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“It will be my pleasure, Your Majesty.”
Lio offered Cassia his arm, inviting her to rub it in Flavian’s face.
She took his arm and smiled sweetly at Flavian. “We’ll see you in Council tomorrow.”
Lio paced in his shared room, waiting for Cassia to arrive through the secret passageways. When he sensed her draw near, he levitated the old wardrobe that blocked the portal they had found here. She and Knight slipped out of the wall, and she came into Lio’s arms. Her body felt composed, but he could feel in her aura that she was still shaking.
Mak gave Knight a pat, then made a shooing motion. “You head into your hidey-hole so Lyros and I can have the room to ourselves.”
Cassia glanced around. “Where has Karege gone?”
Lyros wiggled his eyebrows. “He’s somewhere—with Tuura. Now off you go.”
Cassia pulled Lio through the portal into the hush of the secret corridor. “I won’t keep you too long. I know dawn is coming soon.”
He put his arm around her, and they headed for the moonflower chamber. “I don’t mind if the Dawn Slumber catches me here.”
She looked up at him. “You wouldn’t feel trapped?”
“To Slumber under your Grace’s magic is one of the pleasures of the bond for any Hesperine. It would also be easier for you to come to me here during the day.”
“I’m glad you feel we’ve made this into our Sanctuary.”
“We have your magic to thank for that.”
The moonflowers brushed against their ankles as they waded into the flowers. Knight stayed on the edge of the carpet of flowers and sneezed. He shook his head, his ears flopping.
The fresh, overpowering fragrance never failed to make Lio feel as if they were somewhere far from Tenebra, somewhere Goddess-touched. He pulled Cassia into his arms again and ran his hands down her body, molding her to him. But the channeling did not stir.
“I suppose I absorbed enough magic for once,” she said.
“What you did tonight, Cassia…it was marvelous.”
Her arms tightened around him. “I will never allow the king to hurt you.”
“You protected all of us.”
“I have power now. I will make him regret threatening the people I love.”
“You’re right. You are so powerful, My Grace.” Lio kept stroking her hair, hoping to coax her thoughts and words to the surface. “That was the first time you’ve seen him since you left Tenebra.”
“It’s been a long time, and he has no power over me anymore.”
“That is entirely true. But it would be all right if it was still hard to see him.”
She hid her face against Lio’s chest. “I refuse to give him any more of my tears.”
“Then give them to me, if you need to have a good cry.”
A sob squeezed out of her, and at last her body shook with her emotions. Lio sank down to the ground and pulled her onto his lap, rocking her while she wept. All her stale fears washed over him, flowing out of her in cleansing torrents, until she sat boneless in his arms, catching her breath.
“Oh,” she murmured. “That did help.”
“Your tears are safe in my keeping.”
“I know you’re about to do something romantic like kiss them off my face, but I’m afraid I need a handkerchief first.”
“We have had this conversation. You should not feel self-conscious about human snot.”
