Chapter Twenty-Six

CHAPTER

TWENTY-SIX

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I 'M THRUST INTO THE PRESENT LIKE A CRACK OF THUNDER waking me from a deep slumber. "Venatrix! Where's Venatrix? Where are my dragons?"

I try to move but my legs are tangled in blankets.

Finnian springs forward, hands gripping my shoulders. "Calm down, Ellie. You're safe in Cayden's house."

My heart pounds so rapidly in my chest I can feel it in the tips of my fingers. I stare into his concerned gaze while I catch my breath, some loose strands of hair falling into my face. A hazy fog surrounds my mind, but I swear I can still feel the sensation of scales against my palms. My arm no longer hurts, but there's a dull ache in my jaw from where the man hit me.

I clear the raspiness from my throat. "I'm in Cayden's room?"

Finnian nods. "He stayed with you the past three days, said he made a promise to you and looked like he'd bite my head off when I offered to switch."

"Three days!" I scramble out of bed. "Does Ailliard know?"

"Know that you were cuddled up in bed with the most feared commander in all of Ravaryn? Who he strongly disapproves of? No. He knows you're here, but I covered for you."

"Gods, this is a mess."

"Messes can be fun."

I drop my face into my hands and groan. "The alliance treaty hasn't been signed yet, and we need Vareveth's aid to survive. There is no room for feelings in my life."

"So you admit you care for him?"

"He's my ally." I walk toward where my clothes are neatly folded and begin putting them on to give myself something to do, not caring if Finnian sees my body. "His death would be highly inconvenient to me."

"Have you ever thought about how it's often the most brutal people who can be the gentlest? Maybe it's because they know how terrible the world is and will do anything to shield the ones they care about from it." Finnian rests his elbows on his knees and stares me down across the room once I finish getting dressed. "That's the kind of love you give me. Like you'd move mountains to make sure I'm safe. Now I'm going to ask you a question and I need the truth."

I nod, waiting for him to continue.

"Does the treaty with Vareveth include your dragons?"

I swallow, knowing this conversation was brewing like a storm creeping along the horizon. "My dragons are not mentioned in the treaty, but Cayden and I will be infiltrating the Imirath castle once it's signed to get them back. We broke into Kallistar Prison several days ago to forge the key to the chamber they're locked in."

He rakes his hands through his hair before tilting his head and sighing.

"Please don't ask me to rethink my plans."

"It's not that." He looks at me again. "You must know that the thought of losing you to all of this terrifies me. You became my family the day I woke up in Aestilian and saw you sitting beside my bed. You're the sister I prayed to the gods for after I lost mine in the fire."

He kneels before me as I attempt to blink the emotion from my eyes.

"I failed to protect you the other night, but I will not fail again. You have my bow and undying loyalty, always. I will help you get your dragons back in any way I can."

I drop to my knees and wrap my arms around him, burying my face in his neck as he pulls me closer. "I love you, brother."

I wipe the tears from his face and we smile through the pain that life has dealt us, the fears that stem through our trauma. But no matter what life has taken, it has also given. I don't know who I'd be without Finnian, and I thank the gods I'll never know.

"That's enough tears, darling. You can wash up before I take you downstairs where your knives and everyone is waiting." He points toward an open door. "I'll also tell Cayden to put a shirt on, so you don't turn into a strawberry."

***

Finnian leads me through the halls of the enchanting home. Between the intricate carvings, stone fireplaces, lavish fabrics, staggering staircases, and windows as tall as trees, this place is magnificent. Cayden's private chambers are an entire wing reserved to himself.

Cayden has come a long way from having nothing.

We continue toward an open set of double doors at the end of a windowed hall leading to a singular tower with a peaked ceiling. Soft light bathes us as the sun sets behind the mountains, and my breath catches in my throat when we step into a library with more books than I've ever seen. This room is the perfect mixture of luxury and comfort, complete with leather and dark wood furniture covered in deep red fabric to match the various rugs. A fire roars in the hearth, whiskey sits on the table, and a grand black piano is situated before several windows overlooking a pond behind the house.

Saskia and Ryder greet me when I enter, the latter telling me he sharpened my knives while I was passed out, but Cayden sits quietly at the piano, watching me as if he's death donning a human form, quietly but constantly. I don't think I'd be able to look away from him if an army marched through the door, and my legs carry me toward him without my mind commanding them. His gaze is a contradiction that both paralyzes me and beckons me closer. Catching his eyes is a dangerous game I'm not supposed to be playing, but I can't seem to stop.

His hair is tousled like he dragged his hands through it one too many times, and dark circles shadow his bloodshot eyes. His long legs are spread wide, and he leans an elbow over the covered keys, but I don't mistake his leisurely posture for being relaxed; his eyes tell me he craves the blood of whoever tried to kill me.

"Angel," he greets me.

"Demon." My trance is broken when I round a highbacked chair and spy how many reports are scattered across the table. I can't even see the wood beneath. I surge forward to catch up on all I've missed, but hands wrap around my waist, lifting me away. "What the hells?"

Cayden ignores my protest and places me on the bench, leaning down to whisper in my ear, "You've been pressed up against me for three days. Now isn't the time to get shy, El."

