RUPTURE

29

Luka woke to blinding sunlight after dreaming of Aria's lips on his, painfully aware of the friction of the sheets against him. Oh, how things had changed since their first time interacting within the Sanctum walls.

He'd wanted to be angry with her as she was recounting the truth to him, but she was so clearly angry about it herself. Had she told him all of this when they'd first met, he wouldn't have believed a word of what she said. But he knew her better now. Knew her motivations.

None of this was Aria's fault. If anything, he was grateful to her for actually trusting him with the truth. For even seeking the truth in the first place. It was almost cathartic, in a way, to know Aria's family had wanted peace, too.

He'd nearly taken her candor as an opportunity to admit to her how they'd found out about Vera in the first place. But touching that still-healing wound on her face, the new layer of skin on her arm where the light burns had been just a few days ago… It had only served as a stark reminder of how close he'd been to messing it all up. And he selfishly hadn't wanted to ruin the moment .

Besides , he thought, infiltrating their castle was the least violent option they could have gone with . The fae had done much worse. Their past transgressions aside, he'd meant what he'd said. With so much unknown, it was nice to have something utterly in their control.

Whatever hesitations he'd had before their kiss were long gone. He wanted Aria. All of her. And once he set his mind to something, he would have it. The minute he got her alone, anywhere but the Sanctum—

Stop , he demanded his brain to pivot. Being with Aria was a dangerous line of thought that he didn't have time for. He had things to do before the meeting today, he reminded himself. He padded to the bathing room to relieve himself—an incredibly difficult task, given his current state—before shoving into his last clean set of leathers.

And before anyone else had stirred at the Sanctum, Luka tried to visit his mother a second time, praying to Mallium that this time would be less traumatizing. After a quiet knock on her door, Shara greeted him cheerfully, already in her formal leathers for the day's meeting.

"Are you busy?" Luka gave her a weak smile. After hearing Aria had taken her mother for a walk the day before, he decided that was his best bet for getting out of earshot. And offering her a chance to use her powers as an outlet, if needed. "I'd like to catch you up on some things before joining everyone."

"Sure," she replied, joining him in the hallway.

As they followed the path through the gates and around the grounds, Luka filled her in on the many things she'd missed in just a few short days. He covered Selene's inability to assist with their mission, the strange visitor on the solstice and the botched sacrifice, and what they'd possibly learned about the fae being descendants of another shifter race—all of which she took surprisingly well.

"I'm happy to see you're in a good mood," he turned to her, the sun reflecting over the white stone in front of them. Birds chirped in the distance as the early morning breeze ruffled the loose, brown hair framing Shara's face.

"I'm not a grump all the time, you know," she said teasingly.

"I know, I just…" He paused. What he really wanted to say was: You're amazingly chipper considering the fact I just told you we might be related to fae and we still have no idea what's ahead of us. Does it have something to do with the fact you slept with a fellow general last night?

Instead, he said, "I just want you to be happy, that's all."

"I am happy, Luka. All things considered."

There was a darkness to her tone, but it felt like a true enough statement. He took the chance to pry. "In that case, can I ask you something?"

She raised an eyebrow as they continued to walk, now a decent distance from the Sanctum. "Of course, son."

He hesitated. "Are you and Acasia…?"

A smile tugged at her mouth as she let out a small laugh. "I should have known to be more careful around here. If you must know, she is a large part of why I am so happy." She looked at him, judging his reaction. "But that doesn't negate the feelings I will always carry for your father."

"I know that," he stopped to face her. "It's been half a century since we lost him. You're entitled to move on in whatever fashion you want. I was just surprised when I walked by Acasia's room yesterday and…" he chuckled awkwardly. "Anyway… Surprised, but not upset. I'm happy she makes you happy, okay? You don't have to hide it from me or anyone else. "

Warmth filled her face. "Thank you for saying that, Luka. I'm fine with you knowing, but I do think we should keep this between us for now. I wouldn't want General Brune getting jealous, you know." She elbowed him playfully. A wild laugh bubbled from deep within him, but her eyes turned serious. "Is that actually why you wanted to talk? I feel like everything else could have waited for the rest of the group."

The smile fell from his face. "Well, yes. But there is something else. I've gotten, uh, close with Aria during our time together, and she confided in me about something she learned recently…" Shara's eyebrow cocked. He eyed a boulder that rested just off the path. "Do you want to sit?" He guided her toward the rock, ushering her into a seat.

She sat, but waved him off, that temper he'd inherited from her starting to surface. "Luka, I'm not a child. What's going on? This isn't like you."

With a silent groan, Luka launched right into explaining as much as he could about the Allarian king and queen's intentions to resolve their disputes. About the queen's speculation that Vera may have been behind the assault, and that Aria's parents and the rest of the Royal Assembly carried no ill will against Denover. If anything, the only thing they carried was guilt. Five decades' worth.

As he spoke, smoke began to flow from Shara's nose, her arms crossed, but she contained whatever emotions she was feeling. "Does this not seem like a convenient excuse to you?" she asked finally.

