30. Thirty

Thirty

Three days passed with no word or sign of Landers. Andrues assured me that he was fine, that he would have reached out if he was in danger, but I could see the worry that settled into his face as he tried to calm me.

He didn’t believe his own words.

He knew that if there was danger, Landers wouldn’t risk reaching out to us, putting our safety in jeopardy. Bile was growing in my throat and threatening to choke me with each day that came and went without seeing him.

I knew that Landers could take care of himself; knew that he was powerful enough—strong enough—to protect himself. He had done it for centuries. But still, knowing that didn’t comfort me like it should. He promised me he would come back, and that promise was all I had to cling to.

The house was eerily silent. Each of us waited with bated breath for him to return, all riddled with the same worry, but none of us willing to speak it into existence. I paced across the room, back and forth in front of the couch. The pocket watch burned a hole in my chest and I tried not to look at it. But still, I pulled it out, checking the time.

It was three in the morning and I needed sleep. I hadn’t been able to get more than three or four hours since we got to this house; my dreams opening the doors to every fear I suppressed during my conscious hours.

Andrues was sitting at a table placed in the far corner of the sitting room, his back was to me as he hunched over maps of The Silliands. I stopped in front of the fireplace, letting the heat sear into me as I took a deep breath, trying to steady my shaking hands.

“Are we expecting trouble?”

My head snapped to the door as Andrues sprang from his chair, drawing his sword from its sheath. Landers’s lips split into a wicked smile as he looked at us and Andrues body relaxed, pushing the blade back into its place across his back.

My eyes widened in horror as I looked at Landers, drenched in crimson, with sticky droplets of blood pooling at his feet. The metallic scent saturating the air as he stared back at me with an expression that was far too calm.

His eyes softened as he saw my panic.

“I am fine, Hyacinth. It is not my blood.”

The relief that washed over me from seeing him quickly turned to anger.

“Where the hell have you been?” I fumed, stomping over to him. “It’s been three fucking days!” I slammed my palms into his chest, the force of my hands too weak to push him off balance. “You could have told us you were safe. You could have given some kind of sign!”

Landers caught my wrist mid-swing and softly brought it to his chest. I glared into his eyes as he pulled me into a gentle hug.

“I told you I would be back,” Landers whispered into the top of my head.

“I thought you were dead,” I said, my voice shaking as I admitted the words I had been too afraid to say aloud. I took a step back from him, blood now staining the parts of my body that had pressed against his.

“Thank Gods!” Ata’s voice rang out from the top of the stairs as she rushed down to us. “We were so worried.” She stopped in her tracks, only a few feet from me as she noticed the blood that covered him.

“What happened?” Ata gasped, placing a hand over her mouth. Her eyes darted to me before turning back to Landers and examining him.

“Once I have cleaned myself up, we can discuss everything,” Landers said, gesturing his chin to Andrues who nodded as Ata grabbed my hand.

“You should bathe too, maybe try to get some sleep?” Ata urged, a hint of concern lacing her voice.

I knew she could see how exhausted I was, and I didn’t have the energy to protest. She would win this argument no matter what I said. So I nodded, and turned toward my bedroom.

The room was small, with only enough space for a bed and a small chair pressed into the corner next to an old, dusty wardrobe. A few black candles floated through the air, lighting the space just enough to see the outline of everything in the windowless room.

I collapsed onto the bed. The exhaustion from the lack of sleep and fear pressed on my bones, threatening to shatter them if I didn’t give my body sleep.

A feeling crept into my chest I could not place as I shut my eyes. Something had changed, I could feel it in the way Landers held me; in the way he looked at me. I shook the thought from my head. It was just this place. I let out a long groan then let sleep consume my mind.

I came down to the sitting room the next morning feeling better than I had in days. Rested and at ease knowing that Landers was back—that he was alive. The smell of Pri’s cooking hit me as I descended the last step of the stairs, and a grin spread across my face.

I had missed her.

I couldn’t hide my excitement, as I pranced over to Pri and wrapped my arms around her shoulders.

“I really missed you. When did you get here?” I asked.

She echoed my embrace before turning back to the stove and telling me about her morning.

She had been meeting with her Hanth contacts over the last few days and from the sounds of it, stability within the realms was collapsing quicker than she had anticipated. Pri had gotten here with Wren an hour or so after Landers.