I don't have time to think of a response before he grabs my knives from where Ryder must have laid them out on the piano and drops to his knees before me. My breathing gets shallow, and his eyes fall to my lips when I lick them and fill with more heat than I've ever seen.

"Your memory could get muddled if you read the reports. Tell me what happened while Saskia takes notes," he says, voice raspy as he slides one of my knives into my thigh holster and grips my hip with his other hand, pushing my shirt up slightly to run his thumb along my skin.

The desire coursing through me becomes impossible to ignore, so I close my eyes to filter through my memories. An impenetrable fog surrounds my thoughts, like the mist surrounding Aestilian. But the mist around Aestilian protects it; the mist in my brain hinders me.

I relay the evening to the best of my ability, pausing to work through the mess in my mind several times. But each time I pause, Cayden rubs my hip and slides another knife into my holster in silent encouragement. Saskia's pen continues scribbling as she sits on the couch with her, Ryder, and Finnian chiming in with important details I miss.

"Do you recall what the man looked like?" Cayden asks, sliding my final knife on the top of my leg, his fingers dangerously close to the apex of my thighs. I grip the bench and pull an image from the murky depths.

"He has a scar." I open my eyes and drag my finger across Cayden's forehead, letting it linger slightly longer than necessary as his throat constricts and his eyes bore into mine. "That's all I can help with, I'm afraid. I was more focused on killing them."

Cayden nods, squeezing my freshly armed thighs before standing and leaning against the piano behind me. I'm more relaxed after relaying my account, but the number of reports still bothers me. "How many people saw me when I was drugged?"

"It's tough to tell," Saskia says. "Every soldier in the tavern was ready to fight once I delivered the news, and more joined along the way."

I bite the inside of my cheek to keep myself from grimacing.

"You shouldn't be concerned with the perception of weakness." I turn my head toward Cayden's voice. "You fought off three assassins while drugged. If anyone calls you weak, then I'll drug them myself and send three assassins their way."

"I second that," Ryder states, but the tension between him and Cayden is palpable.

"I should meet with Ailliard to let him know I'm all right."

"I'll go with you," Saskia suggests, but she must note the uneasy expression I try to hide because she adds, "I'll be your excuse if you get too tired and wish to retire."

Her offer is temptation wrapped with a bow. Despite sleeping for three days, I'm not rested and not ready for a verbal sparring match. "You're sure?"

"We'll leave for the castle in a few moments." She gets to her feet and her simple blue gown flows behind her as she glides from the room. "You're my ally against my idiotic brothers, the least I can do is extend the same loyalty to you."

I laugh, and her smile widens. "I love this arrangement."

"Rude!" Ryder shouts before he and Finnian follow her from the room, informing us they're gathering their things, though I'm not sure how true that is considering Finnian has never been here.

The library is soon cloaked in thick silence that settles uncomfortably on my skin. I swing my legs over the bench and lean my arms against the closed piano. "Please don't be upset with Ryder because of me."

He bites the inside of his cheek and manages to look angrier. "If I didn't consider him my brother, he'd be dead."

"But he is your brother." I reach forward to grab his hand. "The mission is fine. Don't waste your energy."

He drops to his elbow to lean close to my face. "Why is it you don't believe you're worth my anger?"

I jerk back and lift the piano cover to give myself something to do with my hands, tapping some of the keys. He sighs, moving to stand behind me when he realizes I don't plan on answering. The back of my head settles against his shoulder and goosebumps rise on my arms when his large hands cover mine. He moves our hands together, playing a song so soft and light that it reminds me of a quiet morning.

There's nothing accidental about this connection. No other way to spin it than him wanting to touch me, and me not pulling away. I tell myself to pull my hands from under his, to not rest my head on him, to not let his scent intoxicate me. But my skin tingles and his proximity is clearly making me delusional.

"Thank you for staying with me," I whisper.

"I gave you my word." His voice dances with the strands of my hair.

"I know, but Finnian was here. You didn't need to be."

"What do you know about what I need?"

The way he says the words makes me turn my head. His fingers tighten around mine and the song turns darker when our gazes collide. I know he feels me shift on the bench, and he lowers his head in response. A shiver travels up my spine when his breath fans across my lips.

The song stops when his fingers slide through mine and hold tight.

He makes me feel like I'm teetering on the edge of a cliff, about to free-fall. My eyes slip shut but his wanting expression is burned into the darkness that awaits me. He releases one of my hands to cup my face, and a whimper catches in my throat when he brushes his thumb along my skin.

I tilt my head up, granting him the permission he was waiting for.

"Are you two coming?" Saskia shouts from down the hall.

I shoot forward and slam my hands ungraciously on the keys before rising from the bench and swiftly walking toward the door. Cayden strides lazily next to me with his hands tucked into his pockets, seeming completely unaffected. I open my mouth several times to say something, though I'm not exactly sure what.

"No need to get tongue-tied because you almost kissed me."

"It was a lapse of judgment on my part." He smirks when I glare at him. "I despise you still."

"Do you?" He snaps his fingers. "Tell me, love, do you often kiss people you loathe?"

"I don't know. Perhaps I'll go down to the tavern to test that theory."

"Condemn whoever you wish." He shrugs, placing a hand on my back to guide me toward the front door. "It'll provide me with some entertainment when I shoot them down."