Page 16

Chapter 16

Cyrus

"S carlett is coming,” Cassius murmured.

They sat on a bench that ran along a portion of the quarterdeck. Cyrus had his head tipped back, eyes closed, basking in the sun that had ?nally decided to shine on them. His legs were stretched out in front of him, ankles crossed, and his tunic was off. Because fuck, he just wanted to absorb some sun. He had ?re in his veins, sure, but he still wanted to feel as much of the sun’s heat as possible on his bare skin.

“It’s weird that you know that,” Cyrus answered. He understood it was part of the Guardian Bond and everything, but it still took some getting used to. He’d always known where Thia was because of their twin ?ame bond, but even that seemed different from Cassius’s bond with Scarlett. Maybe their Guardian Bond was enhanced by the fact that they were also soulmates.

Or maybe this was simply how a Guardian Bond worked. He kind of hated it.

He wasn’t entirely sure why, but it grated on him that she would draw from Cassius. That he was always at her side. That he was so quick to put himself in danger for her. Which was stupid really. He would do the same for her. Not only because she was his queen or his prince’s twin flame, but because she was family. It didn’t bother him when Rayner or Eliza did it. It didn’t even really bother him when Sorin did. So why did he get this irrational prickle of anger when it came to Cassius?

“See, they have their shirts off.” Scarlett’s words carried to him as Sorin and the queen reached the top of the stairs that led up from the main deck.

“For the love of Anala,” Sorin muttered.

“Anala would approve. She is the goddess of the sun ,” Scarlett quipped. “She would understand my desire to feel the sun’s warmth on my bare ?esh.”

“No, Scarlett,” Sorin said, a low growl sounding in his throat.

She sighed dramatically. “And here I thought the Fae weren’t as prim and proper as the mortals.”

A shadow fell over him, blocking the sun they were arguing about, and Cyrus opened his eyes to ?nd the king and queen standing before them. “You’re blocking access to the bright and ?ery blessing of Anala, Darling. Move your royal ass.”

Scarlett scowled at him. “If I can’t enjoy the sun’s warmth, then it hardly seems fair you two get to.”

“For fuck’s sake, Scarlett,” Sorin barked. “You cannot honestly expect me to be ?ne with you walking around this ship without a shirt on.”

Cyrus blinked slowly. “Come again?”

“The sun is out,” Scarlett said, gesturing to the sky with her hand. “For the ?rst time in weeks it is not cold and dreary and godsdamn miserable. I just wanted to take full advantage of it.”

“By walking around topless?” Cyrus repeated.

Cassius chuckled beside him, drawing Cyrus’s attention to the male. He hadn’t even opened his eyes, clearly so used to Scarlett and her antics he just went with them at this point. “Imagine what he will do when he learns of your time at the beaches during the summers in Baylorin, Seastar.”

“I could never. They’d be scandalized,” she said with mock horror, bringing her hand dramatically to her chest before she plopped down next to Cassius on the bench. Sorin’s eyes narrowed on his wife. “And no ,” she said, her attention turning back to Cyrus. “I do not wish to walk around the ship topless. I simply wanted to lie in the sun for a while.”

Cassius chuckled again. “I am assuming you did not seek us out to discuss the matter of your being seen so immodestly on this ship?”

“No,” Scarlett sighed. Then she added, “We have several things to discuss.”

Cyrus and Cassius both turned to her at the tone of her voice. It had an edge of anxious nervousness about it, and she was worrying her bottom lip. He rarely saw the queen uncertain, but then again, she had been making an effort to be more transparent with them.

“I hope the ?rst thing on that list is taking care of that fucking tracking Mark on Cass,” Cyrus said, crossing his arms over his chest.

“That is something we need to discuss, yes,” she said, the hesitancy increasing.

“What is there to discuss? Do you know how to remove it or not?” he demanded.

“I think I found the way to nullify it, yes. There are a few details to work out, but... ”

“What are you thinking, Seastar?” Cassius asked gently when she trailed off. His arm slid around her shoulders, her head falling against him.

“That maybe we should leave it for now?”

She voiced the idea as a question, clearly uncertain of the idea. And she should be. Because fuck no.

“We are not leaving a Mark on him that allows them to know his exact location at any point in time,” Cyrus snapped, shooting to his feet.

