Page 105 of Exquisite Monster

Belleo jumped up and looped her arm through Erryn’s. “I’ll come with you. Two can carry more than one.”

They left before Lena could protest further. Her worry shone clearly in my chest. I stroked a finger down it with my mind, drawing her gaze.

No one inSythal Iturwill recognize them. It is much safer for them to go than for us, or even Idroal.

She pressed her lips together, and there was a rush of her frustration. Lena wanted to be able to speak to us with her mind. She nodded once, but the worry still hovered.

“Idroal,” I said. “Please take your rest. You more than deserve it.”

They inclined their head. “Thank you, Your Highness. I will join you when the royals arrive.”

Sotai and Karadi followed Idroal out of the room, Ravi and Mesene slipping out the back. The four of us were alone once more.

Sirrus pulled Lena onto his lap and nudged her head with his. “Seems like we need to hear what you said to them.”

“No more than the truth,” she said with a shrug. But she still told us everything.

Wood creaked under my hands at Andaros’s actions. If his actions hadn’t long since sealed his fate, throwing a knife at Lena and attempting to humiliate her would have done it. As it was, his life had become forfeit long ago.

We went with Lena back into the kitchen. She sprinkled some dried leaves into a mortar, starting to grind them. “What can we hope for from this?” she asked. “Even if they promise not to fight against the dragons, it will not solve the problem of thesheytenor Andaros.”

I stood and approached, lining my back up with hers and covering her hands with mine, helping grind the leaves into a paste. It smelled lightly citrus, though the leaves were a green so deep they were nearly blue. Her body melted back into mine, and I savored the feeling of simply being here with her.

Time was the one thing we didn’t have and the one thing we desperately wanted. Someday, when this was all behind us, I was sure we would crave adventure and excitement, but right now we wanted stillness and quiet. To bask in one another until it didn’t feel like we were about to lose her.

“You are right. We won’t know until we ask. And because of that, it does not serve us to wonder.”

She scoffed. “As if any of us will be able to avoid that.”

I began to purr, shamelessly moving my hands away from helping and toward touching her everywhere I could. “I have some ideas about how we might keep our minds off it.”

She laughed. “You going to take me back to the beach?”

Glancing at Sirrus and Zovai, I smirked. “I was thinking of the hot springs, but yes.”

“Maybe you wore me out,” she said. Her bond betrayed her lie and her interest. But also her overwhelmed, spinning thoughts.

I turned her gently and lifted her gaze to mine. “We don’t know what’s going to happen,” I said softly. “Once we leave this island, we will be hunted. We will be in danger. We might be fighting for our lives or the lives of others. Every second I have, I will spend with you, but there will be far fewer to spend.”

Her eyes widened like she hadn’t quite understood that we would need to leave, and soon. She had, but the full weight of hearing it was different.

“I am selfish, mate. I want as much of you as I can have. If the task on the table is necessary, I will help you do it. But please don’t make me?—”

“Us,” Zovai said.

“Please don’t make us leave your side.”

Lena blinked away the shine in her eyes. Tears were the last thing I wanted. But I felt the ways her soul matched mine. The grief and therage. She was my mate in all ways.

When she reached for me, I folded her into my arms. Held her as tight as I dared.

“Take me to the springs,” she murmured.

We did. Without regret.

CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT

________