Chapter 24 Sorin
CHAPTER 24
SORIN
“ I swear to Saylah, Sorin, if you make me eat one more bite of food …” Scarlett trailed off as she ?opped onto her back on thegrey sofa she was sitting on, her hair bright against the upholstery.
When they had left the council room, Sorin had led her back to the queen’s private wing to a small den. It had a ?replace, the sofa she was currently sprawled across, a couple of cream-colored, high-backed armchairs, and a small table for six off to the side. A few ?oor-to-ceiling windows ran along one wall, letting in the warmth and sunlight of the day. He had opened one to let in the air off the water the Black Halls were built against, knowing simply being able to smell the saltwater would ease some of Scarlett’s nerves. It was cozy and intimate and reserved for the queen and king of the Western Courts.
After he had sent messages to his Court and Briar that morning while she had still slept, he had also asked Rayner to have some sort of meal prepared for them and sent here to be waiting. He’d known the conversations with his Inner Court would be intense, and he’d also known she’d need this time to breathe.
And eat.
She needed to fucking eat.
So when they’d entered this room, he had immediately gone to the table that was laden with fruits and breads and cheeses and meats, piling her a full plate. He’d sat beside her on that sofa and made sure she ate the whole damn thing.
“Are you sure you got enough to eat?” he asked, putting more meat and bread onto the plate as he spoke.
“Yes, Sorin,” she sighed. “They did feed me. I mean, not at ?rst. But once they realized how quickly I could weaken, Alaric made sure I had regular meals. Small, but regular.”
“Care to tell me more about this whole sleeping next to Mikale bit?” he ground out, dropping the plate to the table a little harder than he’d intended. “You told me he didn’t—”
“He didn’t, Sorin,” she interrupted, and he turned to ?nd her sitting back up. Her arms were folded across the back of the sofa, her head resting on them as she looked up at him. “I wasn’t forced to do anything like that, but Alaric was trying to make me as uncomfortable as possible, while making sure I didn’t weaken enough to break the Blood Mark. So I was given a bed to sleep in, but Mikale shared that bed. I was bathed in cold water with Mikale watching over me the entire time. He dressed me, and he took some liberties with his hands—”
Fire ?ared in his vision. Sorin was standing before her before she could utter another word, pulling her up onto her knees and slamming his mouth onto hers. She let out a surprised gasp, and he sank his tongue into her mouth, too. His arm snaked around her waist, forcing her to arch her back as he bent forward over the back of the sofa.
“Tonight,” he growled onto her lips, “you will tell me every place he took liberties with you.”
Her hand came up, brushing a lock of hair from his brow. “I am yours, Sorin,” she said softly. “Only yours.”
He pressed another kiss to her lips before releasing her and going back to the food. He ?lled the plate with more food despite her protests, setting it on the low table before the sofa. She’d sprawled back onto the cushions, and he lifted her head slightly as he took a seat, lowering it back onto his lap.
She stared up at him, playing with the shadows that she had released to ?ow around her, and she sent one to curl around his ear.
“Do you think we should tell Talwyn that I am Avonleyan?” she asked.
Sorin sighed. “I think it will come out eventually, and knowing her, it would be better if it came from us, rather than her discovering it on her own.”
She nodded her head once. “Is there a library here?”
“Of course,” he answered, running his ?ngers along her face.
“Can you take me there? After … everything is ?nished today.”
“Yes,” he said, twirling a piece of her hair around a ?nger. “Anything in particular we are looking for?”
He said it as casually as he could, but if she was seeking out books, she had ideas swirling in her mind. She was looking to research something.
“I need to ?gure out this Source thing,” she sighed. “I can’t do anything about Mikale or Alaric until I can use this magic and replenish it without …”
“Drinking my blood?” he supplied.
“Drinking any Fae blood,” she replied.
His ?nger stilled, and he tugged sharply on the lock of hair wrapped around it. “Let me be very clear about this: If you need to do that before we ?gure this Source thing out, you come to me.”
Scarlett rolled her eyes. “I’m not sure why you think you can give me orders lately.”
He ?icked her nose. “You and this godsdamn tongue,” he muttered.
They’d sat in that den for another hour, just him and her, and he ?nally felt like he could breathe fully. After having her last night, sleeping beside her, having her close all day, sitting and casually conversing, the tension in his limbs had greatly abated, and he felt like he could focus on something other than her. He wasn’t letting her out of his sight anytime soon, but he wasn’t wrapped up in ?nding her, seeing her, consuming her.
