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Bastien’s hands found my waist again as he pulled me into his apartment. The door shut behind us with a thud as we wrestled back and forth for control of the kiss that pinned us together. His jacket was the first thing to go, falling to the floor by the door as he staggered back, nearly bumping into the small kitchenette set that sat a few feet into the apartment. His fingers wrapped around the scarf hanging from my neck and tugged it off, discarding it alongside my coat.

“Nice place,” I muttered between breaths, and he exhaled a laugh into my mouth before diving in again.

Bastien had no trouble taking control, his strong hands on my waist, steering me further into the apartment and onto the small couch pushed up against the wall. We broke apart long enough for my back to hit the cushion, and then he crashed down on top of me, covering me up in all the delicious exuberance he could muster.

For once, I didn’t mind giving up control. Surrendering to his whims as his tongue parted my lips and grazed my teeth, and his warm fingers prodded the space between the buttons of my shirt, leaving heat trails along my body.

“Is that okay?” he asked, still close enough that I could feel the heat of his words, still taste the coffee-sweet succulence of his breath.

“More than okay,” I replied, unfastening the first two buttons with a single tug.

That was more than enough encouragement for him to finish the job, removing my shirt a moment later and tossing it to the floor. I shuddered as his fingers grazed my bare chest, desire smoldering in my gut like the embers of a fire hungry for another round of wood.

It had been so long since I’d experienced this kind of connection with someone. Sexual activity had become rote, just another part of the role I executed for Mother. But with Bastien, everything was new again. Each caress, each swipe of his tongue electrified my senses. My head swam in an elevated stupor.

“Take off your shirt,” I told him, and he grinned at my direct order, pulling his sweater over his head in obedience.

When he lay into me again, the friction of his skin against mine was a chorus of sensations, all pooling at the base of my spine. His hands explored the angles of my body, each ridge and valley a new frontier for them to discover. When he grazed my crotch, my hips bucked, grinding my cock against his touch with an urgency that surprised me.

Bastien laughed, pulling his hand away and saying, “Patience.”

I pouted—I actually pouted—like a sullen child not getting their way. I don’t know what came over me, but my cheeks burned with embarrassment. Bastien only grinned wider, kissing me again and trailing the inside of my thigh with his hand.

“We’ll get there,” he said as if comforting me. He didn’t give me long to stew in my own self-consciousness as he began to press kisses down my chest and along the thin line of hair to my navel.

“Ah, oh gods,” I moaned as the tips of his fingers brushed along the waist of my slacks, slipping under the fabric to skim the sensitive skin beneath. My cock strained almost painfully against my undergarments, begging for him to touch me again.

“What is it, love?” Bastien teased, flashing a wicked grin.

His head was between my legs now, fingers tangled in my waistband as he traced the lightest circles on my inner thigh with his lips. Electricity ran up my spine, jolting me as he grazed my cock again, and I couldn’t help but cry out.

“Eager, aren’t we?” Bastien commented with a smirk, lifting his head up from his work and resting his chin on my navel.

“Don’t stop now,” I whined, the haze clouding my mind building to a point of no return.

“Patience,” he repeated himself, pushing on my inner thighs till my legs spread wide enough for him to sink into the space between them on the couch. He ground himself against me, and stars exploded into my vision.

It was all too much. Was he really this good, or was I just too pent up for all of this stimulation? I’d worry about it later.

“Can I taste you?” he asked me, licking his lips in a manner that unmoored me right then and there.

I nodded emphatically. He could have asked me for the moon and I would have gladly given to him.

Wresting my trousers away, I shivered once at the full exposure of my body to the cool air of his apartment, then again when his fingers wrapped around my shaft, pulling back the skin around the head of my cock as he ran his tongue around the rim. My legs quaked with pleasure.

“Delicious,” he mused, grinning up at me before devouring the entire head at once. A wet heat enveloped me, and I couldn’t think anymore. My hands found the back of his head, guiding him as he glided back and forth, swallowing my cock with practiced expertise. When I hit the back of his throat, he merely exhaled through his nose with a sense of accomplishment.

Gods, this man was driving me wild.

“I can’t take much more,” I stammered, removing my member from his mouth.

“You can finish,” he coaxed me, his hand around the base of my cock, gripping it firmly. He stroked me again, and I jolted, almost climaxing on the spot. I wrapped my hands around his to keep him from moving.

“But—I can’t—I haven’t even seen yours ? —”

He leaned forward, pressing his index finger to my lips to silence me. “You can’t even think straight, Tobias. Let me give you this, and then we can see about you returning the favor later, okay?”

I nodded, all at once lost for words. He asked for no pledge of reciprocation, or even promise that I would take things further with him. He only wanted to take care of me. A warmth bloomed in my chest, settling in like a cozy blanket as he lowered his mouth to my cock once more, wrapping me in ecstatic bliss.