Scarlett sent a look at Sorin, who was looking back and forth between him and Cassius, a furrow in his brow.

“Right now, they do not know that we know about the Mark,” Scarlett said. “We have an advantage here. The minute I nullify that Mark, we lose that advantage.”

“And you think it is better to have the Maraans know exactly where we are?” Cyrus asked in disbelief.

“No,” she countered. “I just think we should be strategic about when we remove it.”

“So you want to, what? Leave it on him until we get to -Avonleya?”

“No,” she said again, her tone tightening as he wore on her patience.

“I don’t want to wait too long. I don’t want to lead them directly to Avonleya. I just think this could be a potential opportunity, and we would be stupid to not at least consider ways to use it while we ?gure this out.”

Godsdamnit. She was right. The strategist in him knew that. The part of him that knew how to play on people’s weaknesses and use them against themselves knew she was brilliant to think of things like this. She made a damn good point about using this to our advantage, letting the Maraans think they had one up on them. They’d lost an immense advantage when they’d been surprised and the Maraans had learned that Sorin lived. This was an opportunity to gain a surprise of their own. They needed to be smart about this.

He just wished that Mark was on anyone else.

He pushed his hand through his hair. “What are you thinking?”

“I was hoping you and I could toss around ideas after we discuss a few other things,” she answered tentatively. Cyrus met her gaze, and he could see it in her eyes. She felt guilty about this. She didn’t like leaving this Mark on Cassius any more than he did. This choice was being made as a queen rather than as a friend, and it was agonizing for her.

“Yeah, we can do that,” Cyrus answered, rubbing at the back of his neck. “If Cass is ?ne with that.”

“Whatever you need, Seastar,” Cassius answered, his arm tightening around her shoulders.

Cyrus gritted his teeth in annoyance, because of course he wouldn’t argue about this with her. He held no regard for his own well-being when it came to her.

And why the fuck did it bother him so damn much?

“Have you two discussed your power?” Scarlett asked him, shifting on the bench so she was facing Cassius.

“Not much,” Cassius answered. “Cyrus just woke up a bit ago.”

“You haven’t slept?”

“I have, but not as much as the rest of you.”

“He fed, Scarlett,” Sorin chimed in. “He likely did not need the couple days’ worth of restorative sleep the rest of us did. He does not have Fae magic.”

“That makes sense,” she said. “Your power reserves are full then?”

“They feel as they normally do after Cyrus gives me blood.”

Scarlett was shaking her head, pushing to her feet. She turned, resting her hands on the ship railing, looking out at the sea. “That’s not enough, Cass,” she ?nally said. “Not anymore.”

“What does that mean?” Cyrus asked.

She turned back to face them. “He needs a Source.”

“I am only half-Avonleyan,” Cassius argued. “I do not think a Source is necessary.”

“You are wrong,” she replied simply. “Your Witch gifts may not require a power Source, but that other half? Cassius, you sprouted wings. You produced some type of ?ames. Your eyes changed. That is powerful magic. You will need a Source.”

“I think we should be sure before we jump to that conclusion.”

“And what will you do when Cyrus isn’t nearby to give you blood? You already fought me about feeding from another Fae.”

He had?

Cyrus looked at Cassius, but his gaze was ?rmly ?xed on his Ward. “That is no different from a Source,” Cassius was countering. “In fact, a Source is worse. Then I have only one option, and I do not have a Guardian as a back-up plan.”

Scarlett winced. It was slight, but Cyrus saw it. He could only assume Sorin did too.

“Stop being an ass,” she spat. “You’re not a godsdamn back-up plan, and you know it.”

Gods, these two bickered like siblings.

“This isn’t a big deal,” Cyrus cut in. “I can be his Source. Isn’t that basically what I am anyway?”

“No,” Cassius said in a tone that said he wasn’t arguing about this anymore.

Too bad for him the female beside him was as stubborn as they come. Scarlett seemed to inhale deeply, as if she were trying to calm herself, before she said carefully, “I understand the hesitation, Cass. I get it. When Sorin wanted to—”

“This is nothing like you and Sorin, Scarlett,” Cassius snapped, getting to his feet.

“I think it might be, Cass,” she said quietly.