He’d sent word to Talwyn that they would meet with her tomorrow. Scarlett would need a break from having to defend herself and dealing with her own Courts all day. Talwyn had been surprisingly amenable to waiting another day.
Now they were making their way down a back passageway to the great hall that had become the main room for all the children. He’d been told they’d all been given rooms, dividing the children into pairs. Some of the older ones, like Lynnea and Malachi, were given their own rooms. It was likely the ?rst time they’d ever had such a thing.
He pulled open the door for her and let her step through. They emerged at the far end of the room, the door blending in with the stonework to look just like the wall. She stood still, looking around the room.
“They’ve found food and clothing and—”
“They have everything they need, Love,” Sorin said, cutting her off. “If they don’t, the help ?nds it for them.”
She looked up at him. “I know you didn’t think we should bring them all …”
She trailed off as he started shaking his head. “My sole focus these last few weeks was you. Nothing else mattered to me, Scarlett. I wanted to get you out of there. Taking the time to move all these children was delaying that. I know it was sel?sh and made me look like a prick for not caring, but I didn’t care. I needed you out. I needed you safe. The gods know I was an uncooperative dick these last few weeks, but I don’t care. I needed you and that was it.”
“That’s oddly … charismatic,” she quipped, her head tilting to the side. “In a completely insane, over-possessive, mother hen sort of way.”
“I swear to the Fates, Scarlett,” he muttered as she turned away from him and began making her way into the room, stopping to greet several of the children along her way.
He started to follow after her, when his name was called out into the hall.
“Prince Aditya.”
Sorin turned to see a tall, dark-skinned male striding through the sea of children. His olive-green eyes were narrowed and set on him. A golden-skinned female was trailing him, along with a light brown wolf. He reached him in a few more long strides, and faster than Sorin could brace for it, a ?st slammed into his jaw.
“Sorin!” Scarlett cried, beside him in an instant with a hand raised and shadows leaping from her ?ngertips.
“It is ?ne, Love,” Sorin said, rubbing at his jaw with his hand. “I deserved that.”
“You deserve more than that,” the Alpha growled, his ?st drawing back again.
And then Scarlett was stepping in front of him, her shadows morphing into white ?ames as her head tilted up, and she locked eyes with the Shifter. “I’m going to need to at least know your name before you set about trying to throw down with my husband,” she said sweetly, shadows pooling around her feet and twisting into snakes poised to strike.
“Relax, Love,” Sorin said, reaching out and pushing her hand down. “This is Stellan Renatus. Alpha of the Shifters and Arianna’s brother. Stellan, meet Queen Scarlett, my wife and twin ?ame.”
Scarlett looked back over her shoulder at him, her brows arching in surprise. “And why does the Alpha deserve to punch you in your face?”
“Because he went behind my back to recruit my sister for his little rescue mission,” Stellan cut in.
“Of course he did,” came Arianna’s sultry drawl as she sauntered up behind her brother. “Temural knows you would never have let me go otherwise,” she added. Her gaze shifted to Scarlett. “It is wonderful to see you up and about, your Majesty.”
“I owe you a debt, my Lady,” Scarlett answered with a bow of her head. “I am sure without your aide I would still be chained to a wall, and Cassius would be dead. Thank you will never be nearly enough.”
Arianna’s gaze slid to Sorin’s, and a coy smile made its way on to her lips. “Have you asked her yet, Prince?”
“We have had much to discuss, my Lady, but as I mentioned weeks ago, she is not one to share,” he replied, knowing exactly what she was referencing.
“She may surprise you,” Arianna countered, glancing at Scarlett. “People change. After all, you used to enjoy partaking in our group activities in Siofra. Jamahl and I can be very convincing.”
“I am well aware of how convincing you can be, Arianna,” Sorin said. “Hold on,” Scarlett said, stepping back so she could look between Arianna and Sorin. “You two used to … With another? Who is Jamahl?” “Jamahl is my personal guard,” Arianna supplied.
“Mhmm,” Scarlett said. “And?”
“And the Beta does not like to limit herself to one partner,” Sorin explained. “She also enjoys group activities.”
