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Cyrus realised he was reading about a man who lived several hundred years ago. Well before the Rhovan wreaked their havoc.

So he shifted his inquiries to more recent Hallions. And that was where things got a little more interesting.

Because there was no further reference to a Hallion at all.

Chapter Twenty-One

There were clouds in the sky, noted Maelin, as she left Theryn House. Not a lot, but enough to cast scudding shadows on the streets as she strolled through Caelemar. She could have taken an aethercoach, but for some reason she felt the need to move, to breath, to clear her thoughts.

So many things were battling in her mind. Cyrus was there, of course, a warm presence in a special corner, and for a few moments she wished he were there beside her, enjoying the air and the sights with her.

But Varelle was also there. The vicious look on her face, the things she’d said, Maelin’s own feelings of...discomfort when they were around each other.

They were like two cats, she thought. The fur on each of them stood up when they encountered each other. And for the life of her, she couldn’t truly understand why. Lady Varelle Theryn had it all. The title, the fortune, the house, and her uncle. Her marriage had made her a rich and powerful woman. What more could she want? And why was she so desperate to find a husband for her niece-by-marriage? Could it truly be greed? If so, then that was beyond Maelin’s ability to understand.

“Lovely day, isn’t it?” A passing gentleman doffed his hat and smiled.

She nodded politely. “Indeed yes, quite delightful.” And kept walking.

This, she chided herself, is why she should have brought a maid along with her, or taken the aethercoach.

“Hallo.”

An arm slipped through hers and she jumped, a clenched fist at the ready.

“God, Maelin. Don’t hit me. And don’t give me that look. You’re scaring me.”

Alla’s eyes were wide, but she held onto her friend’s arm, even as her body bent backwards.

“Great coggles, Alla. Don’t do that. I thought you were the gentleman I just brushed off.”

“Hah,” snorted Alla. “Unlikely. You’ve got the ‘brush-off’ look perfected. One of those and they never come back.”

“What are you doing out and about alone, then?”

“Looking for you. Darady told me where you were headed, so I checked your aethercoach and found it still at Theryn House. Using my incredible powers of deduction, I worked out that you’d probably walked. And since I knew your uncle spent a lot of time at his club? I followed the clues and found you.”

“And I’m so glad you did.” She squeezed Alla’s arm with hers. “How are you, my friend? What have you been up to?”

“Oh...this and that...” she replied airily. “Nothing really worth mentioning. Not next to the many quiet rumbles I’m hearing about a certain friend of mine and another highly fascinating and elusive gentleman...?”

Maelin sighed, and tugged her friend to a bench, conveniently near a quiet spot and overlooking Caelemar and the inlets.

“I am pretty sure I’ve fallen in love with him,” she said quietly, wondering if Alla would shriek or scream.

Her friend did neither. She just looked at Maelin for a moment or two. “You have, haven’t you?”

Surprised, Maelin nodded. “Yes. I suppose it was that damned Velarine.”

“No,” chuckled Alla. “It was that damned Cyrus Drake.” She nudged Maelin with her elbow. “The heat was there the moment you two set eyes on each other, Mae. It was unmistakable. And somewhat ironic, since if that machine had been real? I can’t think of a better creation you could have made for yourself than him.”

“Really?” Maelin’s eyebrows rose.

“Definitely.” Alla nodded. “Handsome as the devil, of course. But also rather mysterious. Quiet, but with a look that could sear your slippers. Sexy, my darling. So very sexy. And beneath all that gorgeousness, I’ll wager he has a will of iron, a brain that won’t give up on anything, and a need to protect you, even while he’s ordering you around.”

Maelin blinked. Breathed in, breathed out, and blinked again. “Uh...yes.”

Alla laughed. “I knew it. He is your perfect mate, an ideal creation, and the best thing that could ever have happened to you.” She leaned back against the bench. “I sincerely hope you’re not planning on walking away from him, but if you are, let me know? I wouldn’t mind a shot at him myself.”