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Asterion regarded her warily. “I’m almost afraid to ask.”

“You and Ria are singing the duet.”

“I was afraid you’d say that,” his shoulders slumped.

Ria bit back another laugh. “I did tell you we’d survive.”

He gave her the side eye. “I appreciate your optimism.”

“And?”

“And I have a feeling it’s misplaced.”

And somehow, they ended up agreeing to sing. Not because Asterion had developed a love for Upperworld music, but because Korinnae’s happiness mattered more to him than his own discomfort.

Ria found herself laughing at the absurdity of it all. She never would have imagined Asterion agreeing to any of this. Now she was beginning to understand that beneath all the grumbling, he would do just about anything for his niece. She liked that about him, more than she probably should.

Chapter 7

Asterion

Asterion hit the punching bag. And then again. And again after that. He’d been at it for the better part of an hour, that his knuckles were numb from the pain. His body was here, working through a drill he could do in his sleep, but his mind was still on the couch in the living room, replaying the moment with Ria when he’d done the one thing he’d been trying not to do for the past weeks. He’d kissed her. And then he’d kissed her again. And again after that, until they’d fallen asleep tangled in each other’s arms.

He drove his fist into the bag and watched it swing. Then there was the karaoke. He still wasn’t sure how he’d ended up holding her hand under the table throughout the evening. The whole thing had been absurd. He should have hated it, but instead, he reveled in the warmth of her skin and the whiff of her scent he took in every time she scooted close.

He caught the bag on the backswing and hit it again, settling into a rhythm. Jab, cross, reset. The worst part was how easy it had been. He’d spent his entire adult life keeping people at a measured distance. His job demanded it. He didn’t let people close because closeness was a vulnerability, and vulnerabilities got people killed. Yet, Ria walked through every barrier he’d built.

He hit the bag hard enough to send it swinging wide on its chain and stepped back, breathing through his nose.

Bollach.

He pressed his knuckles against the base of his horn. The memory of the day before flooded his mind. Even now, he could feel her against his chest, so warm and soft, her fingers curled into his shirt in a tight grip. Could feel her lips moving under his. The image of her face as she looked up at him, with her cheeks flushed and eyes in a daze, would be burned in his memory.

He grabbed the bag to stop it swinging and leaned his forehead against the leather. He was in trouble, and he knew it.

The gym door opening behind him hauled him out of his reverie. Unfortunately, standing in front of the doorway was the subject of his musings.

“There you are,” Ria said as she sauntered in, slightly out of breath. “I’ve been looking for you.”

“Oh?” His heart began to hammer in his chest. Even in her T-shirt and sweats, with her hair pulled back in a loose ponytail, she was the loveliest creature he’d ever seen. “You found me.”

“I did.” She paused, opened her mouth, but no sound came out as her attention diverted to his bare arms. Her eyes looked like they were ready to pop out of their sockets.

“See something you like?” He couldn’t help but ask; he also wondered if she would even bring up what happened yesterday.

Her mouth quickly closed and she cleared her throat. “I found something.”

It was then he noticed the large book she held in her hands, which she had now pressed up against her chest. “In that book?”

“In three books, actually. And a text book Hecate left me.” She crossed the room and set the tome on the weight bench, flipping it open to a page she’d marked with a corner fold. “There’s this plant called Moonmoss. It’s referenced in two separate texts and Hecate’s notes mention it as a powerful cure to any magical poison. Think of it as penicillin.”

“Peni-whatnow?”

“Er, never mind.” She shook her head. “Basically, it can cure almost any poison that’s magical in nature.”

Hope surged in him. “Where can we get some of this moo moss?”

“Moonmoss.” She tapped the page. “According to further research, it only grows in one recorded location in Vale Crossing, a town called Willowfen.”