Scarlett’s eyes went wide. “And you’ve participated in these group activities?”
Sorin ran a hand down his face, his hand pausing over his mouth, hiding the grin curling on the corner of his lips. “I have lived many years, Scarlett, and I have experienced many things in those years.”
Scarlett barked a laugh, her silver eyes bright and twinkling with amusement. “I would love to hear of these experiences , Prince.”
“Or you could experience them for yourself,” Arianna inter jected, her hand coming up and ?ngers dragging sensually along her arm.
Sorin couldn’t stop the possessive snarl that rumbled from his chest, and Scarlett fell into a ?t of laughter. “I think I will let my ancient husband’s experiences be enough for both of us,” she said. “And he is correct. I do not like to share.”
Arianna’s full lip pushed out in a pout. “That’s a shame,” she sighed. “If you ever change your mind though …”
“You shall be the ?rst to know, Lady,” Scarlett replied with an amused grin.
“Back to the matter at hand,” Stellan cut in, and Arianna rolled her eyes, huf?ng an exaggerated sigh.
“You have my deepest apologies, Stellan,” Sorin said. “But I was working with limited time. I did not necessarily have the time to go through the proper channels and meetings.”
Scarlett was slowly turning her head to face him. “Just to clarify here, Prince. You are saying you did not have the time to properly inform everyone of your plans and needed to make a quick decision?”
Scarlett, this is not the same thing, and certainly not the time to be discussing it , he sent down the bond in warning.
Her lips curled up into a smirk, but she waved her hand dramatically in a motion for him to continue.
“As I was saying, you were not in Siofra when I came to ask Arianna, and time was of the essence,” he ?nished.
“You were gone for weeks,” Stellan snarled. “And you had a Traveler with you. I am sure at some point in that time you could have made a quick trip to me to explain.”
“By the gods,” Arianna cut in. “His twin ?ame was being held prisoner, Stellan. You were the last person on his mind, I assure you.”
Stellan whirled on his sister, and the two siblings began to argue, seeming to forget anyone else was near. Sorin reached for Scarlett’s hand and gave her a wink as he tugged her away from them.
“We can have a more formal meeting and introduction to the Shifters another time,” he said. “In fact, knowing Stellan, I am sure he will insist on it.”
“Yes,” she mused, “you seem to know the Shifters very well.”
“Only Arianna, you wicked thing,” he retorted, tugging her into his side and pinching her waist.
“And Jamahl,” she teased as she batted his hand away. Then, “Is that Tula sitting on Rayner’s lap?”
“They met in Baylorin,” Sorin said, his eyes settling on the pair across the room. “She has taken quite the liking to him.”
They were several feet away when the little girl’s eyes landed on Scarlett and widened to the size of saucers before an excited scream fell from her lips.
“Scarlett!”
Rayner smiled affectionately as he lowered her to the ?oor and the girl was racing toward them. Scarlett was already lowered to her knees, arms open wide to catch her.
“Hello, Tula Bug,” she murmured as her arms wrapped tightly around the little girl. “I’ve missed you so much.”
“I kept waiting for you at the other place,” she said. Then her voice dropped to a serious whisper. “Did you know they used magic to get us here?”
Scarlett smiled in amusement. “I did. Did you know I can do magic?”
“Show me,” Tula demanded.
Scarlett raised a hand and white ?ames danced there. Tula gasped, and Scarlett’s smile widened as she sent her shadows among them. Then she lifted her other hand and blew across it, small snow?akes ?ying into Tula’s face. Her giggles ?lled the air, and Scarlett began showing her a few other things.
“Briar is here with Ashtine,” Rayner said, and Sorin looked up from the pair to ?nd Rayner had crossed the distance to them. A moment later, Briar and Ashtine entered the hall, making their way over. Tula had plopped herself onto the ?oor, watching Scarlett with wide eyes, and a few other children had made their way over to watch, too. She clearly hadn’t noticed the other two Royals arriving.
“How is she?” Briar asked quietly.
“She is … surviving,” Sorin answered, not liking that ‘surviving’ was the word he had to use to describe her right now. “She is enjoying these quiet moments before having to go behind closed doors with everyone again.”
“Why does the child have a necklace of skystone?” Ashtine asked, seemingly oblivious to their conversation.