He didn’t flinch as I released inside of his mouth, his motions hardly pausing as I dug my nails into the fabric of the sofa, my toes curling and a gasp ripping through my throat.

It was everything, all at once, and I shattered under the masterful care of this beautiful man. Once my release was complete and my legs ceased their quaking, he crawled up between my thighs, hanging over me with a coy smile that kindled that heat burning in my chest.

“You’re incredible, Tobias.”

And when he kissed me, the taste of my own body on his tongue, I couldn’t help but believe it.

* * *

“ What plan?”

Bastien approached slowly, his hands out in front of him in the universal gesture of pacifism. “Your fracture is still affecting your memory,” he said, his voice calm and reassuring. He reached for me, but I flinched away from his touch, the resurfacing memories bombarding me in a haze of heated skin. Taking a few steps back, Bastien tried again. “I’m sorry for rushing all of this on you. And for the kiss. That was selfish of me. I should have waited until all of your memories returned.”

I fell back on the cot, pulling my knees into my chest and wrapping my arms around them. Fracture. Bastien mentioned it before, back in the gardens. I couldn’t think of a name more justly deserving. My mind was in shambles. Bastien’s kiss still lingered on my lips, trilling with electricity, as if my body craved renewed connection. Another dose of the numbing balm that Bastien had provided for me those times before. But there was more. More brokenness down to the core of what made me. So deep that it felt as if I were coming apart at the foundation.

“Can you help?” I asked, my voice swallowed by the space around us. “With my mind. Can you put it back the way it was?”

Bastien exhaled, his mouth pulling taut. “It’s unlikely. If I had known about the plan beforehand, I could have told them about the dangers of waiting to bring you back. Walked them through the risks.”

“Plan? Are you telling me that someone planned to have me killed and brought back?”

Anger flashed in my belly, igniting like wildfire. Had I once again been made a pawn in the game larger than my own understanding?

“No, of course not!” Bastien contradicted me, “Please, just hear me out. I’ll tell you everything I know, but I need you to stay calm, okay? Without the Verdant gem, you won’t have a lot of strength. I don’t want you to waste it being stupid.”

I snorted a cruel laugh. “How kind of you. Why did you take it in the first place? Back in the town car, I thought you were leaving me to die.”

Bastien winced. “No, Tobias. I would never—I couldn’t do that to you. No matter what happened between us. Listen, you got injured in the crash. The gem was going to siphon what little magic was left in your system to try and heal you, but it wouldn’t have been enough. You would have died if I didn’t take it out.”

“You told me that I’d die without it,” I reminded him, placing a hand over the sore spot on my chest.

“It’s the truth. Without the gem, your strength will start to fail. You can probably feel it already, can’t you? That lethargy is only going to get worse.”

“Then give it back,” I said, holding out a hand. “Don’t let me die again, Bast.”

His expression crumpled as he turned from me, his hand pawing at the nape of his neck. “I have to repair it, first. The crack got worse when I extracted it from you. But you’re safe for the time being, Tobias. And once I’m able to rest, I’ll have it fixed up. I promise you.”

“If I’m so safe, then why am I bound?”

“You’ve fractured, Tobi. There was no telling what state you were going to wake up in. We had to make sure you weren’t going to do something stupid.”

“Like get myself killed?” I huffed a breath. “Yeah, I already handled that.”

“You have every right to be upset,” Bastien offered, turning back to me again. “But if you’re up for it, I’d like to tell you how you got here. I can’t promise it’ll be helpful, but it could spark some specific memories. Fill in the gaps you’re looking for. I won’t force it, though. If you’d rather wait, then I understand?—”

“Tell me,” I interrupted, a surprising desperation in my voice. “Please, help me make sense of all this, Bast. You said there was a plan—who made it?”

Bastien nodded, clearing his throat. “We’ll get to that, but first there’s a few things you should know. A rumored plot against Lynette started circling around the City of Magi a few weeks ago. She would be targeted on the night of her appointment once she’d officially taken your mother’s mantle as Councilor. Those behind the attack would then fabricate evidence, leading the investigation toward Rudderkin as the prime suspect. The Council would have no choice but to immediately declare an all-out war against the Rebellion.

“Lenny says that she was aware of the rumors, that she was taking extra precautions that night, but that there was still work to be done. Rudderkin and the others begged her to keep hidden after the ceremony, to make herself a smaller target. Lenny told them to kindly ‘fuck off’ and that she had important things to take care of that night, that she couldn’t let fear keep her from what needed to happen. When the two of you left the ceremony, Rudderkin had three of his best spies tailing you just to make sure she stayed safe. It must have happened so fast, though. All three of them were gone in an instant. They weren’t expecting it to come from one of your own—an Adored assailant. You were the only one with her when they attacked.”

An Adored? Was that who killed me? Who would risk the ire of the Greene family? Even if I was the most expendable among them. It didn’t make sense.

