Page 85 of Bonds of Starfall

"We’re here if you need us, okay? Night, Vesperin," Keir called, brows drawn low over his face as he watched her walk back to her room.

She had to temper her pace so she didn’t look desperate.

But as soon as the door was opened, she shut it behind her, turning the lock.

"Cyrus?" she whispered, walking deeper into her room.

She sighed in relief when she saw him lying on the floor on the other side of her bed, head pillowed on his arm, and chest rising and falling steadily. His black shirt slipped, revealing elegant collarbones. He hadn’t brought much with him, just a few items of clothing, which Rin took care to hide away when she washed them at the laundromat. The low-slung, breezy black pants were a favorite of hers—she loved how they made him look so carefree.

But what stole her attention over all of this was the soft trickle of water as it swirled midair around his raised fingers. The tendrils of blue weaved between his fingertips and danced over his wrist, making swirling shapes in the air.

Not opening his eyes, Cyrus murmured, "Took you long enough. I’ve been wasting away in here."

"You’re a Waterborn," Rin breathed.

At that, Cyrus cracked an eyelid, the purple depths eating her alive. "I sometimes forget you don’t remember." He let out a heavy breath, voice quiet as he sat up and said, "You used to love it when I would trickle the water over your breasts. I could tease you like that for hours."

"Why do you always have to turn everything sexual?"

"Do you realize who you’re talking to, doll?"

Rin knelt by his side, handing him the chips and juice. He took it with a wink, tipping back the rest of the orange juice with a low hum of appreciation. The same bottle her lips had wrapped around. It didn’t matter, he had been inside her, after all—a fact he loved to bring up, watching her blush and stammer, and she loved to pretend never happened.

Sitting close to him, she tucked her skirt under her thighs, her knee brushing his outstretched calf. She studied him as he quietly opened the bag of chips and ate, offering her one, which she declined, stomach still roiling. There were deep shadows under his eyes, and… were his cheeks more hollow?

"Have you been sleeping okay?" she whispered, aware of Xara and Keir outside her room. She sounded like Lucien.

"As well as I can. Don’t worry about me, doll. I’m right as rain." To punctuate his words, little droplets of water splashed from his flicked fingertips, speckling her collarbones and dripping below the neckline of her blouse.

"Cyrus," she grumbled, "don’t deflect. You don’t look okay."

"I could say the same of you." He crunched on a chip, licking honeyed salt from his fingers. She watched his tongue, entranced.

He wasn’t wrong. Rin wondered if she’d ever be okay again. "Did you hear them?" She changed the subject.

Cyrus hummed. "Your little roommate will be staying here more often, then. I don’t suppose she’d be okay knowing you were harboring a runaway Prince?"

Rin scoffed, whispering, "Definitely not. Xara never needs to know. I can’t say that I don’t trust her, but I’m not sure what she would do." She didn’t distrust Xara, but something held her back. If she wouldn’t share this with Lucien, she doubted she would feel comfortable sharing it with anyone.

"Well," Cyrus whispered back, "looks like you’ll be having to smuggle me food more often. I could just eat you, though. Save us both the trouble." His heavy-lidded eyes fell to her thighs.

"I’m not on the table," she quipped, the comeback falling easily from her lips. Cyrus made the heaviness in her stomach abate, replaced with a quiet, sultry fuzziness.

"You can be."

"Enough of that. Eat your chips—not me." Rin stood, straightening her skirt. Cyrus’s head tipped back, blinking up at her as she passed by him. It was a tight fit; his breath was warm on her thighs.

She quickly grabbed an extra blanket from her bed, stretching over it, a foot aloft behind her as she reached for her laptop on the other edge. She unhooked the charger and tugged it toward her, holding it close to her chest as she sat back down beside Cyrus, the blanket dropping on her lap. Cyrus grabbed the other end and unfolded it, ensuring she was cozy; the smallest end barely covered half his legs.

Rin opened her laptop. "Since we’re stuck here for the night, want to watch something?" She pulled up a streaming service,clicked on the first movie that popped up, and let it play in the background.

After a few minutes of terse silence, save for the intro song of the movie, Cyrus shifted closer to her, his arm pressing against hers.

Her throat grew dry—he just had that effect on her. As Rin moved to get more comfortable, her back leaned against the side of the bed, and she felt something poke her spine. She winced, reaching behind her, hands fumbling for something uneven. She turned fully, Cyrus watching as she lifted the end of the comforter where it draped over the side of the bed. A small folder was stuck between the mattress and the box spring.

Rin tugged it free, hands shaking. "Oh my god."

"What is that?" Cyrus asked.