Sorin’s eyes darted to Tula, and, sure enough, a thick chain had slipped from beneath the shirt she wore. A symbol that could only be described as a tangled knot hung from the chain. Temural’s symbol, the god of the wild and untamed. The amulet itself was made of some black metal or stone. The chain it hung from was ivory with silver threaded through it, but it wasn’t skystone itself. Skystone was brilliantly white with silver whorls running through it. This was too muted to be skystone. The necklace looked similar to any other spirit amulet.
Scarlett looked up at Ashtine’s question, her silver eyes bright with the use of her magic. “What is skystone?”
“Stone only found in the Shira Cliffs in the Wind Court,” Briar answered.
“On our highest cliffs that sit amongst the clouds,” Ashtine said, her tone full of curiosity. “It is said that Sefarina herself touches those stones. That they are wind-kissed.”
“What?” Scarlett asked, pushing suddenly to her feet. “What did you just say?”
Ashtine’s head tilted as she studied Scarlett. “You have heard that term before.”
“Is it rare?” Scarlett asked. “This skystone.”
“Very,” Briar answered. “I have only seen true skystone a handful of times in my life.”
“I do not think that is skystone, Asthine,” Sorin ventured. “I think it just looks incredibly similar.”
“That is skystone,” Ashtine said. “If Nasima were here, the silver visible on that chain would move like the winds.”
“Where is Nasima?” Scarlett asked, and Ashtine stiffened, stepping back from her.
“That is a topic for another time,” Briar said ?rmly.
Scarlett glanced between the two of them before she nodded. “You are sure that is skystone?”
“I am,” Ashtine replied, then she turned to Briar. “I am going to go for a walk.”
“I will come with you,” he answered, concern clouding his normally twinkling eyes. “Send a message when you are ready to meet again,” he added, before falling into step beside Ashtine.
Sorin turned back to ?nd Scarlett crouched before Tula, her ?ngers running over the child’s necklace. “Tula, where did you get this?”
“It’s mine,” the little girl replied defensively, trying to tug the necklace free from Scarlett’s hand.
“But where did you get it?” Scarlett pressed.
“I found it,” she mumbled, her baby blue eyes going to the ?oor. She clearly thought she was about to be reprimanded.
“Yes, but where, Little Bug?” Scarlett urged softly, turning the amulet over again.
“That night when the bad man had me. And you were there and Cassius and Nuri and the other girl,” Tula said, tears pooling in her eyes. “They took me away and put me in a room. I was sitting on the ?oor, in the corner, and found a hole in the wall. It was in there. It looked like the one you always wear.”
“It was hidden?” Scarlett asked.
“I took it,” she cried, her lower lip trembling. “I know it wasn’t good, Scarlett. But I was looking at it, and the man came back, and I didn’t want to get in trouble.”
“Shh, Little Bug,” Scarlett soothed, pulling the child into her arms. “I am not upset with you.”
Sorin watched the scene playing out in front of him. Watched a queen sitting on a stone ?oor comforting an orphan. He dropped down beside them, his hand coming to Scarlett’s back.
“Can we make a trade, Tula?” he asked, and the little girl pulled back from Scarlett’s shoulder, tear stains on her cheeks.
“Wh-what kind of trade?” she snif?ed.
“If Scarlett and I made you a new, special necklace, could we trade you for that one?”
Her eyes brightened at that thought. “You can do that?”
“If that sounds like a good trade to you?” Sorin replied with a wink.
Tula nodded her head enthusiastically, sitting back on her heels expectantly.
Sorin formed a small ?ame in his palm, no bigger than a coin, then he made it take the shape of a heart. Scarlett’s hand came up over his, and water magic ?owed into his ?ames, freezing the ?re as it wove amongst it. In the center of the heart, she put a white ?ame before encasing the entire thing in hoarfrost crystal, leaving it cool to the touch.
“Does it meet your approval?” Sorin asked when they’d ?nished, holding it out for Tula’s inspection.
“I love it!” she cried, in a pitch Sorin was sure only little girls could hit. Scarlett reached over and lifted the chain from around Tula’s neck. She placed the pendant in her little hands as she said, “Thank you for this, Tula.”
Tula was staring at the pendant with wonder. She looked up at Rayner. “Did you see my new necklace?”
He chuckled. “I did. It is beautiful. How about we go ?nd a chain to put it on so you do not lose it?”
