Chapter Forty-Four
CHAPTER
FORTY-FOUR
Returning to Veritas was no grand luxury. While Yuri appreciated having shelter and a cot to sleep on, he felt no safer in this village than he had while traveling. Every waking moment was spent with his wings unfurled, the eyes embedded within them on constant watch.
The demons hadn’t taken kindly to his arrival.
It seemed Lute had primed them, as Severin had made no attempt to sneak either him or Aurelie in this time.
And while none attacked, Yuri felt stares as sharp as glass trailing his every movement.
He felt the burn of their anger. Their hatred.
Heard their whispers grating across his skin as they wondered what their leader was up to.
Never had he felt anything quite like it.
Still, he could end every last one of them now that he’d finally gotten some rest. Aurelie had resisted it at first, determined to keep her eyes open until the cure was finished.
But when Severin couldn’t stop yawning and grew tired of her hovering around him like a gnat—his words, not Yuri’s—he’d picked her up and tossed her into the guardhouse, posting Lute at the door until Aurelie eventually relented.
She’d slept nearly twelve hours that day.
Meanwhile, Severin disappeared into his study with explicit orders not to disturb him.
Yuri hadn’t realized until then just how much Aurelie’s exhaustion had been weighing him down through the bond.
Now that they’d had some sleep and a meal, he felt like a Soldier again.
Light, it was no wonder Kieran’s horde had gotten the best of him—he hadn’t realized just how hollowed out he’d been. He was confident he could now kill an entire horde if he had to. And judging by the wide berth the demons gave him, they all knew it.
Severin’s guild was busy with preparations for the wedding.
Demons rolled barrels of wine onto wagons bound for the kingdom, careful never to meet Yuri’s eyes despite how pointedly he watched them.
They were a rowdier bunch, and more than a few lustborn had beckoned at him before erupting into fits of giggles.
Overall, though, it was surprising to see just how normal a village Veritas was.
He wondered whether it was coincidence that Severin had banished them from the study so that they’d have no choice but to experience it.
Not that Aurelie was experiencing much of anything.
Left without a task and nothing to distract her, wrath had burned hot through the bond as she watched the demons load the barrels.
She’d tried throwing herself into her training, determined to practice with Glory.
Unfortunately, she was having a harder time drawing it than ever.
Which, of course, only made her angrier.
Even now she was cursing in frustration in their makeshift training arena. Vex watched them from the trees above, looking at Yuri as if asking, Well? Aren’t you going to help her?
He glared back at the beastly thing. Of course he was trying to help. He wanted Aurelie to summon Glory more than anyone, if only to prove to Severin that his bond with her was just as strong as the demon’s.
If only you weren’t such an idiot every time you opened your mouth, maybe you could help her.
He raked his fingers through his hair with a sigh.
He’d been punishing himself ever since the wagon ride, searching for the right words to close the widening gap between them.
Aurelie, for her part, was pleasant enough, though she’d taken to speaking to him in a clipped, formal tone that made him feel more like a mentor than a bonded.
Why does that bother you? he asked himself, not for the first time. That’s what you should be to her.
Why, then, was it so frustrating? He’d been in the mortal realm for a little over a week, and already he felt so much more affected by their ways. So much more invested. It was difficult not to be, when part of his very soul belonged to Aurelie.
Her anxiety was bleeding through the bond, stress and anger causing even the barest hint of Glory to abandon her.
She smacked her dagger’s hilt as if that would make it obey, then hissed quite the colorful list of profanities when it didn’t.
“You’re going to get the hang of it,” he said finally, in part because her stress was beginning to make him itch, but mostly because he could no longer stomach seeing her so distraught. “Once your father is cured, we’ll—”
“What if he’s not cured?” She tossed the dagger to the ground in frustration.
“What if we can’t save him? Severin has hardly come out of that house in days, and since when do you trust him?
Light, why did I trust him? He’s probably dragging this out on purpose, waiting for my father to get killed off so they have one less angel and captain to worry about when they attack Rhovar. ”
Maybe, but Yuri could no longer say so with confidence. Not when he’d seen the way Severin looked at her.
He’d meant to say something to soothe her, but hadn’t noticed how fast Aurelie was breathing until it was too late. Her shoulders jerked with each shallow inhale, her voice trembling toward panic.
