Chapter 9 Lorenth
LORENTH
The temple district sits at the heart of New Solas, all white marble and soaring columns that catch the afternoon light. I've always hated coming here—too many people, too much incense smoke, too many gods staring down from their alcoves like they're waiting for me to fuck up.
But Lora's right.
If anyone can help me find Senna, it's Serai.
I push through the carved wooden doors of the main temple, and the cool air inside hits my face like a reprieve.
The interior stretches high above me, vaulted ceilings painted with scenes of the gods' descent, and the whole place smells like myrrh and candle wax.
A few worshippers kneel at the various shrines lining the walls, their whispers echoing in the vast space.
I ignore them and head straight for the eastern wing where the Nashai keep their private chambers.
"Lorenth Varyon."
The voice comes from my left, melodic and amused, and I turn to find Serai standing in one of the arched doorways.
She's dressed in white robes that flow around her like water, her pale gold skin practically glowing in the filtered sunlight.
Her braids are woven with prayer beads today—tiny crystal orbs that click softly when she moves—and those strange white eyes of hers fix on me with an intensity that makes my wings twitch.
She's always unnerved me, if I'm being honest. Too knowing. Too perceptive. Like she can see straight through skin and bone into whatever wreckage lives underneath.
But she's also blessed Lora's marriage to Varos nine years ago. Blessed both Kova and Kaelan when they were born. She's been part of our family long enough that I trust her—even if I don't particularly enjoy being under her scrutiny.
"Serai." I incline my head in greeting.
She smiles, crossing the space between us with that ethereal grace all Nashai seem to possess. Her wings—massive and white as fresh snow—fold neatly against her back, and she tilts her head as she studies me.
"It's been too long," she says. "How have your weeks been since the Masquerade?"
Straight to the point, then.
I should've expected that.
"Fine," I lie, and her smile widens.
"Liar."
"I need your help."
"Obviously." She gestures toward a side chamber, and I follow her into a smaller room lined with shelves of scrolls and books. A low table sits in the center, surrounded by cushions, and she settles onto one with fluid ease. "Sit."
I don't. Can't. My wings are too restless, my chest too tight, and standing feels like the only thing keeping me from crawling out of my own skin.
Serai watches me for a long moment, her expression shifting from amusement to something sharper. Then she frowns.
"Why isn't your bond complete?"
The question hits like a fist to the gut.
I freeze, staring at her. "What?"
She rises from the cushion, moving closer, and her white eyes narrow as she tilts her head. "Your bond. The one I sensed at the Masquerade. The one the gods saw fit to forge between you and that human woman." Her frown deepens. "Why can I feel the magic lashing out? Unfinished. Angry."
My hand goes to my chest instinctively, pressing against the tight knot of agony that's been living there for two weeks. "She left."
"Left?"
"Ran." The word tastes bitter. "The morning after. Before I could—before we could talk about what happened. About what it meant."
Serai's expression shifts, something almost like pity crossing her face. "And you haven't seen her since?"
"No."
"You've tried to find her?"
"Every gods-damned day." My voice comes out rougher than I intend, frustration bleeding through despite my best efforts to keep it locked down.
"I've searched the city. Gone to every market, every quarter, every festival.
I don't even know her full name. Don't know where she lives. She's just—gone."
The tightness in my chest flares, and I grit my teeth against it.
Serai studies me for another beat, then nods slowly. "The bond started forming, didn't it? When you were together."
"Yes."
"And now it's incomplete. Reaching for something it can't find." She moves to one of the shelves, her fingers trailing over various objects—crystals, vials, small carved idols. "That's why you're in pain. The magic doesn't understand separation. It only understands connection."
"Can you help me or not?"
She glances back at me, one eyebrow arched. "So impatient."
"Serai—"
"Yes, I can help you." She pulls something from the shelf—a crystal pendant hanging from a thin silver chain. The stone is pinkish-red, translucent, and it catches the light in a way that makes it look like it's glowing from within. "Come here."
I cross to her, my pulse kicking up despite myself.
She holds the pendant up between us, letting it dangle from her fingers.
"This is a tracing stone. I use them for finding lost objects, lost people, lost connections.
" Her white eyes flick to mine. "Since the bond has already started forming between you and her, the magic will recognize the thread.