“I have to go to a meeting, Tula, but I will come see you later tonight. Okay?” Scarlett asked, her attention ?xed on the amulet in her hand.
But Tula was already tugging on Rayner’s hand and leading him away. “I need to show Marion and Cilla my new necklace,” she was telling him.
“Let’s go somewhere else, Love,” Sorin said, touching her elbow and pulling her from her thoughts.
Without a word, she grabbed his hand and pulled him through a rip in the world. He found himself standing in their private chambers at his Fiera Palace. She had already dropped his hand and was making her way to the large dressing room. He followed and when he entered, he found her holding her own spirit amulet. The amulet Eliné had given her. A circle with a crescent sitting on its side atop it, hung from the chain. It was Saylah’s symbol, and it appeared to be the same black material as the one they’d just traded Tula for. It hung from a chain that looked identical to Tula’s as well.
“The keys have always been trying to get home,” she murmured. She looked up at him, and he couldn’t read her expression, but he felt a tentative hope emanating down the bond. “The keys have always been trying to get home,” she repeated a little louder, as if that explained everything.
“I am going to need a little more than that, Love,” he said, coming to her side and taking her amulet from her, turning it over in his hand.
“Juliette and the man in my dreams have both said that to me,” she said. “The keys have always been trying to get home. When I ?rst saw the Oracle, when I ?rst learned of the keys, she told me a child of each possesses them on a chain of wind-kissed stone.”
“A child of each what?” Sorin asked, reaching for Tula’s amulet as well, holding the two side-by-side.
“That I don’t know yet, but it cannot be a coincidence that Ashtine recognized Tula’s as skystone. I bet if she had seen mine before, she would have said it sooner, but I haven’t worn it since our bonding,” Scarlett said, beginning to pace in the dressing room, her hand combing through her hair.
“But the Oracle said they were on a chain of wind-kissed stone. Wouldn’t that lead one to believe the key would be on the chain?” Sorin asked. He still wasn’t convinced these were chains of skystone. They were just too … dull.
Her hand shot out and snatched her necklace from his grasp. She ran her ?ngers along the amulet, holding it up to the light. The amulet seemed to absorb the light, as if it were sucking it into itself. “That son of a bitch,” she muttered under her breath. She met his gaze once more as she said, “The amulets are nightstone.”
“Nightstone?” Sorin repeated in confusion. “Nightstone is not a thing.”
His confusion only intensi?ed as Scarlett dropped to the ?oor, her head tipping back and laughter spilling from her lips. “He never gave me a rock. He was showing me I already had it.” Then she lifted the amulet to her lips and spoke to it. “Something like this, you asshole? Speaking into a rock?”
“Scarlett … Are you feeling all right?” Sorin ventured carefully, but it certainly seemed as if she’d gone mad.
“Fantastic,” she replied, getting her laughter under control. “We found the ?rst two keys.”
“I understand why you seem to think that, but I do not think we should jump to any conclusions,” Sorin started.
But she had already pushed back to her feet, throwing her arms around his neck and pressing her lips to his. Any argument he’d been about to make ?ew from his mind, as he tilted her head back and deepened the kiss. He herded her towards the wall, his hands on her hips as he walked her backwards. Her hands slid down his shoulders, down his arms, her nails digging into his forearms as he moved his lips to her neck, brushing her hair out of the way. A breathy moan escaped her lips, and he couldn’t help but smile with smug satisfaction against her skin at the sound.
Gods, he had missed that sound.
He had missed having her close. Missed the taste of her. Her scent.
But the sounds she made when she came for him?
Yeah, those topped the list of things he’d missed most. He craved those sounds like he craved air in his lungs.
But before he could do anything about hearing those sounds again, a ?re message appeared by his head.
Then another. And another.
He growled in frustration, reaching up and plucking the messages from the ?ames.
“They are all from Cyrus, stating they are waiting for us.”
“Glad to know he is still a busybody,” Scarlett muttered breathlessly, her cheeks ?ushed.
“We really should go and clear the air with them before we meet with Talwyn tomorrow,” Sorin replied, shoving down every ounce of desire and forcing his feet to take a step back from her.
She sighed heavily, bending down to retrieve the amulets from where they’d been dropped to the ?oor. She pocketed them before meeting his eyes once more. The lightness that had been in them moments ago was gone. “They will forgive me eventually, right?”
