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My focus drifted to the opposite wall, and I considered my options. I only saw two: bind Ash,communewith the three immortals, and rescue Thane,orremain here and let Ash lead a team of immortals on a wild goose chase for Thane while I sat on my ass, feeling useless.

I locked eyes with Gavin. “I’ll do it.”

“Good,” Gavin said, then inhaled and held the breath for a moment longer than was natural. “He may take some coaxing. He’s been with Thane for nearly a century, and Thane’s absence has left him, ah . . . unbalanced.”

My brows bunched together. “Oh,” I said, my eyes widening as I understood Gavin’s meaning. I shook my head, feeling dense. “I didn’t realize.”

“It may ease your mind to know that Ash only ever beds a womanwithThane,” Gavin provided. “Socommunionwith him will likely only involve a blood exchange.”

“Oh,” I said again, starting to feel like a broken record. It was impossible to hide the pang of disappointment from my voice. Ash was the epitome of the strong, silent type, as reserved and stoic as could be. I would have been lying to myself if I claimed he didn’t intrigue me, or that I hadn’t thought about what it would be like tobewith him. Especially after agreeing to the bargain with Gavin to bind Ash before going after Thane.

“As that is the case,” Gavin said, “I don’t think I should be there with you when you bind Ash. My presence will undoubtedly drag the interaction into something sexual, and I would not wish to force that upon him.”

Nerves fluttered in my stomach. “I understand,” I said, the spike of anxiety tightening my voice. I took a deep breath, slowly releasing it through pursed lips.

Gavin’s focus dropped to my mouth, and he licked his lips. “I can escort you to him, however,” he offered and glanced down the hall. “Ash is in his suite, awaiting intel on Thane’s location.”

I followed Gavin’s line of sight, my eyebrows rising as I chewed on the inside of my cheek. “Is there some other way to find Thane besidesme?”

Gavin hesitated for a moment before answering. “Not reliably, no. We all have GPS trackers embedded under our skin as well as a tracing sigil, but both have been excised from Thane, and our in-house elementals have been unable to target him by scrying.” Gavin sighed. “If not for your ability to sense him, I would assume he had perished in the explosion.” His gaze roved over my face. “Much as I hate to admit it, you are our best—and likely ouronly—chance of finding him.”

“No pressure,” I breathed.

“Come,” Gavin said, sliding his hand down from my neck, over my shoulder, and along my arm to capture my hand. He led me down the hallway, my nervousness ratcheting higher with each step. We stopped at a door three down from Bastian’s.

Gavin leaned in, pressing a kiss to my temple. “I’ll be up the hall in my quarters if you need me after.”

My cheeks flamed as I understood his meaning—Ash wasn’t likely to be interested in a side of sex with his blood exchange, butImost certainly was.

I nodded, averting my gaze to the floor. “Is it weird?” I asked, then shook my head and tried again. “I mean, is it normal for a queen to crave sex during acommunion, or am I, um . . .”

“It’s perfectly normal, or so I’ve been told,” Gavin said, and I looked at his face, searching for any hint of deceit. A faint smile curved his lips. “There is great honor in binding oneself to a queen, buthonoris rarely what immortals think about when they imagine serving a queen.” He squeezed my hand, then let it go and nodded toward the door. “Go on.”

I took a step toward the door and placed my hand on the knob, but I didn’t turn it. “When will we, um . . .” I cleared my throat and peeked at Gavin over my shoulder, my blush returning. “When will we do the fullcommunion?”

“Tomorrow morning,” he said. “After you’ve rested.”

I swallowed roughly and nodded. “Okay.” I inhaled deeply, then blew out the breath. “Okay.” And then I turned the doorknob before I could chicken out, pushed open the door, and stepped into Ash’s private rooms.

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Aquick scan ofthe dark sitting room told me it was empty. I looked back at Gavin, still standing in the hallway.

“Go on,” he whispered, looking toward the doorway to the bedroom.

I eased the door shut and quietly crossed the room, my fingers gripping the silky fabric of the skirt of my dressing gown. Ash’s personal space was filled with warm oak and leather furnishings, and far more bookcases than Gavin’s sitting room. Enough books lined the walls to make this feel more like a small library than anything else, and I smiled to myself, pleasantly surprised by this side of the stoic warrior.

I stopped in the doorway to the bedroom. Ash sat at the foot of a bed that was larger even than a standard king. His head was drooped, his long, loose blond hair hanging to shield his face from view, portions turned reddish-pink from blood. He still wore the same dark jeans and fitted T-shirt from earlier, dried blood smeared on the exposed skin of his arms, neck, and face.A small, standing picture frame lay face down beside him on the comforter.

“Ash?” I said, my voice little more than a whisper.

His head shot up, and his ice-blue eyes locked on me. His features were guarded, his stare curious but wary.

My hands fisted in my robe. I stretched out my fingers, forcing myself to let go, and stood a little straighter. “I can sense Thane,” I told him, my voice steadier than I felt. I took a single step into the bedroom. “I want to help go after him, but . . .” My heart hammered, my voice catching in my throat. “I made a deal with Gavin. He wants me to be as strong as possible before leaving the safety of this place to look for Thane, so I need to bind another immortal.” I paused and cleared my throat. “He, ah . . . Well, he wants that immortal to be you.”

Ash was quiet for a long time. “What doyouwant?” he finally asked.

I opened my mouth, then shut it without responding. I hadn’t expected him to be concerned about what I wanted, not when Thane was in danger. Not when nobody elseeverasked me aboutmydesires. Not Gavin. Not Bastian. Not Javier. Not even Wes, what felt like a thousand years ago.