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I look up at him with a soft smile, placing a hand on his chest. The trill has grown stronger throughout the years—a feeling of comfort and love.
“I know, but he won’t hurt me. Can you at least try to trust him and be less overbearing?”
He looks at me with a widening grin.
“Good, because I’ll kill him if he tries anything.”
I shove him away as he laughs. “I promise I’ll try to trust him more. I guess I should get used to him since we’re kind of stuck together, since we’re bound to you,” he answers with a shrug.
“That’s all I ask of you, Nyx. Now, what’s this important message from our spies you interrupted me for?”
Nyx takes a seat on the desk beside me. He opens his mouth to speak, but the door to the council room flies open. Hiram storms in with eyebrows creased and lips pinched tight.
I startle, jumping off the desk to stand. My stomach twists with concern that Theo, Marcus, and Hiram continued their fight once I was out of sight.
“What in the realm were you thinking?” Hiram stops a few steps from me, and I take a seat, realizing this is a lecture, not a warning.
“You left with no one knowing where you went. If Nyx weren’t your Amari, we would have never found you, and who knows what Theo could have done. Thank the fates for their threads,” he says, crossing his arms over his chest.
I glance at Nyx, who fights back a smirk at my being scolded. I elbow him in his side.
“Clearly, I’m fine, Hiram. Thank you for your concern, but it’s misplaced. Just like I told Nyx, you’re going to have to trust him like I do.”
Hiram huffs and takes a deep breath as if readying to speak his mind. “That’s enough, Captain. Also, if you were so concerned, why did you leave Marcus alone with Theo?”
“I didn’t. Kira is helping Marcus stand guard right now,” Hiram answers as if that’s an acceptable response.
A pit opens in my stomach at the thought of Kira watching over Theo.
What is she doing?
“Why?” I ask, fighting back the desire to run down the hall to save Theo from Kira, but I know she wants a reaction from me. I need to remain calm. I grip the edge of my desk to quell my rising panic. Nyx leans against me, sensing the shift in my mood.
“She’s been asking to be more involved within The Keep, including guard tasks, so I’ve been letting her help with different things,” Hiram says with a shrug.
“If she wants a job, she can go to Lux for us then,” Nyx chimes in.
I snap my gaze to him with an arched brow.
“That’s what I wanted to discuss,” he answers my question without my asking. “Our spies may have found the amulet but have conflicting intel on where it’s located. They are requesting for someone to come help find it.”
We’re close to getting answers, and my shadows hum at the prospect of this all being over. I relish the thought of proving Leopold wrong. The look on his face will only be the start of my revenge against the lightning king.
“Send Kira and Emery. Kira is our best recon spy. No one else has the skills to get in and out of places without being seen. If the amulet is hiding in Lux, she’d be the one to find where they have it stored. Emery can go in case they run into any trouble.” I give the order and both men nod in agreement.
“When do you want them to go?” Nyx asks.
The desire for answers makes me want to send them tonight. But that wouldn’t be fair or wise.
“Wait until morning to tell them. They can leave the next day. That will give them a few days to gather information before returning in time for the autumnus festival,” I state.
Hiram drops into a bow before leaving the council room with the new orders for his guards.
Nyx stands, offering me his hand. I rise from my desk, drained from the day. “We’ll handle everything in the morning. Now get to bed.” He pulls me to his side, and we walk out of the council room back to my chambers. My clothes smell like cedar, and I fall asleep comforted by the feeling of Theo with me.