“I said no,” he snarled, before snatching up his discarded tunic and stalking away from them.

“Cassius!” Scarlett called, starting to go after him, but Sorin gently gripped her arm.

“Give him some time, Love. You struggled with this too.”

“He needs this, Sorin. Not having a Source makes him vulnerable.”

“I know. But I also recall ?ghting with you for weeks about simply feeding.”

“That was... different,” she grumbled, her arms crossing.

“Mhmm,” he murmured, bending and pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “You can talk to him again about it later. Tomorrow perhaps.”

“Perhaps,” she muttered in a mocking tone, rolling her eyes, and a small smirk pulled at Sorin’s mouth. Then she turned to Cyrus. “You have not discussed his power at all?”

“No,” Cyrus replied. “There were The Farewells yesterday, and afterwards... Well, you know how we were all feeling. When I woke this morning, I washed up and changed. I found him in the dining room. We ate a little bit, then came up here. We really haven’t had much time to talk.”

“Any ideas? I don’t know how much of his magic you saw... ” She trailed off, looking up at him, and there was hope in her eyes. Hope that he had answers for her.

“One minute he was ?ghting beside me, the next he was yelling your name and was in the sky,” Cyrus answered, wishing he could give her more. “Sorin and I both tried to keep an eye on you two, but we had our own seraphs to worry about. Cass went to protect you, and I stayed to protect Sorin.”

Scarlett swallowed thickly. “Thank you.”

Cyrus nodded as Sorin tugged her into his side.

“What thoughts do you have on his gifts?” Sorin asked.

“Wings. Fire. It almost appeared as if he were going to shift into a... ” He trailed off because that wasn’t possible.

“A dragon,” Scarlett ?nished for him. “He was partially shifted into a dragon. I could see his eyes, Cyrus. They looked like Ranvir’s. And his wings were exactly like Ranvir’s, only smaller.”

Cyrus rubbed at the back of his neck. “Not much is known about Sargon. I tried to look into it some at the Black Halls, but ran out of time. I was hoping to look into it more once we get to Avonleya.”

He gave them the brief rundown of what he knew, things he’d already shared with Cassius.

“He needs a Source, Cyrus,” Scarlett said, a soft plea in her tone. “He doesn’t understand yet, but feeding the way he is now and drawing from a Source are very different. It will make it easier to access and master his gifts.”

“I will talk to him,” Cyrus said, not really sure he was going to be able to sway the male, but he’d try. For Scarlett and for Cassius.

“Before you do, you should know what being a Source entails,” Sorin cut in.

“I know all of this,” Cyrus answered. “We discussed it extensively when you told me you were going to become Scarlett’s Source.”

“It’s a lifelong thing, Cyrus,” Scarlett said, stepping towards him. “You will never be able to be separated from him. And it...” She bit her bottom lip, watching him carefully.

“It is intimate,” Sorin supplied. “Not necessarily in a physical way. But it is implicit trust and knowing each other’s needs. It is the essences of vulnerability in every way, Cyrus.” Sorin’s golden eyes were boring into his as he spoke. “You need to make sure you are ready for something like that again before you offer this to him.”

“I wouldn’t have offered if I wasn’t aware of what I was getting into,” Cyrus replied.

“Really?” Sorin asked, a harsh edge to his voice. “You think I have not noticed, Cyrus? You think I do not know why you asked to go to Solembra every night when we were staying at the Black Halls? You think I do not know what memories have likely been dragged up at watching Scarlett go through nearly losing me? At having to help her through that?”

Scarlett was looking at her boots, hair falling forward to hide her face. They’d clearly discussed this before coming to speak with him and Cassius.

“I think those things are none of your business,” Cyrus ?nally ground out. “If anything, I’d think you’d be grateful I did those things for her.”

“Of course I am grateful, Cyrus,” Sorin said. “Gods, I can never repay you for putting yourself through all of that to be there for her and helping her.”

“It wasn’t enough though, was it?”

Scarlett’s head snapped up at his words. “What do you mean?”

“We wouldn’t have been enough to help you survive it, would we? Me, Cass, Eliza? There is nothing we could have done to keep you... I wouldn’t have been able to do enough.”

“Cyrus,” Scarlett said softly, her tone full of agony and pity.

