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“I need you to pay attention now,” Ivain said. “We’ve gathered what doesn’t belong, and now we’re going to find a place to put it. I’m going to show you how.”

His magic pressed inward, carving a path for Skye to follow. Like threading a needle, except the needle was inside him, weaving into bone and coaxing it to shift. It reminded him of a drill he’d practiced—splitting his aether, stretching it thin, then trying to stitch it back together without losing tension.

The structure softened, thinned, solid turning porous as pockets of emptiness spread between the bone fibers.

“Beginning with the metals,” Ivain said, his fingers pressing into Skye’s shoulders, helping to guide the aether. “There are a few different philosophies on this. Some prefer the skin—metal layered beneath the dermis acts as lightweight armor. But unless it’s razor-thin, it locks up your joints. Others bind it to ligaments, thinking it will increase strength—but all that does is strain the body, tightening what was meant to flex. Me? I favor the bones. Reinforce the foundation, and everything else holds.”

Skye gasped, choking on air as a deep, grinding ache swallowed him whole. The sensation started as a vibration, rattling through his bones, then sharpened into something unbearable—like fire had replaced his marrow. The pain reached a fever pitch as liquid metal flooded the gaps, like quicksilver spilling into honeycombed hollows, filling every last space. His teeth ached like they were about to crack, his jaw locking against the pressure sinking into his skull.

“Next, the essences.” Ivain’s aether coiled and pulled, guiding what remained into circulation. “Essence can’t stay in the blood. If you don’t anchor it, you’ll lose more than you use. Bone holds structure, but it doesn’t renew itself quickly enough. Muscle, however, is constantly in flux, breaking down, repairing, adapting. It’s the perfect medium for holding something as volatile as essence.”

Relief came slowly—cool and creeping, like frost inching across overheated skin. It spread through him in gentle waves, finally snuffing out the blazing agony in his chest.

Skye exhaled as the pressure eased, and the pain ebbed. Tension unwound from his limbs, bleeding out like smoke.

“There.” Ivain sat back, wiping a sleeve across his brow. “Everything is now safely stored away, where it should remain dormant until needed. Or until Kalahad manages to rile you up again. First lesson, adrenaline speeds up the rate of dissolution.”

Skye made a note of it, rubbing his chest and the lingering ache there. “I suppose you’re angry.”

Ivain gave a dry, humorless chuckle. “Why ever would you think that? It’s not like you went and did the exactoppositeofwhat I told you.” He dragged a weary hand down his face, fingers pressing briefly into his temples before falling away. Then, with a pointed look, “Do you know what your mother will do to me when she finds out about this?”

Nothing good, Skye knew that. “Sorry, sir.”

“Stop saying things you don’t mean.” Ivain let out a slow breath, rolling the tension out of his shoulders. “And… I’m not angry. I’m not happy, but I’m not… angry. I think.”

“Why not?”

“Because, as it turns out, you just handed me the excuse I needed.” Ivain smirked, though it lacked any real amusement. “Sarina can’t get mad at me for sneaking off early if it’s to rescue you from your own stupidity.” He stood and, without ceremony, reached down to haul Skye to his feet.

He staggered, but caught himself, his body still adjusting. For a moment, Ivain just looked at him—assessing, maybe, or weighing something heavier behind those sharp eyes.

Finally, he said, “For what it’s worth, I’m glad Taly has you—even if it might be better for your health to think twice before diving in after her every time.”

Skye managed a tired smile. “Not much chance of that.”

“No, I didn’t think so.” Ivain’s hand settled at the nape of Skye’s neck, an unspokenI’ve got you, at odds with the heaviness in his gaze. Then he released him with a sigh. “Come on. Let’s get you home so I can figure out what else you’ve done to yourself.”

Chapter 34

It was a truth Taly had come to accept in her interactions with the Highborn nobility that no matter how heroic or extraordinary she might appear to them in one moment, she could always count on them to forget a human’s existence the next.

Their attention was fleeting, and that was fine with her. It made slipping out easy. As the party gathered on the balconies—glasses of expensive wine in hand, music playing softly in the background as the sun descended into the Long Night—Taly made her escape.

Skye never returned to the table, which was unfortunate considering she had about a million questions for him. Starting with, were live executions the standard entertainment at mainland parties? Also, what the hell—when was he going to mention that he knew howtodissolve a man’s skin?

The bond was still quiet. The longer that silence stretched between their minds, the more she realized how used to it she’d become. It was like when the aether grid went down, and there was that moment of sudden quiet—true silence—when all the noise of the house just turned off. Only this was in her head, and the white noise of the fan she’d forgotten about in the corner was instead the brush of Skye’s thoughts against her own.

She needed to find him. He’d been off all day. Had he known this was coming? Was that why he hadn’t wanted her here tonight?

It wouldn’t be the first time he kept things from her. There was a whole life he lived outside Tempris, and she only ever caught the edges. For months at a time, he was in Ghislain, but when he returned—nothing. She’d ask for stories, but everytime, he’d just smile, deflect, offer some half-joke, and then demand every useless detail of what she’d done in his absence.

All she had were the rumors that eventually trickled down to the Swap. She collected them like puzzle pieces, though they never shaped a picture she quite recognized.

Without the bond to guide her, her prospects of finding him weren’t the best—this was averylarge house. So, she did the next logical thing: wander aimlessly.

Bonus, it allowed her the opportunity to snoop.

Taly took random turns down empty, darkened hallways. She found a library, a greenhouse, and countless other rooms of little to no interest. Until, eventually, she reached a long corridor.