focus. “I know you can,” he said. “I just want to.”
He carried me, newlywed style, out of the research room and into the mansion proper. Even half dizzy and wrapped in a towel, I couldn’t help staring. The place was so massive, it made modern houses look embarrassing. Stone walls rose up into vaulted ceilings. Old beams crossed overhead, dark with age and history. There were tall windows set deep into the walls, rain streaking down the glass.Every few steps, a hallway branched off into shadow, full of doors and secrets and probably at least three cursed objects.
“Your house is ridiculous,” I muttered.
He smiled a little. “I know.”
We passed tapestries and carved pillars and more bookshelves than one building should be allowed to have. The floor was smooth stone, worn down by centuries of footsteps. I tried not to think about how many people had walked these halls before me. Or how strange it was that I was here at all, wrapped in a towel, in the arms of a dragon.
Thankfully, his room wasn’t far. He nudged open a heavy wooden door and carried me inside.
It was huge. Of course it was. Tall ceilings. Exposed beams. A wide stone fireplace. A balcony with doors that opened out to the dark, stormy evening. His bed sat against one wall, all thick blankets and dark wood, looking like it was meant for someone who took rest very seriously.
He laid me down gently, then he climbed in beside me, pulling the blankets around us both.
“We should get some rest,” he said. “You’re freezing and exhausted.”
“I am not freezing,” I said automatically, even though I absolutely was.
He pulled me closer anyway, and I sank into his body heat, tucking myself against him, my head on his chest, my legs drawn in. He held me like it was the most natural thing in the world.
The room was quiet except for the rain against the windowsand Arthur’s breathing. For once, my brain did not feel like it was sprinting in five directions at once. It was still.
Safe.
“I love you, Arthur,” I said softly.
The words came out before I could overthink them, which was probably a miracle.
He tightened his arms around me. “I love you, too.”
29
ARTHUR
I woke before Artemis, but I didn’t move.
Artemis slept on her side, curled toward me. One arm was tucked between us, her hand resting on my chest. Her hair had fallen loose during the night and spread across the pillow. It did something dangerous to my composure. I wanted her to stay here, right here next to me, in my bed. Everything in me screamed that she belonged by my side.
We had slept for twelve straight hours. I couldn’t remember the last time I had allowed myself that kind of rest.
I watched her instead of rising.
She was magnificent. I loved watching how her brow smoothed when she slept or how her mouth softened when she exhaled. Her very presence made the room feel settled.
Mine.
That thought landed quietly and stayed.
I eased myself out of bed without waking her, then tucked the blankets more securely around her. She made a small sound but did not wake. Good. She needed the rest.
I dressed and made my way through the halls. The mansion felt different this morning. Lighter. Less watchful. As if it had noticed the change and approved.
The kitchen lights were already on, and Caliban was sitting at the bar.
I stopped short.
I had known Caliban my entire life. I had never seen him sit unless he was injured. He stood to pour tea. He stood to read. He stood to deliver news that could reshape the fate of our people.