“No,” Sorin cut in, stepping in front of Scarlett as if to shield her. “You do not get to do this to her, Cyrus.”

“Do what exactly?” he sneered. “State the truth?”

“You do not get to turn this around on her. You always do this when Merrik or Thia get brought up. You spin things and twist things so it is no longer about you, but this needs to be about you.”

“Spare me the self-righteous bullshit, Sorin,” Cyrus scoffed. “I’m ?ne. I’ll convince Cassius to do this, and then it will be over and done with.”

“No,” Scarlett said, leaning to the side to look at him around Sorin. “I won’t give you the Source Mark until you both agree and understand what it means.”

“For fuck’s sake, you just sat here and told me how much he needs a Source,” Cyrus said. “Now you’re telling me you won’t do it until you decide we’re both ready? That’s rich. You couldn’t even decide you were ready to take a throne until a godsdamn Oracle told you.”

“Enough,” Sorin snarled, stepping up to Cyrus. He knew he was pushing him, that Sorin was about to take a swing at him for talking to Scarlett like that, and he wanted him to. Then he’d have an excuse to unleash all this aggression he suddenly found writhing beneath his skin.

But Scarlett was squeezing herself in between them, shoving Sorin back. There was a hardness to her features that Cyrus was certain he’d never seen directed at him. He probably deserved it.

“Tell you what, Darling ,” she said, a cold smirk tilting on her lips. “You convince Cassius to do this, and I’ll give you the Source Mark.”

“Just like that?” he asked, watching her carefully. He knew this for what it was— some kind of trap. It was never this easy with her.

“Just like that,” she said, turning to walk away from him. She stopped at the top of the steps, looking over her shoulder at him. “But Cyrus?”

“What?” he growled, because here was the catch.

“Cassius can detect bullshit a mile away.”

“You look sad.”

Cyrus looked up to ?nd a beauty with dark red hair smiling down at him. He hadn’t heard her come in, too lost in thoughts of a town that sat at the edge of the sea. He reached for her, wrapping an arm around her waist and tugging her into his lap. She laughed softly, nestling against his chest where she ?t perfectly against him.

“I could never be sad with you around, Red,” he said, nuzzling into her neck, planting small kisses along the column of her throat.

“Eliza has red hair too, you know,” she said breathily, her head tilting to give him better access.

“Thia, if I called Eliza ‘Red,’ she’d string me up by my balls,” he deadpanned, pausing to look into her hazel eyes. The ?ecks of gold in them re?ected the setting sun from the balcony of their room. “Besides, hers is more of a red-gold. Yours is true red. The color of ?ames.”

“You’ve put a lot of thought into the shade of my hair, Cyrus,” she said, amusement in her tone.

“I put a lot of thought into everything about you,” he murmured onto her skin.

She hummed in response, letting him move down her neck to the hollow of her throat. Her ?ngers dragged through his hair, and he felt her curl them, gently tugging him back by the scalp.

“It is okay to miss him, Cyrus.”

“I don’t miss him,” he said quickly. “How could I miss anyone when I have you? You’re all I need, Red.”

“I know what day it is,” she replied quietly. Her ?ngertips skated along his jaw, nails gently tilting his face up to hers. “It’s okay to miss him. It’s okay to be sad sometimes.”

“What could I possibly have to be sad about when the Fates have gifted me you, Thia?” he whispered, pulling her down to taste her lips.

“Being happy doesn’t mean we’re never sad,” she murmured back against his mouth. “You don’t have to hide the sadness from me.”

He gave her a soft smile, reaching up to thumb her bottom lip. “I think the Fates made a mistake.”

“What?”

“I think the Fates made a mistake,” he repeated. “I don’t deserve you, but they gave you to me anyway. What if they realize their error and try to take you back someday?”

“I think we decide what we’re deserving of,” Thia answered. “We chose each other, Cyrus. Not the gods, not the Fates. And if I’ve decided I’m deserving of you, then who are you to say you are not deserving of me?”