He reached out and cupped her cheek. “Yes, Love. They likely already do.”
“Do you?”
“Yes,” he answered.
“Really?” she asked skeptically. “Because you’re still blocking me out most of the time.”
“Forgiveness does not equal trust,” he replied, running his thumb along her cheekbone. “But that will come in time. Give me time, Scarlett.”
Her lips pressed into a thin line, but she nodded once before stepping from his touch. “I need to grab a couple books from the library chamber and then we can go back.”
Sorin nodded and sent a quick reply to Cyrus, letting him know they’d be back within the hour, before he followed Scarlett out of the dressing room. The guards and help all bowed as they passed them in the halls, welcoming Scarlett home. She smiled at them all, greeting most by name, but her smiles didn’t reach her eyes. Not like they had moments ago when she was showing her magic to Tula or laughing on the ?oor of their dressing room.
She didn’t say anything as they made the trek through the library shelves, into the dusty passages, and down the secret stairwell to the chamber below. She lit the various candles and torches around the room with a ?ick of her ?ngers, and Sorin couldn’t help but smile softly at her casual use of her gifts. Mere months ago, she’d been terri?ed of them. Refused to use them unless supervised. And now?
Now she threw ?ames, froze ?re, and created with shadows as if it were part of her. Just as it was always intended to be.
She was ri?ing through books on the table, muttering to herself, when she glanced at him as if she sensed his stare. “What?” she asked, dropping a pile of books back onto the table and blowing a piece of hair out of her face.
“Nothing,” he answered, coming to her side. “What are we looking for?”
“There were two books down here. One was about Avonleyan customs. I didn’t look into it much as I was more concerned with the wards and the war than learning about the Avonleyan people,” she explained, beginning to look through another stack.
“And the other book?” he asked, looking through a stack of books near him. He wouldn’t be of much help though. He couldn’t read the Avonleyan language, so he wouldn’t know if he stumbled across the book or not.
She cast him a quick glance before quickly averting her eyes back to her task. “A book on Blood Magic.”
He stilled. “Scarlett,” he said, her name a warning.
“Alaric knows how to use it, Sorin. Maybe Mikale does too. And Lord Tyndell,” she said, moving to yet another stack of books. “It would be stupid to not learn as much as we can about it.”
“You intend to simply study it or practice it?” he asked pointedly. She stilled for a fraction of a second before continuing her search. When she didn’t answer him, though, he said tightly, “Scarlett, tell me you are not planning to practice more Blood Magic.”
“Well, since we’re doing this whole not-keeping-things-from-each-other thing …” She trailed off, moving to a bookcase.
“For fuck’s sake, Scarlett,” Sorin seethed. “You cannot be serious.”
“Look at you using your big boy words,” she taunted, smirking at him in that infuriating way she knew would make him see red.
He crossed the chamber to her in three long strides. She had turned her back to him again, running her ?ngers along the spines of the books on a shelf. She gasped when he gripped her arm, spinning her and pressing her back to the shelves behind her.
“You will tell me before you enact any of those Marks, Scarlett. We will discuss it and be in agreement before you do it,” he said, low and even. It was taking everything in him to not lose his temper. She pursed her lips, looking everywhere but at him. “Scarlett,” he growled.
“I cannot promise that, Sorin,” she ?nally said. “If we are in the midst of a ?ght and I need to use one, I cannot stop and ask your permission.”
“Blood Magic should not be used at all, but if you are going to insist on using it, it should certainly not be used without care and meticulous thought,” he argued. “Gods, Scarlett, did you learn nothing at all from this?”
“Stop speaking to me like I am a child, Sorin,” she spat back. “I understand your concern here—”
“You clearly do not,” he said, releasing her and pushing back off the bookshelf. “Find your books so we can go.”
“So now you are going to throw a temper tantrum? Delightful,” she muttered, turning back to the bookcase.
He said nothing. He just stalked to the doorway and waited for her. She would glance at him every once in a while, but she never held his gaze for longer than a second. After several more minutes, she ?nally found the two books she’d been looking for and came to his side.
Clutching the books to her chest, she looked up at him. “We can discuss this more, Sorin. We can come to an agreement, but I need you to be on my side when we meet with the others again. I need you.”
He cupped the nape of her neck and hauled her to his lips, pressing a hard kiss to her mouth. “I am yours, and you are mine. It is always you and me. Always together.”
