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His fists curled. It was almost too easy to get under his skin. Then he exhaled and forced a smile. “I see. Well, if it amuses you to denigrate me in such a way, then by all means, continue. I welcome those who keep me… humble.”

“Your eye is twitching.”

“No, it’s not.” Though he pressed a finger to his eye anyway. “Luck, darling?”

“What?”

Taly looked up to find the last person she’d ever hoped to see again perched on the tip of Lachesis’ outstretched wing.

Well, maybe not the last. That honor went to Azura.

“Hey, kid. I see you decided to ignore my advice regarding a career change.”

Luck extended her middle finger in answer. It was a human gesture. One Taly recognized and returned.

Aneirin chuckled, regarding the girl with something between amusement and condescension, like a master indulging a particularly insolent pet. “I’ve got her now. If you would be so kind—vodka gimlet.” He held up two fingers with the order.

Luck sighed but skated down the slope of the goddess’ wing with lazy ease, like a child on a playground slide. Taly watched her disappear through a door camouflaged seamlessly with the wall. It pivoted open, closing without a sound and disappearing entirely.

Then, they were alone.

Taly wasn’t afraid of men like Kalahad. They were all bluster and ego, easily manipulated with a flutter of eyelashesand a well-placed question. Predictable. Butthis... this was different. Aneirin didn’t want her body; he wanted hermagic. And that made him an unknown quantity. A threat that operated outside the usual rules.

The waning sun fractured through the tall windows, light pooling across the gallery—dancing over ancient armor, delicate pottery, and sculptures missing limbs. She studied the man she’d been sitting beside all night. The face was different than the one in her dream. The eyes weren’t.

“So… is this you then?” she asked.

He ran a hand over the fine embroidery that swirled across his lapel. “More or less.”

“Which is it? More or less?”

His smile didn’t waver. “If you’re asking if I was born in this body, then no. Kalahad, well, he’s like a well-tailored suit.”

Taly frowned. “You mean you’re possessing him?”

“To use a crude term of art, yes.” He said it with the ease of someone commenting on the weather. “It’s practical, really. Sometimes a different face gets you further. Opens doors. Commands the right kind of attention. One can never be outmaneuvered if one is never outdressed.”

“Most people don’t talk about bodies like they’re outfits.”

“Most don’t have the option.”

Her gaze tracked over him. He wasn’t here. Not really. Just like the woods—he hadn’t come himself. He’d sent Luck to pull her into a dream instead.

A conversation without risk. A confrontation without presence.

He washiding. And wasn’t that the most telling thing of all?

“So, this?” She gestured at him. “This is just convenience?”

His smile sharpened. “This is presentation.”

“And how does Kalahad feel about that?”

“Let’s just say, we have a… long-standing working relationship at this point.”

Taly huffed. “That sounds like a pretty way of saying he didn’t have a choice.”

He chuckled, warm and rich, the kind of sound that could put you at ease if you weren’t paying attention. “Oh, he had choices. He just didn’t like any of them.”