A pounding on his door jerked Cyrus from sleep, and he ran his hand down his face, trying to clear the dream from his head. He’d taken the night watch again and had sat alone for hours under the stars. Cassius hadn’t come to keep him company last night. He hadn’t seen him since the conversation with Scarlett and Sorin. Cyrus had looked for him but hadn’t been able to ?nd him. He could only assume he had Traveled to another ship and didn’t want to be found. But that had left him alone with nothing but his thoughts. Thoughts about Cassius’s power. Thoughts about things Sorin and Scarlett had said which eventually had turned to memories surging up from the depths of his soul.

Which explained the dream.

The pounding on his door came again.

“Unless we’re under attack, fuck off,” he growled to whoever was on the other side. He didn’t want company right now.

There was a pause, and then his Fae hearing picked up a small voice saying, “He said a bad word, Rayner.”

“You are right, Tula. He should not say that word.” Cyrus could hear the amusement in Rayner’s voice.

“He does not get a cookie.”

Godsdamnit. Now he was swearing at a child.

Cyrus pushed himself out of the small bed, stumbling towards the door still not fully awake. He wrenched it open to ?nd Rayner standing there holding Tula in his arms. The little girl was giving him a disapproving look, her tiny lips pursed and baby blue eyes narrowed on him.

“You said a bad word,” she immediately chided.

He tried to hide his sigh. “I know. I’m sorry, Tula.”

“I’m eating your cookie.”

“That sounds fair.” His eyes ?icked to Rayner. His grey eyes were barely moving, the normal swirling of them minuscule, which told Cyrus his power was still nearly depleted. “Is there a reason you brought her with you to wake me up?”

“I thought you would be a little more cooperative if she tagged along,” Rayner answered, not bothering to hide his smirk.

“What do you want?”

“Eliza is... Well, she does not want to take her watch on the ship with the children today.”

“And?”

“And I do not know what you did to piss off Sorin, but he insisted you be the one to take her place. He said if you resisted to tell you that he is pulling rank,” Rayner said.

Of course he did. That fucker knew he’d been on night watch only a few hours ago, and he was making him pay for speaking to Scarlett like he did yesterday. He could say no, but that would just make this all worse, and he couldn’t blame him. He’d be pissy too if someone had spoken to Thia like that.

He sighed again. “Fine. How am I getting over there?”

“He said to be on the main deck in ten minutes.”

Cyrus shut the door, cursing under his breath as he hunted for a tunic among the clothes strewn about the small quarters. He shared it with Rayner, but the Ash Rider rarely slept here. He kept his clothing in here. That was about it.

He was shoving daggers and knives into place as he trudged to the main deck. He wasn’t surprised to ?nd Sorin waiting for him, but he was surprised to see Briar there as well. Great. A double dressing-down from the princes. Just what he needed today.

“Neve will be there to relieve you before the afternoon meeting,” Sorin said by way of greeting. “Scarlett wants to discuss strategy with this tracking Mark among other things.”

“Fine,” Cyrus muttered. Sorin studied him for a long moment, before he nodded at Briar and a water portal appeared. Cyrus straightened. “Can you still not create ?re portals?”

Sorin’s lips pressed into a thin line. “Scarlett and I are working on it.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

“We would have if you hadn’t been such a godsdamn asshole yesterday.”

“What about Rayner? His magic is going to take weeks to fully replenish,” Cyrus said.

“Later, Cyrus.” Sorin jerked his chin to the portal.

Cyrus ground his molars together but didn’t say anything else, stepping through the portal to another ship. The sun had disappeared behind clouds again today, which was ?tting, he supposed. Sawyer spotted him and waved. Obviously that’s who he was relieving. He rarely took watch on this ship, mainly because he’d never been needed. With the loss of Nakoa and so many others after that battle though, he imagined he’d be taking more watch duties until they reached Avonleya.

Despite the overcast sky, there were children everywhere. Tava and Lynnea were busy trying to get them all rounded up for lunch, herding them towards the food tables that Lynnea had set out. When Tava’s gaze skimmed over him, she offered a little wave, moving his way.

“Lady Tava,” he greeted with a nod.

“Cyrus,” she replied. “How are you?”

“As good as I can be still stuck on a ship,” he muttered. Tava tilted her head at the response, her golden braid slipping over her shoulder with the movement. “Where’s Drake? He’s rarely away from your side.”

“He is off with Cassius somewhere,” Tava said with a dismissive wave of her hand.

