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The plan was simple, and really the only option we had. Duncan would take a handful of his followers to Cassial, leaving the rest nearby with Rafaela to await further commands. It was best Cassial didn’t discover the full might of the freed Nephilim.

A few of them would go unnoticed.

“No more talking,” I said, talking behind Erix and allowing a moment of selfishness. I placed hands on the back of the chair, leaned in and planted my lips to his. “The sooner you sleep, the sooner we reach Wychwood and catch Gyah before she makes any rash decisions.”

“Gyah is not one for rash decision making,” Erix said. “She is one for sharp teeth and vicious nails.”

That was exactly what I was worried about.

Before I could draw back, Erix planted a hand on my face. Erix’s eyes opened, as if the lack of my lips had suddenly sparked a bout of energy inside of him. “I’ll never get over this.”

“Over what?” I asked, ambling toward the kitchen, already aware of the handful of root vegetables that would be okay to eat. I was no cook, but I could whip something up for him.

“You. Me. Duncan.” Erix answered, whilst drawing out a pause between each word. Likely, for dramatic effect. He was like that. “The contrast between the world being under threat, and me finally having everything I have ever wanted. It is like I cannot allow myself to be happy, whilst the reality is that all I feel is happiness.”

“It’s odd, the feeling. But, if anything, it inspires the hope inside of me to burn that bit brighter.”

“Hotter,” Erix added. “I am glad our thoughts align, I worried that time apart would lift a haze from over us and you’d changed your mind.”

I shook my head. “Impossible.”

Erix may not have watched my lips crest into a smile, but I was confident he heard it in the light chirp of my voice. “If anything, it is giving me a real reason to continue it. I want this over so that the realms are saved. I want this over so that you never need to worry about danger again. And I want this over because the past two days without Duncan have been unbearable.”

Erix sighed, slouching into the chair as if it could swallow him whole. “I feel the same. So much has changed, hasn’t it?”

“I can hardly remember what came before all of this. If I think about it too much, I’ll lose my focus.” I let my eyes lose themselves in Erix – from the set of his jaw to the focus in his silver eyes. He was a fantastic distraction, but he was also so much more than that.

Yes, I missed Duncan like a gaping hole in my chest. But Erix was here, and that counted for something powerful. I needed him, and I wasn’t ashamed to admit that without him with me, I wouldn’t see this through.

“You need to put those worries out of your mind for now,” I said, gesturing to the worn reading chair set before the hearth. “I saw some food that would be edible in the kitchens. You’ll need as much replenishment as possible, before we need to move on. Rest whilst I will rustle something up.”

Erix attempted to wave me off, all whilst snuggling into the chair. “Don’t stray too far from me.”

I hesitated, fixing my eyes on the burning hearth before me. “Never.”

Erix mock-closed his eyes and pretended to snore. Little moments like that made me laugh, further proving how important his presence was for me.

I’d dumped a handful of potatoes, carrots and a chunky, wonky turnip into a large cooking pot, and filled it up with water from a pump outside in the yard. Once everything was prepared, I snuck it back into the same room Erix slept in. Trying everything in my power to keep quiet, I lowered the brass pot atop the hearth, allowing water to boil and vegetables to cook.

By the time he woke, it would be ready.

I felt, in a way, like I was playing house with Erix. Testing out what the world could be like, if we made it through. I sat and watch him for a while, drinking in his relaxed expression, the soft curve of his smile. I wondered what he dreamed of, hoped that whatever it was offered him reprieve from the horrors of the world.

I cringed when the vegetable broth – because soup was far too generous of a word – began to boil. The noise it made caused Erix to stir awake. It had barely been over an hour. My heart told me he needed more, whereas my soul was ready to leave for Wychwood.

“I really do love waking to this view,” Erix said as his sleepy eyes fixed on me across the room.

“And yet youstillshould be resting,” I said, getting up to remove the pot and stop it overcooking.

Erix yawned, mouth wide as a monstrous sound rumbled from the back of his throat. “Impossible when I have such company.”

“You always know what to say, don’t you?”

He lifted himself up, fixing his slumped posture. “When you have spent a long time apart from the person you love, you get a lot of time to overthink every little thing you would say if given the chance. I am, if anything, a well-practiced man.”

My skin warmed beneath his words, pleasant and needing. “You thought of me that much?”

“I did, back when I thought I had truly lost you, I found that imagining a tomorrow was more painful than remembering the past. It was the past, our memories, that got me through. Now, all I can do is look forwards. I don’t want to miss a moment of it.”