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There was nothing to say to make anyone feel better. None of us wanted to feel better. The sheer suggestion seemed like a betrayal to Cavis’s memory in itself.
Rythos sighed, his body relaxing slightly. Then he drew away. “Let’s go make Cavis proud.”
My eyes stung, but I nodded, turning to find my aunt waiting a few feet away. A hint of concern slid through her eyes, quickly replaced by determination.
“Are you ready?” Telean asked me.
I nodded. But beneath my false confidence, the first glimmer of fear tightened my chest. The hourglass channeled my own power. That meant it would bypass the natural warning of my body and take what it needed. I could die and not even know it was happening.
“Control,” Telean told me as we walked back toward the horses. “Usually, the rulers in your line are introduced to the hourglass when they are still young. Your mother would have first practiced with it as a child, under your grandmother’s watch. She would have continued to use it over the years, so that she would be prepared for it when your grandmother eventually passed. You haven’t had that luxury.”
No, I hadn’t. My stomach fluttered, but Telean had prepared me enough to know that these kinds of artifacts must be used by someone confident. Someone who had the sheer strength of will to demand their cooperation.
Telean placed her hand on my shoulder. “The hourglass will rip your power from you if you’re not careful. It will take it all at once, and you’ll have nothing left. It’s up to you to prevent that from happening.”
I nodded. I could do this. The hourglass was my birthright. It would work for me. I refused to believe otherwise.
The others were getting ready to mount. Lorian met my eyes, and I saw his complete and utter belief in me. Something settled in my chest.
“Give us a moment,” he told Telean. Taking my hand, he pulled me several footspans away from the others.
I gazed up at him. I’d never get used to the way I was drawn to Lorian. When he was close, it was as if I lost sense of everything around me. The air seemed charged with his presence, and my senses were attuned to him. Sound faded into the background, and when those green eyes locked on to mine, my breath caught in my throat.
Surely, at some point, this need for him would fade. This obsession would turn into something closer to contentment.
“Just what are you thinking, Prisca?”
My cheeks heated, and his gaze sharpened. “I see.” He gave me a wicked grin. “Perhaps I didn’t satisfy you this morning.”
My mind flashed me back to the feel of him behind me as he’d thrust inside me before dawn. I’d been so…vocal, he’d needed to cover my mouth with his hand.
“You satisfied me…fine.”
Those eyes lit with challenge. As I’d planned.
“Fine?” he purred. “I’ll remember that for next time.” He took my hand. “Do you remember the last time we were in this area?”
Despite the situation, my mouth curved. Lorian’s gaze dropped to my lips.
“Tibris had just found us,” I said.
“Because he’s smart and stubborn, just like you.”
I took his hand. “You kissed me once we were through the city gates, and I knew I could never let you kiss me again.”
A feral gleam entered his eyes. “I had no idea my kisses were that powerful, even then.”
“In another life. That was what you said.” I gave him a mock scowl. “And then you insisted on this one instead.”
His huge palm cupped my cheek, tilting my face up. “In every life, wildcat. No matter what happens, you hold on to that. It’s you and me in every life.”
He lowered his head, and I sank into his kiss, turning boneless. When he lifted his head once more, his eyes were serious. “Are you ready for this?”
My conversation with Telean had focused me, but Lorian had steadied me out.
“I’m ready.”
Lorian led me back to the others. Not one of them looked concerned. I wasn’t sure if they were purposefully controlling their expressions or if they truly had that much confidence in me. Either way, seeing the calm assurance on Rythos’s, Galon’s, and Marth’s faces helped.