He murmured something in response, trying not to be annoyed by that statement. When the silence became palpable, she added slowly, “I am sure they will be back shortly. Cassius was practicing his Traveling and wanted to practice while carrying someone with him”

“That’s a good idea,” Cyrus answered, eyes moving over all the little people running around the deck.

Soft ?ngers grazed his forearm. “They are friends, Cyrus.”

“What?” he asked, swinging his gaze to her.

“Drake and Cassius,” she said. “They are just very close friends. He lived with us for many years.”

“I know that.”

Her turquoise eyes seemed to see into the depths of his being. She saw everything in the background. It made her an asset. It was how he’d operated for decades, how he’d conned so many. Which is why he knew she was seeing far more than he wanted her to.

He cleared his throat. “And Callan?”

It was Tava’s turn to stiffen, but she recovered quickly. “I have not seen Callan since the battle.”

“That was four days ago.”

“I know that,” she answered softly, parroting his words from moments before.

“Aren’t we a pair?” Cyrus said with a harsh laugh, sliding his hands into his pockets.

“That we are,” the Lady answered with a small smile. “I need to go help with the children... ”

“Go. I’m on watch. Let me know if you need anything.”

Tava nodded again, giving him another quick smile that didn’t meet her eyes before moving to help two young kids with plates as they moved through the food line.

It was a few hours later when Cyrus was leaning against a railing out of the way, rolling ?ames along his knuckles, that Cassius and Drake appeared out of the air across the deck. Cass was laughing, slapping Drake on the back as the man doubled over, hands on his knees. Cyrus could only assume he was having a rough reaction to Traveling.

As if on instinct, Cassius’s eyes snapped to him, and Cyrus stood up straighter, his ?ames winking out. A slight frown appeared on Cassius’s mouth, and he said something to Drake. Drake nodded, heading towards his sister, while Cassius moved in his direction.

“What are you doing on this ship?” Cassius asked once he was close enough.

“Sorin has me on watch duty.”

“Didn’t you have night watch?”

“Yep. I pissed him off a little bit,” Cyrus said with a bitter laugh.

Cassius didn’t smile. “Have you slept at all?”

“Rayner woke me up to come on duty. Neve should be here any moment though.”

“Then you are sleeping?”

“Then we have a meeting.” Cassius nodded, but didn’t look happy about it. “What about you? You slept last night, I assume?”

He tried not to sound bitter, but he heard it in his tone. Cassius gave him an odd look. “I was with Scarlett working on something. She did not tell you?”

Cyrus shook his head. “You two made up, then?”

He wasn’t sure why that bothered him. That they had already gotten over their little spat they’d had while he was still nursing his pride.

“Scarlett and I argue like that all the time. There has only been one time we have truly fought.” He paused before adding, “It did not end well.”

“So you haven’t slept either then?” Cyrus asked.

“Scarlett and I slept for a few hours in the evening, but I assumed you would be sleeping after the night watch. It is why I did not come ?nd you to practice Traveling,” Cassius said.

And something in Cyrus calmed at those words. Not by much, but it loosened enough for him to breathe a little easier.

Before he could respond, a water portal appeared, and Neve stepped through. Her dark skin seemed pale, and sad, grey eyes met his. The Water Court was still grieving Nakoa. They all were, but to lose an Inner Court member like that... Cyrus didn’t want to think about it.

Neve nodded once in greeting. “Briar said to send a message if you need a portal.”

“I’ve got him,” Cassius answered, and Neve gave a sad smile before she turned away from them. Cassius’s brown eye ?xed on him, his patch in place over the other one. “I need to grab something from my room before this meeting.”

Cyrus nodded, and Cass’s hand landed on his shoulder, pulling him through the air. He was impressed when Cass landed them inside the hallway between the cabins instead of on the decks.

“You’re getting skilled at that,” Cyrus said while Cassius pushed into the room he shared with Drake. It was much tidier than his and Rayner’s. Clothes were folded and either in the armoire or stacked neatly on the desk chair. There were two beds, both made, and a few small personal effects were scattered across the desk.

“We have been practicing it nearly every day. I should hope so,” Cassius replied, moving to the armoire.

“That magic of yours will be much harder to control,” Cyrus commented, moving to the desk. He was a nosy asshole; he could admit that. It was habit. Even the smallest thing could give you leverage over someone.