Everyone began to trickle into the kitchen as Pri dished breakfast meats and vegetables onto a plate and slid it in front of me. I grabbed her wrist and she met my eyes.

“Thank you . . . for doing this—for taking care of us. Not only by feeding us but risking your life to make sure we get to Locdragoon safely.” I could see the worry etched into her face as she gave me a tight smile in response and served each of us, until finally sliding in next to Wren at the table. Wren was regaling Ardan with a colorful story, the details of which I couldn’t manage to hear over the nervous static in my own head.

“Where is Taft?” Wren asked between a mouthful of sausage.

My eyes shot to Ata as she turned to glance at Ardan. Ardan looked back at Ata, lifting a brow as Wren turned to her with a smirk on his face.

“Did you finally do it? Did you finally bury him?” Wren asked Ata.

“All I did was punch him, and he deserved it,” Ata said the words with an air of innocence.

“Ardan is the one that finished him off anyway, so you really should be asking him.” Ata flashed Ardan a mischievous smile before forking a slice of ham into her mouth.

“It seems, brother, we have a lot to catch up on.” Wren chuckled, shaking his head in Ardan’s direction. I didn’t realize until now that I hadn’t seen Taft since the morning we arrived, and I hadn’t asked what happened after Ardan followed after him. It didn’t sound like it ended well.

“Speaking of missing people.” Ardan joked, grinning over at Ata who rolled her eyes in response. “Where’s Andrues?”

Wren responded with something about leaving early this morning with Landers to put additional incantations on the house.

“When will they be back?” I asked, trying to hide the worry in my tone.

Last time Landers left he was gone for days and came back covered in blood. Pri gave me a knowing smile, sensing my anxious energy and reached over to squeeze my hand.

“Any moment now,” her voice was calm as she answered. “They asked me to save them breakfast.” I gave her a thankful smile as I stood up, trying to shake the nerves.

I should not be so attached to this man.

I reached across the round table and gathered the empty dishes clearing them into the sink.

“Does anyone want more coffee?” I asked over my shoulder as I pumped the spigot.

“I wouldn’t mind a cup.” The sound of Landers’s voice trickled down my spine as I turned slowly to face him. Landers ran a hand through his hair as he stepped into the kitchen.

“Did you miss me?” He smiled that devilish grin down at me and I threw my arms around his waist, burying my face into his chest.

“Don’t ever do that again,” I whispered, taking in the scent of him, trying to memorize the feel of him in my arms.

Landers cupped his hand under my chin and pulled it up toward his face, studying my eyes for a brief moment before tucking a curl behind my ear. Landers let out a sigh, then pulled me tighter against him and pressed his nose to the top of my head.

“I am safe, Hyacinth. I am safe,” Landers whispered back, holding me for a few seconds longer.

I dropped my arms and took a step back, suddenly aware of the audience that we had. He smirked and leaned against the counter, unfazed.

“The house is secure,” Andrues stated to no one in particular as he walked into the kitchen, grabbing his food off the hot plate and shoveling it into his mouth.

“Let’s sit,” Landers said, gesturing to me and Andrues as he strode toward the table, pulling out a chair for me before sitting in the one beside it. “We need Taft here for this. Do we know where he is?” Landers asked.

Ardan nodded, pushing his chair away from the table and hurrying off to retrieve him. The screaming of the coffee pot broke the silence and I jolted in my seat. Pri stood from her chair and brought it over to the table, passing extra mugs to Landers and Andrues, setting the last one in front of the empty seat for Taft.

We sat there for a few minutes, sipping our coffee and listening to the tapping of Ata’s fingers as Taft finally appeared in the sitting room. Ardan walked close behind him, like a sheep dog herding him back to the flock. Pri smiled as they took their seats, filling their mugs and pushing the cream and sugar toward them.

“We should be safe in Ammord for a few more days, but not much longer,” Landers started. “Getting out of Ammord and through The Silliands will be difficult and extremely dangerous, so we need to make sure we are all on the same page moving forward.” Landers paused to sip his coffee and I squirmed in my seat, using all of my will power not to glance at Taft.

“Pri was able to find and obtain the spy that notified Ammord’s War Council of our presence.” Out of the corner of my eye, I glanced at Taft as he tensed. His jaw was sculpted into a hard line as he scowled at Landers.

