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I nodded, swallowing thickly. “I’ll explain after, then. But I need this done now before I can even think of repeating it.” There were no skies to control in the Underworld, but I felt my power reaching out regardless, searching for anything to grab onto.

Dominic nodded once. “Whatever you need. And if I have to kill someone for you, I’m fine with that, too.”

He had no idea how much that threat would ring true. But Sebastian was mine to kill.

Shaking away the thought to focus, I turned back to Rose. “If you have a moment,” I said, gesturing towards the other side of their house where their private library sat, silently indicating that I’d like to speak in private.

Rose and Dominic shared a loaded look, one that seemed to end with Dominic acquiescing and leaving us alone to talk.

Rose walked up to him, pressing a quick kiss on his cheek before walking over to the library.

I followed, silently running through what I was prepared to ask. Making sure I was settled on the right way to phrase it.

Rose closed the door behind us, then turned to me. “What’s going on?”

I breathed in deep. “I need a favor. Two of them actually.”

Chapter 31

Reyna

Adrian had snuck off somewhere.

He thought I wasn’t awake, and to his credit, he tried his hardest not to disturb me. But when he woke, I woke. While his back was turned, I cracked my eyes open. And the second I saw the tense hold of his muscles, I knew I wouldn’t be finding any more sleep than the few hours we’d both managed the night before.

I forced my eyes closed when he walked into his closet, trying to regulate my breathing and pretend I was still asleep. Especially because if we spoke right now, if I had to confront him in the vulnerability of the soft morning light, I’d probably tell him that I was in love with him.

I was. In love with him, that is.

But that seemed inappropriate to tell him right now. Even if I had a feeling he was in the same boat as I was, I was keeping it to myself for now.

He’d made it clear this thing between us was real. But escalating it tothatlevel felt…wrong somehow. Like it was equally too exhilarating and too depressing to say right now.

So I feigned sleep and let him slip out into the morning air. Leaving me in our bed.

I might as well get used to the idea, I thought to myself. He’d likely demand I move in with him.

Given the wholehopelessly in love with himthing, I didn’t hate the idea. I laid in bed and stared at the intricate mural on his ceiling for an hour until I rose and got ready.

Adrian returned right after I stepped out of the shower, coming right into the bathroom and kissing me deeply without saying anything.

His hands caged my face, holding me like a lifeline. When he pulled back, there was something dark in his expression. I reached up and brushed his hair back and a little trickle of sun broke through the clouds in his eyes. “Where were you?”

Adrian’s lips broke into a slight smile for just a second before resetting in a hard line. “Filling in Rose and Dominic.”

I nodded, taking a heavy breath in. This whole thing was a fucking mess.

Adrian’s lips fell against my forehead, taking a long breath in. “I have to go see Daphne. She has an update for me.”

“Can I know?” I asked, tilting my head back to look at his expression. I’d felt a hint of resistance, like he was hiding something from me, but didn’t press it. I trusted him to keep me informed when necessary.

Adrian nodded, his hand flexing on my back. “I asked her to focus on studying the tattoos. Trying to figure out a way to either neutralize them or use the magic inthe ink in another way.”

“Okay…”

“She’s made some good progress, but she needs to test it.” I nodded. That all sounded perfectly reasonable to me. “But I need your permission for something.”

My brows creased together in confusion. “What for?”