47. Aryn
Aryn
By the time the door to our room clicks shut, the moons are high in the sky and the fire has burned to embers. I chuck a few logs in before shrugging off my sweater, then collapse onto the bed with a heavy exhale. Cato follows, kicking off his boots before crawling on beside me.
For a long moment we just lie there, staring at the ceiling.
“So,” I finally say, turning my head toward him. “How do you think that went?”
Cato lets out a long breath and rolls onto his side to face me. “I don’t know. She went from ready to throw us out to nearly breaking down. Ronan’s mom…”
“Right? Who would’ve seen that coming?
He scoffs. “Sovran.”
“You think he knew and didn’t tell us?” I ask, recalling the way Sovran insisted Ronan come on this mission. He stressed it was vital, but he seemed as frustrated as us when he couldn’t say why. “No, I don’t think he knew. I like to believe he would’ve told us if he did.”
“You act like he’s ever been straightforward with his visions,” he counters. “Getting a straight answer out of the guy is damn near impossible.”
I dip my chin in a conceding nod. “True. But in this case, I think he realized Ronan and I were both important to the mission, but didn’t know why. And now, we know.”
Cato pauses as he considers it. “We needed Brihn’s contacts to get an audience with Ailynor, and we needed Ronan here to make her listen.”
“Precisely.”
“Did you see the way she looked when he mentioned the toy?”
I nod, reaching out to trace a finger along his arm. “She’s spent a century believing her son was dead. Learning otherwise was a big enough shock on its own, but then to find out he was one of the soldiers she dedicated her life to fighting? That would break anyone.”
“Do you think she believes us?”
“About?”
Cato chokes on a laugh. “All of it… any of it. I mean, we’ve been through hell to get here, and we’re asking her to fight a war that doesn’t feel very winnable.”
“Yeah,” I agree with a sigh. “She was already mentally drained, but after that she just looked…”
“Exhausted,” he finishes for me.
“Exactly. She’s someone who’s always carried the weight of the world on her shoulders. We just added to it.”
“Yeah,” he agrees through a yawn. “But at least she understands the stakes now.”
“She does. It’s not just about her son or saving the human world. This place is dying too. She’s known something was happening for decades, and now she knows why.”
Cato shifts closer, resting his head on my shoulder. “She had a lot of questions about Sovran. Like, she was dead set on figuring out how his sight works. None of us have any fucking idea how he gets those cryptic messages.”
“I think she’s trying to figure out if she can trust the prophecy or if we’re just desperate. You had those same doubts,” I remind him. “Has that changed?”
He hesitates, blowing out a long exhale. “It’s… shifted.”
“Because it’s personal for you now, too.”
“Yeah,” he agrees softly.
“Are you turning optimistic on me, kitten?”
“Shut up,” he mutters, leaning up to press a kiss on my chin. “Optimistic. I’ll take that as an insult.”
I run my fingers through his hair, fighting my grin. “She’s a warrior first, and she thinks as warriors think. She’ll want proof, strategy, and allies before she commits her armies. But I saw it in her eyes. She believes us. She has to. This isn’t just politics anymore.”
“Yeah,” Cato agrees. “She looked almost disappointed that Zadeus was already dead.”
“She wanted to be the one to drive the blade through his chest. You can understand that, rha khor.”
“Oh, I most definitely fucking can. She looked ready to burn his entire legacy to the ground. That’s a sentiment I support with my whole heart.”
A small smile tugs at my lips. “We might have to protect Xeni now that she knows he’s Zadeus’s son.”
Cato grumbles the way he always does whenever Xeni is mentioned, then huffs a tired laugh and nuzzles deeper into my neck. “You really think she’ll help us?”
“I do,” I answer, pressing a kiss to his temple. “She has every reason to now. Her son, her world, her future—they’re all tangled together in this. It’s one big war, and she just became its most dangerous player.”
We fall quiet again. The burden we’ve been carrying feels different now that someone with real power finally believes us. Not lighter, necessarily, but shared.
Cato’s voice is softer when he speaks. “We might actually have a chance.”
I pull him tighter against me, my tail curling around his leg. “We do. And we’re going to take it.”
“Gonna take you,” he murmurs, eyes already fluttering closed.
A tired smile tugs at my lips. I nuzzle into his hair, breathing him in. “Is that so? You can barely keep your eyes open, kitten.”
“Mmm. Still gonna,” he mumbles, pressing a lazy kiss to my collarbone. “Gonna pin you down… make you forget your own name.”