“For the last three days, I have been interrogating him to find out what he knows about our party and our plans,” Landers said.

Taft scoffed. “So you tortured him.” His eyes were glued to Landers, doing their best to burn holes through his skull. I turned back to Landers and waited for a response.

“Yes,” Landers answered coolly, taking another sip from his cup and meeting Taft’s gaze. I recoiled slightly, remembering the blood that dripped off of him.

“So, I was right about you,” Taft hissed.

“How so?” Landers’s tone was calm—relaxed—as he asked the question.

“You enjoy killing for sport,” Taft spat.

“That is enough.” Pri’s fist slammed against the table and we watched with eyes wide as she stood with slow, precise movements and leaned toward Taft. Stretching out her fingers as her palms pressed flat against the wood, she braced herself for what she was about to say.

Landers smiled to himself as he leaned back in his chair, draping an arm over the back of mine, watching the scene play out.

“You do not have the authority, nor do you have the right to question how he cleans up the mess you made, you ungrateful bastard.” Pri’s words were daggers, aimed directly at Taft’s heart as he stared back at her blankly. “We have risked our lives for you, for countless lifetimes, before your existence was even a mere thought. We have witnessed our friends, our families, innocent children, ruthlessly slaughtered and butchered so that you could revel in false security—playing warlord from the safety of your fortress.” With every word she spoke, the warmth was sucked from the room and into her veins. Her skin and eyes glowing like she would burst into flames at any moment.

“You know nothing of the realms or the violence it takes to survive outside of your little academy. When you have seen the things we have seen, when you have fought the wars we have fought and shed the blood that we have shed then and only then, will you have the right to question us. To question the man who has put everything he has worked toward for the last four hundred years on the line to keep you alive. Not because keeping you alive has any benefit to him, but because he was simply asked to by the woman you so openly oppress.”

Pri sucked in a deep breath, her outburst leaving silence in its wake. Taft’s face remained impassive, but his eyes betrayed a flicker of something akin to fear. I could sense Landers’s amusement, his body language radiating smug satisfaction.

“I see,” Taft finally said, his voice hard and cold. “So, this is about loyalty.”

“This is about respect,” Pri retorted, her voice laced with anger. “Respect for the lives that have been lost, and the lives—your friend’s lives—that are still at risk because of you .”

Landers nodded in agreement, his arm still relaxing lazily on the back of my chair.

Wren lifted his hand, placing it on Pri’s arm to help calm her as she lowered herself down into the chair. Two handprints were burned into the table in front of her.

“Taft,” Wren started slowly, choosing his words carefully. “I know that life outside of the academy was never what you wanted or planned for yourself, but we are here now. You made the decision to come and you cannot change that.” He leaned forward on the table, his voice soft and sincere. “The only way we will all get through this with our lives intact is if we trust each other and work together.” He paused for a moment letting out a deep sigh.

“I love you my friend, like a brother, but the time has come for you to decide where you stand, for all of our sakes. And if you cannot stand with us and trust that Landers has the experience and the foresight to make decisions for the good of us all, then we must part ways.”

The room fell silent again as Wren’s words hung in the air. He was the only one of us who seemed to get through to Taft, to calm him when his anger flared and seeped onto the rest of us. I knew that the idea of leaving Taft behind was not easy on him, but I also knew that he would do it if it meant making sure the rest of us were safe.

Taft leaned back in his chair, his body still tense as he nodded at Wren in silent agreement to his request. Wren gestured to Landers to continue as he pulled Pri’s hand into his under the table.

“Throughout the interrogation,” Landers continued where he left off, “we were able to confirm that both the War Council for Ammord and The Silliands know we are here. We were able to ascertain the whereabouts of other spies, and war camps that we will need to avoid as we try to get to Ithia. Ithia is a friend of Locdragoon, and unless they are planning to start a realm war, they will not follow us there.”

“What is the plan on getting out of here?” Ata questioned.

“Wren and I need to leave again this afternoon. We need to scope the locations of these war camps to gauge the best path around them. It should take us a day or so to get to each of them,” Pri responded, glancing over at Landers.

“Once we have more information from their scouting mission, we will be able to come together and decide on the best exit plan,” Landers said, as he pulled his mug to his mouth. “Until then, we rest and gather our strength.”