Vex sat up, peering down with worry.
“They’re going to kill him,” Aurelie choked out, her voice breaking. “How did this even happen? How could he become a hybrid, of all things?”
The vesper’s eyes flicked to Yuri. Do something, you dolt, she seemed to demand, but Yuri didn’t need her push.
“Bring your knees up.” He moved beside his bonded to mirror the motion himself. “Fold your arms around them and lean forward. There, that’s it. Keep your forehead down.”
It took several attempts to get Aurelie to listen. She was breathing too hard. Too fast.
“Should I get the demon?” Vex offered quietly, her wings fluttering quicker than usual.
Only if you want me to clip your wings, he thought, but to Vex, Yuri only shook his head. Aurelie was his bonded. They didn’t need Severin.
He set his hands on her shoulders, offering a steady point of contact for her to focus on.
“I want you to breathe,” he said gently. “Deep breaths, just like that. Good. Focus on keeping pace with me.” He drew her hand against his chest, holding it there until her breathing began to match his.
Yuri’s heart ached as he watched her, reminded of all the times he’d been in this same position, curled on some floor in Sanctuary and hidden so that no eyes would find him.
“You’re safe.” He shifted so that he was behind her, holding her shoulders tight. “Your father is still safe, and we’re going to get him out of there. Don’t let your mind wander off into the darkness.”
Vex, too, pressed her tiny hands against Aurelie’s shoulder for moral support. Yuri’s heart softened for the creature. He couldn’t quite make sense of her, but it was nice to see how quickly she’d taken a liking to his bonded.
Bit by bit, Aurelie’s muscles loosened, though she stayed folded in on herself for a long while before slowly lifting her head. Yuri shifted to look at her, and her eyes were glossy when they met his.
“You’re good at this,” she whispered, sounding like she’d just swallowed glass.
“I’ve had a lot of practice.” He hadn’t moved his hands from her shoulders, and she didn’t make him. “You’ve been carrying a heavy burden inside you, and it likely all caught up with your body at once. It happens.”
She pet the vesper’s head with a finger as she eased back, sitting straighter and wiping the heel of her hand beneath each damp eye.
Yuri gave a small nod toward the wine barrels being hoisted onto the cart nearby. “Maybe you ought to try some of that later, to relax. We could steal some before the wedding.”
Aurelie smiled, though it was weak. “Is an angel telling me to get drunk? I never thought I’d see the day.”
The tip of Yuri’s wing gave her cheek a gentle, playful smack that earned a surprise gasp from Aurelie, followed by laughter.
His body hummed from head to toe at the sound. “We do allow for some fun, you know. Angels aren’t entirely boring.”
“So you drink, then?” She still leaned on her knees, looking desperate for a distraction that he was more than happy to provide.
“I can drink, but in moderation. Guardians and Heralds have more flexibility. But as a Soldier—”
“You always want your mind sharp,” she finished for him, stealing the words straight off his tongue. “You never know when there might be an attack.”
“Exactly.” Yuri blinked, surprised. “I suppose it’s the same for you?”
“It doesn’t stop as many knights as it should,” she admitted. “I’ve tried to go with them to the tavern, but my mind can never settle. Every sip, and I’m imagining losing hold of my sword or my senses.”
“Sanctuary doesn’t have to worry about attacks since only angels can get in. What I imagine is getting sent on an immediate mission where I put someone else’s life at stake because I’m not prepared.”
“That would be awful.” From the look in her eyes, it was clear she understood the burden entirely.
He shouldn’t have been so surprised. Rhovar modeled much of their lives after the practices of the Divine.
They had their velari, their knights, and their healers.
Angels had their Heralds, their Soldiers, and their Guardians.
Their prayers and their morals were all the same, and given who she was, she likely felt just as responsible for the fate of others as he did.
It felt good to talk to her. Natural.
Though Yuri would have really loved if his mouth stopped feeling so dry whenever he tried to speak. What was he, some young boy talking to a girl for the first time? It was getting ridiculous.
She was a woman like any other. Just another mission of his—someone he was sent to help. That was all.
“We’ll celebrate when we have a cure,” Aurelie said. “It’ll be a proper revelry. One with drinking and dancing, and where we won’t be worried about an attack.” She spoke quietly so that none of the demons in the near distance could hear them. Still, Yuri watched them all the while.