I can tie this stone to your bond, and it will guide you to her. "
Hope flares in my chest—sharp and almost painful.
"It'll work?"
"If the bond is strong enough, yes. And from what I'm sensing—" She reaches out, pressing her palm flat against my sternum, and I feel a pulse of warmth spread through my ribs. "—it's strong enough."
The warmth intensifies, becoming almost uncomfortable, and I grit my teeth as Serai closes her eyes. Her lips move soundlessly, words in the old tongue that I don't understand, and the crystal pendant begins to glow.
Faintly at first. Just a soft shimmer of light.
Then brighter.
The glow pulses in time with my heartbeat, and the tightness in my chest shifts—twisting, pulling, like something inside me is trying to reach through the stone.
"There," Serai murmurs. She opens her eyes and pulls her hand back, letting the pendant swing freely. The glow remains, steady and warm. "It's tied to the bond now. To her."
I stare at the stone, watching the way the light flickers and shifts.
"How does it work?"
"The glow will intensify the closer you get to her.
And when you're near—very near—it'll pull.
You'll feel it." She presses the pendant into my hand, and the warmth of it seeps into my palm.
"Don't ignore the pull, Lorenth. The bond is already unstable.
The longer you're separated, the worse it'll get for both of you. "
Both of us.
The thought sends a spike of something cold through my gut. "She's in pain too?"
Serai's expression softens. "If she's human, she likely doesn't understand what she's feeling. But yes. The bond doesn't distinguish between xaphan and human. Once it starts forming, it affects both parties equally."
Fuck.
I close my fingers around the pendant, the chain biting into my palm. "Thank you."
"Don't thank me yet." She tilts her head, studying me with that unsettling intensity again. "What will you do when you find her?"
"Bring her home."
"And if she doesn't want to come?"
The question hangs in the air between us, sharp and uncomfortable.
I meet Serai's gaze, holding it. "She will."
Because she has to.
Because I felt the way she clung to me in that garden. Heard the way she said my name like it was the only word that mattered. Saw the fear in her eyes when she ran—not fear of me, but fear of something else. Someone else.
She didn't leave because she wanted to.
She left because she thought she had to.
And I'm going to prove her wrong.
Serai's lips curve into a faint smile. "The bond has made you possessive."
"The bond has made me desperate."
"Good." She steps back, folding her hands in front of her. "Desperation will serve you better than arrogance. Just remember—she's not an object to be claimed, Lorenth. She's a person. A partner. Treat her as such."
I bite back the instinctive retort that rises in my throat.
Serai knows me too well. Knows the way I was raised—trained to command, to control, to see everything as a battle to be won. And maybe she's right. Maybe I do need the reminder.
But it doesn't change the fact that Senna is mine.
The bond made that clear.
I just need to find her and make sure she understands it too.
I slip the pendant over my head, tucking it beneath my shirt so the stone rests against my chest. The warmth of it pulses faintly, and I swear I can feel it tugging—just slightly—toward the east.
Toward wherever she is.
"Go," Serai says quietly. "Before the bond tears you both apart."
I don't need to be told twice.
I turn and stride out of the chamber, through the temple, and back into the afternoon sunlight. The city sprawls around me—thousands of people, hundreds of streets, endless places to hide—but for the first time in two weeks, I don't feel lost.
I feel focused.
Because the pendant is warm against my skin, and the pull in my chest is finally pointing in a direction instead of just aching.
I spread my wings and launch into the air, letting the wind carry me higher as I follow the faint tug of magic.
North.
She's north.
And I'm going to find her.
I don't want to go home first.
The pull is too strong now, the pendant warm and insistent against my sternum, and the thought of wasting even another hour makes my wings twitch with agitation.
But I'm not an idiot. I know better than to chase after her empty-handed.
I land on the balcony of my townhouse and move through the rooms with purpose, grabbing what I'll need. A pack. Water. Dried meat and bread wrapped in cloth. A change of clothes. My hunting knife, because I learned a long time ago that being unarmed is the fastest way to end up dead.
The pendant pulses against my chest as I work, the glow visible even through my shirt, and I grit my teeth against the urge to just go.
Patience.
Five more minutes.