“Why us? Why are they tracking us? There have to be other people in the realms that have used their magic without approval,” I asked, my brows furrowing.

Andrues’s eyes shot to Landers’s as he slowly set his cup down on the table, his jaw tightening as he looked over at me.

“Your shadows . . . they want them. The Silliands saw what you could do with them at the academy and they want to learn how to create them for themselves.”

My blood ran cold. “So . . . this is all happening because of me,” I said softly, scratching at a piece of splintered wood on the lip of the table.

“This is happening because of the greed of Ammord and The Silliands,” Andrues answered. “You are not the first person they have hunted for magic, and you will not be the last.”

I nodded, letting a breath slip between my teeth.

“So, let me get this straight,” Taft scoffed. “Not only are the realms hunting some child savior, but now they are also hunting Hyacinth because they want her magic. And you all happen to appear at the perfect time, ready to help without question? And I am supposed to believe that you are the righteous ones? That you are the only people that don’t want to capture her?” Taft said as he began to stand. Wren shot up from across the table and his eyes narrowed on Taft.

“I have been working with them for over a year. If I tell you that we can trust them, we can trust them.” The words left Wren’s lips in a growl as everyone around the table began to stand.

“Would you still trust them if your cock wasn’t stuck between the legs of that bitch?” Taft snarled and pointed to Pri. Wren lunged for Taft but Pri bounded across the table before Wren could reach him. Pri knocked Taft to the floor with a loud thud, the wood of his chair splintering underneath him. Flames ignited around Pri’s fingertips as they locked around his neck and Taft gasped in pain as the fire cut into his skin. With her other hand she held a dagger to his heart as her legs pinned him to the ground. The smell of burning flesh filled the room as Pri spoke.

“I have killed hundreds of men far more important than you. Do not mistake my kindness for weakness,” Pri spat as her dagger pressed deeper into his chest, cutting through his tunic as a small trail of blood spilled out where its tip connected with Taft’s skin. “If you question the loyalty of anyone in this party again, I will drag you from this house—this realm—myself. If you so much as speak to any one of us again without respect, I will slit your body open and scatter your organs across these desolate dunes. Do you understand me?” Pri snarled, the threat dripping with venom. Taft growled back, struggling to push her off of him. “ Do you understand me ?” Pri hissed out again, her dagger pushing deeper into his chest. Taft nodded, his eyes wide as pain flashed across his face.

“Andrues,” Pri said, not taking her eyes off of Taft as she slowly stood over his body, leaving a bloody handprint burned into his neck. “Get this piece of shit out of my sight.”

Andrues nodded, rushing over to Taft and pulling him from the ground, his fingers digging into Taft’s bicep. Taft looked around the room, his eyes landing on Wren as he said, “You will regret this.”

The room fell silent as we watched Andrues tether Taft from the room.

Pri looked up at me, her eyes still hard. “I am sorry. I shouldn’t have—”

“Pri,” I interrupted, rushing over to her. “It’s okay.” I pulled her into my chest and looked toward Ardan who was dragging a hand over his face in disbelief. Wren pulled Pri from my arms and guided her toward the stairs. His eyes met mine for only a second and I could see everything he was feeling swirling in their depths as he gave me a sad smile.

“It was about fucking time someone put him in his place,” Ata retorted as Andrues materialized back into the room. Ata’s gaze turned to Ardan and her features softened as he pulled her into his side and placed a soft kiss on the top of her head.

“Where did you take him?” Ardan asked Andrues.

“There is a cave not far from here where we keep our sources while we help get them out of Ammord. I left him there to cool down for awhile.”

Ardan nodded in response.

“Ata, may I speak with you for a moment?” Andrues asked, gesturing for her to follow him into the sitting area. Ata nodded then looked up to meet Ardan’s gaze and placed a soft kiss on his lips then slipped out of the room after Andrues. I slipped my arms around Ardan’s waist.

“Are you okay?” I whispered into Ardan’s side.

“Yes. It needed to happen eventually. I just didn’t expect Pri would be the one to say it,” Ardan responded, his muscles tight. “I am going to check on Wren before they leave again to gather more information.” I nodded, letting my arms fall from around him and watched as he made his say up the stairs. There was a long silence in the room as Landers and I stood there, processing the incident that just played out in front of us.

“Did you . . . kill him? The spy?” I whispered, staring at the imprints Pri left on the wooden table.