My hand slides slowly down his back. “Bold words for someone who’s already half-asleep. I could roll you over right now and you’d probably just start snoring.”
Cato makes a weak, indignant sound. “Would not. I’d… I’d take it like a champion. Real heroic-like. Moan real pretty for you and everything.”
A smile pulls at my lips, so wide it hurts my cheeks. “Heroic moaning. Now there’s an image. My fierce wildfire reduced to sleepy, desperate noises while I take my time with him.”
He shivers against me, but it’s followed by another huge yawn. “Keep talking dirty and I might actually wake up. Maybe. Or better idea… I’ll just lie here and let you do all the work.”
I chuckle softly and nip at his ear. “Spoiled already, huh? You’d just lie there looking pretty while I fuck you, wouldn’t you?”
“Exactly,” he slurs, sounding far too pleased with himself. “Gonna be so good for you.”
“You’re ridiculous,” I murmur fondly, kissing his temple again. “Go to sleep, love. You can be my desperate little champion in the morning.”
“Promise you’ll still want me when I’m drooling on your chest?” he asks, already drifting.
My arms tighten around him. “I’ll always want you. Even when you’re snoring and drooling.”
“No one said anything about snoring, but you keep bringing it up.” He nuzzles closer with a sigh, and soon his breathing evens out into the deep, steady rhythm of sleep.
I stay awake a little longer, holding him close and listening to the fire crackle while I enjoy the solid weight of him in my arms.
I want this—want him—forever. I want a future made of countless nights just like this one, and for the first time in a long time, that future doesn’t feel impossible.
The next day belongs to the two of us. Ronan and Cameron stay behind at the castle to spend time with Ailynor, and no one wants to intrude. Everyone else scatters to explore on their own, so Cato and I slip out early. We have no plans, no one else around, and—most importantly—no responsibilities.
I thought I would feel guilty for taking a day to ourselves, but it never comes.
Ailynor has summoned her top council, but they have to travel to the castle.
There’s nothing we can do but wait, and pacing the corridors until they arrive is no more productive than exploring the city.
Rhael slips us some coins before we leave, telling us to enjoy ourselves.
I argue that we have plenty of money, but Cato has no such reservations.
He snags them and shoves them into his pocket with a happy little jingle before I can object.
We wander the capital like any other couple, holding hands as we drift through the market district and stopping at every stall that catches our eye.
Glassblowers shape baubles and orbs that hang in a kaleidoscope of colors from the rafters, and weavers work with shimmering thread that shifts in the light.
I buy a soft wool scarf in deep crimson—almost the color of my skin—and wrap it around Cato’s neck, stealing a kiss while I adjust it.
“You look good in my colors,” I murmur against his lips.
He laughs and tugs me down for another kiss, right in the middle of the crowded street. “Possessive today, huh?”
“Always.”
A few people openly stare at our affections, though there’s no hostility in their gaze. People here aren’t used to seeing humans paired with our kind. We’re a novelty to some, but most give us privacy.
New food carts appear around every corner, and we stop at far too many.
Cato decides the spiced roasted nuts are his favorite, while I can’t stop eating the sugar-glazed fruit skewers.
He insists on feeding me bites as we walk, grinning when I playfully nip his fingers.
We stop at a pub for an ale, share a real meal at a small restaurant, and walk the streets with no set destination.
It’s incredible, but more than that, it’s what could be if the future allows it.
Later, we wander up to a high terrace, where the capital sprawls beneath us in a maze of rooftops and winding streets.
We find a private courtyard garden filled with snow-dusted evergreen bushes and stone benches, but the sun is warm enough that we sit for a long while.
I lean back against his chest as his arms wrap around me from behind, pressing lazy kisses along the side of my neck.
I tilt my head to give him better access, and it hits me how much easier the happiness comes these days.
“You’re going to spoil me rotten,” I say, grinning out at the city.
“Good,” he murmurs, nipping my ear. “You deserve to be spoiled.”
I turn in his arms and kiss him properly. There’s no rush. No danger breathing down our necks. Just us, the taste of spices on his tongue, and the steady beat of his heart against mine.
“I could get used to this,” he says softly.
“Think a place like this is enough to appease a city boy like you?”
“I think I could find some trouble to get into here.”
“Oh, we’re finding trouble now, are we?”
“Always, darlin’,” he agrees as music drifts up from below. Both of us perk up at the sound, and Cato scans the streets for its source. “Remember the Khileon family telling us about the music festivals here?”