"That was my first reaction, too. But it doesn't," he replied calmly. "I trust Aria. She has given me no reason to believe she or her mother are lying. What she says makes sense. Even if Vera wasn't the reason for the first strike, it matches the other witness testimonies we've gathered from that day, doesn't it? Their conversation was peaceful. They were all smiling until he began to shift. I don't think they ordered his death. It was an accident covered up by pride, but nothing more than that." His eyes wandered back to the Sanctum, his mind drifting to Aria's tears, held back for his benefit.

When he looked at his mother again, her stare had also traveled far away, her arms corded tightly against her chest. That stoic facade was back, the lighthearted demeanor she'd donned this morning beginning to crumble. Her voice was nearly inaudible, barely a whisper as her lips quivered. "He should be here…"

"I know," he said softly.

"He should have taken more troops. The rest of the Council."

"I know."

"He should have listened. They—They should have told us sooner. They should have—"

"I know," Luka reached to comfort her, but Shara stood and walked deeper into the forest. His heart shattered as she released a primal wail, a wall of blue flames shooting out in front of her, incinerating a line of trees in its wake. She collapsed to her knees, her shoulders shaking as a heavy sob wrenched from deep within her.

Luka followed her, dropping to the earth in front of her, and pulled her into a hug. It was rigid, neither of them used to the gesture. But after a moment, their embrace softened. It was as if they'd both been holding on to some unspoken agreement not to discuss his father that had just been let go. A dam broken.

"I miss him so much, Luka," she sniffled into his neck. "Every day."

"I miss him too."

After a moment, she pulled back, taking his face in her hands. "The older you get, the more you remind me of him. Every day that passes, you look and act more like your father, so much more understanding than I am," she wiped at the moisture that trailed down his cheek. "He would be so proud of the man you've become."

Luka's eyes shut tightly, releasing another round of tears. She'd never told him that before, never acknowledged how much he'd grown, changed, throughout his years of leadership. Even recently, he'd felt himself opening up. Felt himself seeking to emulate the generosity and kindness of his father. It thrilled him to know his mother liked this version of him, too. That he reminded her of the man so many in Denover still cherished.

He pulled her into another hug, squeezing her firmly. "He'd be proud of you, too, you know."

"I don't know about that," she said, heaving a sigh. "But I think about him all the time. How forgiving he was. I've tried so hard to lead like he would have, but it's hard when I've been so angry."

"You deserve to be angry, Mother," he assured her. "More than anyone."

"Being angry is exhausting," she shook her head. "I understand, now, why he was so quick to let things go. It's a lot easier that way."

"That's what I told Aria last night," he laughed. "She didn't believe me when I said I forgave them."

"You really think she's telling the truth?"

He sighed. "I do."

She nodded slowly, considering his words. "I trust your judgment. If your father was willing to trust them, then I will try, too. He would have wanted that for us, I think."

The tension in his shoulders released. "I think so, too," he said. "Do you want to tell the others? "

"I don't know," she said, pausing. "Maybe some day. I just want to think about it a little more… I'm not even sure I've processed it."

"Whatever you want to do. You just let me know what you need from me, okay?"

"Thank you," she said with a thin smile that did nothing to ease his concerns, which were apparently visible on his face. " I'm okay, " she said emphatically, answering his unasked question. "I'm okay , Luka. Just give me a minute alone and then I'll go fill in the rest of the Council on the other information you've learned, at least."

"Fine," he agreed reluctantly.

"And go eat breakfast. We've got a big day."

***

Luka was pleased by his mother's reaction, content with the discussion they'd shared. And if he was being honest with himself, he'd needed that hug from her more than he realized. Her words of kindness had given him the affirmation he needed to keep going. To keep being vulnerable. It's what his father would have done.

But she was right, they had a lot ahead of them and he needed to find Aria to let her know the talk had gone well. When he finally spotted her sitting on the fountain biting into a piece of fruit, the sight of her was enough to lift the heaviness in his chest. Something about seeing her completely at ease, soaking in the sun… It warmed a piece of him.

"Good morning," she smiled, running the tip of her tongue along the corner of her mouth to catch a trickle of juice from her last bite, holding his gaze. He would have given anything for that to have been his tongue lapping at the sweet liquid .

"It would have been even better if I'd woken up next to you," he growled softly.

Pink creeped up her neck as she looked away bashfully. "You should be so lucky." More seers began to shuffle through the courtyard, cutting their conversation short. Best to make this quick.

"I talked to my mother this morning," he started, clearing his throat. Her eyebrows raised in anticipation. "She took it well. She had many of the same questions I did, but I think she believes you. She wants to keep it to herself for a bit, but I expect she'll be more open to sharing information and resources now."

Aria breathed a sigh of deep relief. "That's incredible," she said, "thank you for talking to her. You have no idea how much I appreciate it."

"I have some ideas for how you can really thank me," Luka said quietly as he leaned into Aria's neck, inhaling that intoxicating floral scent emanating from her.

She rolled her eyes at him, but he could hear the throbbing pulse of her heartbeat. Feel the energy that thrummed between them. "As interested as I am in those ideas, we need to behave ourselves today," she reminded him, her voice coming out breathy.

"Yeah, yeah, Princess," he grinned, "I'll be on my best behavior. Promise."