“Yes.” Landers’s voice was sharp as his jaw tightened. “We cannot risk anyone else knowing where we are.”

I met his gaze as he ran his fingers through his hair.

“Contrary to what others may believe, I do not derive pleasure from taking a life. But I cannot tell you that I regret taking his.”

“I’m sorry he said that to you,” I murmured. “He shouldn’t have.”

“Although I may not kill for sport,” Landers stated firmly, “you need to understand, Hyacinth, that I will kill again—without hesitation—if it means protecting those I care for, and getting us to Locdragoon safely.”

Ata crossed my mind—her beautiful, loving smile. If faced with her safety or taking a life, I knew I’d choose the same as him.

Our pensive silence was broken by Andrues, who walked into the room, Ata close behind him. “I am going to take Ata into the city with me. We are the only ones that can walk freely without raising alarms and I need her to help replenish my herbs and tonics,” Andrues stated.

Landers nodded and looked over at Ata with a proud smile.

“Is there anything you need from me?” Landers asked, casually pushing his hands into his pockets.

Andrues shook his head, looking over at Ata and saying, “This will be good practice for her.”

Ata rolled her eyes, but I could sense the nerves bubbling inside of her.

I could read her like a book after all these years, and though not many things made her nervous, this place did.

“Andrues.” I focused my eyes directly on him. “Do not let her out of your sight, do you hear me?”

A small smile pulled at the corner of Andrues lips. “Yes, Hyacinth, I hear you.”

“And you, try not to punch anyone this time around,” I said, turning to Ata.

Ata’s face cracked into a grin as she pushed my shoulder. “I make no promises,” she retorted before turning toward the stairs.

As Landers and Andrues chatted, I quietly excused myself and went into the living room as everyone slowly disappeared.

“You alright?” Ardan asked as he sauntered into the sitting room.

He plopped down on the couch next to me and kicked his feet up onto the coffee table. I tossed a corner of the fleece blanket I was wrapped in onto Ardan as he snuggled his sock-clad feet underneath it with a satisfied sigh.

“I wish there was more I could do.” I sighed, laying back and resting my head on the arm of the sofa, kicking my feet over his lap. “It’s my fault we are in this mess. I should be out there with everyone, doing something helpful,” I said, guilt nipping at the edges of my words as I turned my head toward the fireplace. Ardan took my foot in his hands and pressed his thumb into my arch.

“None of this is your fault,” he reassured me. “Every one of us would have made the same choice if put in your position. You used your magic to help children that could not protect themselves and I am proud of you for making that choice.”

I stayed silent as he continued massaging the bottom of my foot. Everything had changed so much, and the weight of it felt unbearable at times.

“Do you wish you had stayed?” His brows pulled together as he considered my question.

“No, I don’t,” Ardan said, picking up my other foot. “I wouldn’t have any of you there with me, so it wouldn’t have been my home anymore. I go where my family goes, always.” He looked over at me, sincerity laced in the small smile he gave.

“Has anything changed with you and Ata?” I asked as a grin broke across his face, giving away the answer before he spoke.

“She has finally admitted that our relationship is more than just a casual fling, so I will take that as a win.”

I grinned up at him. Knowing Ata, that was a huge step in the right direction. Even to me she’d never admitted her real feelings for Ardan. Whenever I asked, she always shrugged it off by saying something along the lines of “the sex was good and she trusted him as a friend so why not have both.”

For as long as I knew her, she had only ever been involved with him. Whether she wanted to admit it was romantic or not, we all could see what they had. Ardan, even though she had never fully committed to him, had been fiercely loyal to her. He had been in love with Ata for years, but wanted her to be happy, so he gave her the time she needed to come to terms with her feelings, even when it hurt him to do it. Ata knew it was painful for him, that she couldn’t commit, but every time she put an end to it they were miserable and wound up back in the same situation.

I knew eventually, when she had worked through her fears, she would finally let herself be with him. It was only a matter of time, and I think Ardan knew that too. So he waited until she was ready. They loved each other in such a soft, private way.

“I wish she had felt like she could tell me where she was from without fear of being judged,” I said, pulling at the wool weaved into the blanket.

“I think that was more about her than it was us. She hadn’t accepted that part of herself yet. I don’t think it was because she didn’t trust you,” Ardan said as he scratched at the back of his head.

