“Nice try.” His grin is indulgent. “But Daria already filed the temporary guardianship papers. You’re safe.”
I pout, and he soothes it with a kiss. Breathless, I can’t stay mad. “Fine, trickster. Keep your secrets and leave me here missing you.”
“I’ll miss you too. But you’ll be too busy to notice. Besides, I’m leaving my heart behind, so I’ll be back to claim it.”
“You mean Eevi, don’t you?” I tease.
His chuckle vibrates through me. “My heart will be with all of you. Especially you.” He trails kisses down my neck, fingers brushing heat over my ribs and hips.
I gasp, skin blazing. “Maybe it’s not your heart I’ll miss. Maybe you’d better remind me of all the other parts, so I don’t forget.”
“Oh, really?”
“I was promised round two.”
“There’s my insatiable girl.” He flips me beneath him, grinning down with those filthy dimples that undo me every time.
I understand why he needs to go on this journey—not all of it, but enough to support his choice—butdrowning Deep, it’s that smile I’ll miss most while he’s gone.
Chapter 42
Lark
A full moon later
Above the wet road, the moon hangs low and large, its glow catching on wagon ruts where sleigh tracks once lay. No more whispers of runners over snow—now the clatter of wheels and loose boards accompanies traders’ wagons like this one beneath me.
I meant to return well before the full moon. A broken wheel, a mule with more stubbornness than stamina, and a delay in Ylvara stretched the end of my journey even longer. By the time Daria fed me and shoved me into a hot shower, exhaustion had its claws deep. Much as I want to jump down and run to Rimne, to Talvie and the kids, going on foot isn’t an option. So here I sit, jostling along at the wagon’s steady pace, itching to be back.
Hugo stirs under my coat, poking his nose into the night.
“Nearly there, buddy,” I murmur. “We’ll see the little beasties soon.”
He chirps, questioning.
“Yes, her too,” I say, my heart flipping at the thought of Talvie. Best not to picture her face when she sees what I’ve brought, or nerves might pitch me clean off this wagon.
Finally, the dark blue foliage and shadowy trees thin. Rimne’s lights bloom on the horizon, strange and dazzling after days of forest roads. The trader drops me at the city gates, and I thank him before slipping into the flow of travelers.
Walls tower high around the capital. A Point Fae city, once forbidden territory, but no more. Tonight, the gates stand open.
Drawing a deep breath, I follow the crowds.
I keep waiting for someone to shout that I don’t belong and come toss me out. Only the burning need to see Talvie and the promise she made that we’d face this together keep me moving.
“I must be insane, Hugo.”
He grunts disagreement, but the urge to bolt doesn’t leave me, even with my spiked warrior perched on my hat like a commanding force. I just have to get to Talvie and my kids.
Mine.
That word still stuns me. A lifetime of self-doubt hasn’t vanished overnight with the ruling, nor with finding someone who believes in me, though they both help. I’m a work in progress. But this trip gave me time to finally believe they’re mine, and to realize I never want to leave for so long again.Locke can have me for a sennight at most. The rest of the time, I’ll be glued to Talvie’s side.
Storms, I missed her. Her laugh, her messes, chaotic breakfasts with the kids, the warmth of falling asleep beside her. Thoughts of them all together carried me through.
My pulse thunders as the palace walls loom ahead, gleaming white with glittering crystals. Hugo’s quills brush my neck as he leans forward to chirp his excitement.
“Hold your quills! I’m going.”