“Okay,” she breathed onto his lips, relief sparking down the bond.
A few minutes later, they had climbed the steps and stepped through a ?re portal back to the Black Halls. Scarlett had sent the books off with a shadow panther, and they were once again sitting at a table with his Court, Briar, and Sawyer. No one was speaking, although Rayner and Sawyer seemed far less hostile. Briar had never carried the same anger the rest of them had, regarding her actions. Cyrus was sitting rigidly in his seat, and Eliza had her arms crossed, her grey eyes hard.
Scarlett took a deep breath beside him before she said, “So, what else do you guys want to know?”
Eliza snorted with derision. “I think the better question is what else do you need to tell us?”
“I am fairly certain Sorin and I found two of the seven Avon leyan keys,” Scarlett said casually, and Sorin tipped his head back in exasperation.
“For the love of Anala, Scarlett,” he muttered, knowing exactly what was coming as Eliza spoke.
“So now you are keeping secrets from us too?” she demanded, her furious gaze landing on him.
Scarlett held up her hand before things escalated further. “To be fair, we just found them after we had eaten lunch. Rayner was there, although I hadn’t pieced it all together yet at that point.”
Briar barked a laugh from where he sat. “Always with the dramatics, Sunshine,” he teased.
She threw him a quick grin before turning back to the others and quickly ?lling them in on what she believed to be the keys.
“I am still not convinced the chains are skystone,” Sorin said when she had ?nished speaking. “And there is no way to know if the amulets are indeed the keys without involving Talwyn. So the question is, are we wanting to tell her our suspicions, or do we wait until we are sure and have found the other keys?”
“Ashtine can con?rm if they are skystone or not,” Briar said.
“With Nasima?” Scarlett asked, rolling white ?ames between her ?ngers as she contemplated the decisions before them.
“Likely not,” Briar said, his features darkening. “But she can take them to the Shira Cliffs. She can enter the places where skystone is found. In that sacred space, her own power should be able to recognize the skystone.”
Scarlett nodded. “Let’s wait until that is con?rmed before saying anything to Talwyn. I think our main concern, after Tarek, needs to be the Contessa,” she said. “I am assuming the Summit did not happen?”
Briar shook his head. “No. From my understanding, they were still waiting for a response from the Contessa. The High Witch also made it very clear she would not attend unless you were present.”
“And the Beta was with us,” Rayner added.
Scarlett nodded again. “Is it normal for the Contessa to take this long to respond?”
“She is reclusive, but no,” Sorin supplied. “This is unusual.”
“We can get Talwyn and Azrael’s input on that tomorrow,” she said after a moment. “I do not want Cassius brought up tomorrow or the fact that he is half-Avonleyan.”
That had everyone’s eyes snapping back to her.
“Explain,” Cyrus bit out. The ?rst and only word he’d spoken since they’d reconvened.
“It is why your blood is helping him heal,” she said. “Avonleyans need Fae to heal and replenish their magic.”
“And you?” Sawyer asked.
“I am full-blooded Avonleyan.” The entire room fell silent.
“That explains your shadows and white ?ames,” Briar said, more to himself than the room.
“Yes,” Scarlett answered.
“You want this kept from Talwyn?” Rayner asked.
“I want Cassius kept out of all discussions for the time being,” Scarlett clari?ed. “As for my own heritage, Sorin and I discussed that this morning and think it would be best if we told Talwyn, rather than her learning it some other way.”
The rest of the day was spent in further discussion of the meeting with Talwyn tomorrow, Scarlett revealing what she did and did not know of the Maraan Lords, the wards, everything really. They had dinner served in that council room, and when the sun had long since set, Sorin ?nally ordered a halt to the meeting. She was exhausted, and he knew she’d want to check in on Cassius again before she would allow herself to sleep.
When they did ?nally retire to the queen’s chambers, she was asleep when he emerged from the bathing room after washing up. He pulled the quilt up higher and over her shoulder before he moved to an armchair by the ?re. He would go to bed soon enough, but Scarlett was not the only one who had taken books from the chamber in the Fiera Palace.
While they had been searching, he had found some of her notes and books and sent them to a pocket between the realms. He was determined to learn the Avonleyan language. He was determined to ?gure out this Source thing for her. So he settled in, her notes and translations on the table beside him, and began.