I nodded, nudging him with my foot. “Do you have any magic other than healing?”

“Just my mind,” he said with a grin as I rolled my eyes.

“And Wren? Does he have anything other than healing magic?”

“Not that I have ever seen, but we had different fathers. I have always been able to sense something in him that wasn’t familiar to me. Then I met Andrues and they had such similar characteristics that I realized his father must have been from the same realm. I think as time goes on, more magic will present itself to him,” Ardan said and my brows furrowed. I had never thought about it until now—how similar Wren and Andrues looked. How they both had such a quiet strength to them. I let out a deep breath as Ardan chuckled to himself and looked over at me.

“You know, I’m not surprised this is where we are now. You have always been a troublemaker,” Ardan said, lifting a brow as I smiled back at him.

The sun flowing through the room illuminated the dust particles floating lazily in the air as we reminisced about the pranks we played and the trouble we had gotten into together at the academy. Our laughter eventually turned into a comfortable silence as the sun began to set. We both let out a contented sigh and stretched our tired limbs.

“Do you remember that time we got lost in the woods?” Ardan asked into the quiet. I chuckled, recalling the memory vividly.

“How could I possibly forget? That little stunt of yours got me a month of extra duty. You were so convinced you knew a shortcut back home.” I scowled at him.

“I did. I will swear it to my last breath, that stream moved,” Ardan said, placing a hand over his heart.

“I’m still mad about it. It was Wren’s idea and he’s the only one that didn’t get into trouble.” I scoffed through a smile as I swung my legs over the edge of the couch, my feet hitting the cold floor.

“I’m going to miss this,” I said wistfully, looking at Ardan over my shoulder. “It feels like everything is about to change.”

“I know, I feel it too.”

“Thank you,” I said quietly, “for spending the day with me, I really needed that.”

Ardan pulled me from the couch and enveloped me into a hug. “I love you, sister,” he said, placing a small kiss on the top of my head as I held him just a little longer—a little tighter.

At eight in the evening, Ata and Andrues arrived back with all of the necessary supplies we would need to heal any wounds we may sustain on the rest of our journey to Locdragoon. Landers entered the sitting room shortly after.

According to Andrues, Ata had performed remarkably well considering she had only just begun actively using her magic. That didn’t surprise me. Ata perfected everything she set her mind to. She gave me a weary hug and I could see the exhaustion in her features as Ardan took her up to bed. I waited until they were up the stairs and out of earshot before turning to Andrues.

“Thank you for bringing her back safely.” I squeezed his hand gently.

“She is stronger than she realizes, once she fully understands how to use her power . . .” Andrues paused, walking over to the bar cart perched beside the fireplace and poured himself a drink. “Gods help the people that stand in her way.” Andrues smiled proudly and threw back his glass.

I watched his throat bob as he gulped down the liquid. It made sense that Ata would be powerful. She was so strong on her own without magic, she never let anyone stand between her and what she wanted. It only made sense her magic would resemble that strength. Andrues wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, and set his cup down next to the bottle of liquor.

“I need to sort through this and get cleaned up. I will retrieve Taft once I am done,” Andrues said, picking up the satchel full of items as Landers placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Thank you, brother,” Landers said. Andrues gave him a nod, tossing the strap of the bag over his shoulder and disappearing up the stairs. Landers turned, studying me before asking, “What is on your mind?”

Without realizing it, I had started pacing. I stopped at his question and met his eyes. “Something is wrong, Landers. I can feel it.” He crossed his arms over his chest, and waited for me to continue. “I have this sick feeling . . . I have since the moment we came to this house. I feel like we are being watched. Like something is coming for us.”

Landers pulled a hand from his pocket and stretched it out to me. “Come here.”

I reached for him, sliding the tips of my fingers into his as he pulled me a few steps closer.

“Always trust your gut. If you say something is off, I will investigate it.”

My frown deepened as I leaned into his shoulder.

I didn’t want him to go again.

“For now,” Landers said, tucking my coils behind my ear, “try to go get some rest. Staying up to worry will not do you any good.”

I nodded, pulling away from him and turning for the stairs, but stopped as his fingers held onto mine. I turned to see his gaze on me, his brows pulled together.

“May I—” He cleared his throat. “May I lay with you tonight?”

I smiled at the question as I said his words back to him.

“As you wish.”