“Yeah, I’ve been thinking about that,” Cass said, slipping his tunic over his head in favor of another short-sleeved one. “I know I need to practice with it, but one would think practicing with some sort of ?re gift on a ship would be a bad idea.”

He made a valid point, but if he could somehow isolate the wings from the ?re, he could at least practice with that part of his power. Having someone who could be in the sky with Scarlett would level the ?eld at least a little bit.

He was about to respond when his eyes fell on a drawing. The woman was beautiful. Golden hair. Turquoise eyes. Stunning features.

“This yours?” Cyrus asked, picking it up.

“What?” Cass asked, moving to his side and peering over his shoulder. “No. That is Drake’s. His mother.”

Cyrus had always thought the Tyndell siblings looked oddly familiar, but he could swear he knew this woman. He couldn’t quite place her, and it was going to bother him until he ?gured it out. Lord Tyndell had been right when he’d said Tava looked nearly identical to her mother. The question still remained though: why did Lord Tyndell care so much for them?

He placed the sketch back onto the desk where he’d found it, following Cass from the room. As they made their way to the dining room, he said cautiously, “How are your reserves after all that Traveling?”

“The Traveling with Drake was not what drained them,” Cass answered.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean the scouting I was doing with Scarlett is what drained them.”

Cyrus reached out, gripping his arm to stop him. “What scouting? Why were you Traveling with depleted reserves?”

“I’m sure we will talk about the scouting shortly, and like I said, I thought you were sleeping this morning. I did not want to bother you for blood.”

“Bother me for...” Cyrus trailed off, his brows knitting together. “You needing blood isn’t a bother, Cass. It’s a necessity. Speaking of which, we need to discuss this Source business.”

“No,” Cassius said, his eye instantly darkening, features hardening.

He pulled his arm from Cyrus’s grip and continued on his way to the dining room, leaving Cyrus to hurry after him. “Why? I’m already giving you blood daily. How is this any different?”

“It is very different, Cyrus,” Cassius replied, not bothering to look at him.

“How?” Cyrus insisted.

Cassius stopped so quickly, Cyrus nearly ran into him. The Queen’s Hand rounded on him, hissing low, “It is a lifelong commitment, Cyrus. Until one of us dies. I would never ask you to tie your life to mine in that way.”

“You’re not asking. I’m offering,” Cyrus countered.

“And I am declining the offer.”

“Why? You need a Source, Cass. Are you going to ask some other Fae?”

“I do not need a Source.”

“Scarlett says otherwise.”

Cassius scoffed. “Despite what she seems to think, she does, in fact, not know everything.”

Cyrus arched a brow, his lips quirking up on one side. “I don’t know, Cass. She’s rarely wrong. Not when it comes to this kind of stuff.”

“We will wait until we get to Avonleya. Until we can learn more about it,” Cassius said, turning and continuing on the way to the dining hall.

“What more do we need to learn? Scarlett and Sorin have a Source bond. They can answer any questions we might have,” Cyrus argued.

Cassius stopped again outside the makeshift dining room. “Scarlett and Sorin are different.”

“How so?”

“They are twin ?ames for starters, and she is full-blooded Avonleyan.”

“And yet you willingly tied your life to hers to be her Guardian.”

“Again, different,” Cassius said, his arms crossing over his chest.

“How is tying your life to hers different from this?” Cyrus demanded.

Cassius studied him for a long moment before his arms dropped to his sides. “You are not ready for this, Cyrus.”

“And you think you know me well enough to make that call?”

Cassius’s hands came up on either side of his head, caging him against the wall. He was an inch taller, forcing Cyrus to tilt his head up slightly as Cassius brought his face inches from his. “That’s the problem, isn’t it? Either I do not know you well enough to make that call, which means you should not be my Source. Or I do know you well enough to know that you are not ready to do this, and I would be a bastard to let you.”

He pushed off the wall, leaving Cyrus standing there staring after him as he walked into the dining room.

Cyrus turned to ?nd Sorin and Scarlett making their way to the room. As she passed by him, Scarlett met his gaze, batting her lashes, as she said far too sweetly, “Looks like Cass just smelled some bullshit.”