Page 123 of Bonds of Starfall

Sleep claimed her before she could decide whether it was Cyrus’s warmth or Valkar’s watchful eyes that unsettled her more.

Rhyden watchedhis wife and Soulbond, in the arms of another. An incubus, no less.

She was fucking killing him. Her sweet eyes and soft voice, her skin and white hair, spilling over the incubus’s arm as he held her close to him on the bed.

Her skin was still pale, and his ears picked up on every stutter of her heart. He was a second away from jumping into action whenever it lasted too long, faltered too much. But it always evened out.

As they both slept, he sent some messages out on his phone, taking care of business, telling himself he was staying here to make sure they didn’t try to escape—but he knew the real reason:

He couldn’t stand to leave her. And he wanted to make sure her heart was steady.

Rhyden must’ve dozed off himself, because his neck ached as he jolted awake. The room was quiet, filled only with the sound of steady breaths. They were still asleep. Good.

His phone was on his lap, and he picked it up, lowering the brightness so it wouldn’t hurt his eyes, not so it wouldn’t wake her up—that was fucking stupid.

One message from Miro.

He clicked on it.

Found what you needed, boss. Didn’t even have to kill anyone.

Rhyden suppressed a sigh, typing back,Want a gold star?

Yes…

Maybe Rhyden needed new underlings. He typed a reply.That was fucking sarcasm, dumbass. What did you find?

There’s going to be a big trade between LunCo’s supply and an unnamed buyer. Big. Miro emphasized the word with red exclamation points. Another message came through.One week from now. The underground is buzzing about it. Something weird is going on.

It was almosttooeasy. Rhyden ran his tongue over the tip of a fang, watching Vesperin as she rolled over in her sleep, face turning toward him, her lips slightly parted. The damned incubus nuzzled into her hair in his sleep, and why the fuck did Rhyden wish that was him, instead?

He typed a reply, growing impatient.Where?

Coordinates came through, and he clicked on them, somehow knowing exactly where they’d be even before it loaded on the map screen.

"Fuck," he growled lowly, watching the small red pin hovering over the destination on the map. "Solar City."

Auren slashedhis scythe through the air, stepping through the portal and straight into Lucien’s apartment, the sleek lighting illuminating the doctor, who leaned against the kitchen counter, a glass of amber liquid in hand and glasses on the countertop by his elbow.

"Lucien," Auren announced when the man didn’t look up.

Lucien started, and thorny vines shot out from a small potted plant that hung from the ceiling, green tendrils heading straight for Auren. When Lucien saw it was Auren, the vines wilted and turned to ash midair, falling to the pristine floor.

Auren watched him calmly.

"Soul Searcher, do you always pop in unannounced?"

Auren tsked under his breath, hooking his scythe over his back. The ends of his white cloak fluttered as he stalked nearer to the counter. A gloved hand rested atop it as he stared down the man. "I thought we were past the titles, Lucien Quenlan? If we are to protect Vesperin together, it would serve us both well to do away with discomfort."

This man was his Soulbond’s other piece. Auren wanted them to be friends…

"Auren," Lucien corrected, lifting his glasses and placing them back on his nose. "Why are you here?"

Mistrust still clouded the edges of his tone—faint, but there. Auren hated it, but he understood. The doctor had been alone for a long time. Even with Kiton, he hadn’t let himself rely on him. Not that Lucien had shared that with Auren, but he had picked up on it. The way he spoke, his guarded eyes. It was all there. An expression Auren knew well. For he had always had noone to rely on—save Vesperin, the few times he had been blessed with her Soul.

Since Auren had cornered Lucien and shared what he knew, their alliance had been shaky. But every time Auren showed up in Lucien’s office, the man seemed to loosen around him.

Though, this was the first time Auren had shown up in his home.