Evylin’s fingers grazed his, tugging lightly on the moonstone ring. “Are you really?” she whispered. “Or are you just saying that to make me feel better?”
He smiled gently to encourage her. “Are you calling me a liar?”
A reluctant grin pulled at her lips. “I already have once.”
“My second vice, I suppose.”
“And I love you all the more for it.”
Deckard pressed his lips to her forehead, then pulled her back into his arms once again. “I truly mean it,” he promised. “Even if it means a future we never desired, I would do it all again.”
She relaxed into him, and a renewed peace radiated into his skin. They lay there for several long minutes, silently resting in each other’s embrace. He drew his fingers along her back in circles, thoughts drifting.
“You’re still worried about something,” Evylin prompted.
Deckard smirked ruefully. “This Bond doesn’t allow you to hide anything, does it?”
“Not at all.”
He twisted his fingers into her hair. “I’m concerned about what we’ll face in the Space Keep,” he said.
“Why in there more than the others?”
“I have this sense...” He paused, staring at the wall beyond the bed. “This Keep was designed to be last, only entered with all seven other Relics in hand. I fear that we won’t be strong enough.”
Evylin was silent for several seconds. “You’re a Space Mage,” she whispered. “This is the Keep you were born to succeed in.”
He tightened his jaw, uncomfortable with the responsibility that was set to fall on him. “I’mnot strong enough,” he confessed. He could tell she was about to protest, so he hastened to add, “Auden and Isla confirmed it. I can’t control my power; it controls me. Even with our Bond, even with the strength you provide me, it may not be enough.”
Evylin pulled back to meet his gaze. “Whatever it takes,” she vowed, “I will not let you fail.”
He smiled gently at her, then drew her close once again. After several silent minutes, he felt a contentment settle into his wife. He’d come to recognize this emotion. It was the easing of her body, the moment just before sleep.
“Jonn,” she said, a gentle slur in her voice.
“Yes, my love?”
“I don’t want you to be Euon Sergus.”
A soft laugh slipped from him. “I thought every woman dreamed of Sergus.”
She shook her head sleepily, her hair rubbing against his chin. “Not me,” she murmured. “I just want you.”
Deckard held her tighter. “You have me, body and soul.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
10TH OF RADIA, 1574
They rose before the sun to prepare for their journey through the Keep. With so many people in the house, the space felt cramped. Several members of their party ate breakfast while Deckard stood at the head of the table, discussing the plan with Auden and Ilain.
“How do we intend to find it?” Deckard asked. “Usually, we simply travel the region until either of you feels the location, but we can’t do that in the city. If Ephren hears reports that we’re wandering the streets, he’ll wonder why.”
Ilain shook her head, setting her spoon into her bowl of porridge. “That’s not necessary,” she said calmly. “I know where it is.”
Many of the table’s occupants paused to stare at her. Deckard blinked curiously. “And you’re just informing us of it now?” he asked dryly.
“Mm-hm.”