Bastien’s throat bobbed as he swallowed, his gaze falling to the floor. “I was new to the Rebellion—I guess I still am. After what happened between us… I wanted to make a difference. Call it my subtle way of coming to terms with my power, but I figured it was as good a cause as any. And I wouldn’t have to deal with any of those Hallowed assholes breathing down my neck, at least. After the attack, Lynette came here. Rudderkin sent more operatives to escort her before the assassin could make another attempt on her life. She told me about what you did, Tobias. The bravery you showed when it mattered most.

“I’ve been around death my whole life, you know. It doesn’t frighten me. But when I thought of you crossing through those doors, all by yourself, I couldn’t allow it. I revealed myself to Lynette and showed her the marks that I had glamoured away, the proof of my heritage. And she—” he paused, swallowing again. “She didn’t even bat an eyelash. She didn’t recoil in disgust or pass any judgments. She wrapped me in an embrace and told me that it broke her heart I had to hide what I was.”

My chest ached at the image. That Lynette would be the one to comfort Bastien and not me. A flare of jealousy flickered along with the hurt, but I swallowed them down.

“I offered my services. I could bring you back. If we got to your body in time, I could pull you from Death’s door. She went to Rudderkin, and the two of them sent out more operatives to see what had become of your body. But it was already gone by the next morning, scooped up during the night. We kept searching, reaching out to discreet contacts to try and find you. Then, you came to us. Orion was looking for a Reviled to pay for an off-the-books resurrection with the highest discretion. I knew it was you before I even made contact. It had to be you.

“I didn’t think I’d make it in time. Typically, revivifications require specific prep work. Burial rites. My Grandmother passed them all down to me. All I could think of was, what if I couldn’t bring you back? And there you were. It was like you were sleeping, Tobias. Like all I had to do was reach out and give you a gentle shake. You responded right away to my magic. I created the Verdant gem and fused it to your body. It was stupid, but I thought to myself that it must be because of our history together, how I was able to call you back when you had been dead for nearly three days.”

He looked up at me again, an apologetic smile bending the edges of his mouth. “And the rest was history. I planned on sneaking you away at the earliest chance, but Orion was watching us like a hawk. I’m sorry it took so long to get some help to bust us out of there.”

“Why didn’t you just tell me this from the beginning?” I asked, my head swimming with the onslaught of information. “We were alone at Lorelei’s. You could have just told me everything.”

“I didn’t want to rouse suspicions before I could get you away from there,” Bastien explained. “If the Adored knew that you lived, possibly with the knowledge of the assailant, your life would be at risk once again. So, I leaned into the lie. Played the part of the scorned lover, if only to keep Orion at bay. That was, of course, before I knew she was a fucking Truthsayer. Who knows what she actually believed anything I said.”

It was starting to make sense. At least a little. But did that really mean that he wasn’t coming to bury me again? Had it all been a ruse?

“I’m sorry, again, that it took so long to get you back here. But you’re safe, Tobias.” Bastien took another step closer, still cautious. “Once you’ve recovered from this ordeal, and I have some time to prep, I can perform the true resurrection rite, and you’ll be back to your full strength.”

“True resurrection?” I repeated.

He nodded in response. “Right now, you’re technically revivified. That’s a temporary state. With the true resurrection, you won’t have to worry about fracturing any longer. It’ll make you whole again.”

Could it be that simple? I was still trying to wrap my mind around the deluge. More memories flashed through my mind, like bubbles rising to the surface of my consciousness, too numerous to track. They overwhelmed me, so much so that I had to sit back, resting my head against the pillow.

“You said all this was planned,” I recalled, closing my eyes and letting the roiling memories sink into the background of my thoughts. “By who?”

“Lynette,” Bastien answered. “She said that you saved her life that night. That you’d save us all, if we could get to you in time.”

Save them all? What did she mean? I wished she was still there, if only to explain all this in a way that didn’t make my head feel like it was about to collapse in on itself.

“I should let you rest,” Bastien said, turning over his shoulder and moving towards the exit of the tent. “I’ll come back when you’re ready, and we can keep talking. I—” he stops himself, clearing his throat and finishing with, “I’m glad you’re here, Tobi. I’m glad… well, I’m just glad you’re still with us.”

“Wait.” I tried to stand, but between the restraints and the cacophony of noise in my mind, I couldn’t keep my balance. Bastien moved in a blur, catching me at the waist before I could topple over.

Heat spread across my face as I looked up at the man, the locs of his hair hanging into his ochre eyes. He helped me to my feet, making sure I was steady before releasing his hold. “What is it?”

I shook the fluttery feeling from my stomach, chiding myself for the way the heat lingered at the site of Bastien’s touch.

“You’re coming back, right?”

His crooked smile shone in the dark, twinkling like a star amongst the inky cosmos.

“If you wish.”