Page 132 of Lady of Starfire (Lady of Darkness #5)

Cyrus

“M y feet hurt,” Scarlett whined when they appeared in the foyer of the Fiera Palace.

Cassius had just Traveled them all home from the celebration of Callan and Tava’s coronations, and Cyrus could understand why Scarlett’s feet hurt. He rarely saw her off the dance floor.

“I have something for that,” Cyrus said with a grin.

“Is it a bed and uninterrupted sleep for hours?” she grumbled. She’d already taken her shoes off before they’d left, and they currently dangled from Sorin’s fingertips.

“Some would argue it’s better than that.”

Her nose scrunched. “What could be better than sleep?”

There was a burst of flames, and Cyrus held out a palm.

“Where did you get that?” Cassius asked, eyeing the five rolls of mugweed.

Cyrus shrugged. “From your stash.”

“Godsdamnit, Cyrus,” Cass sighed. “That is for potions and herbal remedies.”

“And thank the gods we have a Witch in the family now. This will remedy her aching feet.” Cassius shook his head, but he didn’t argue further, which Cyrus took as a good sign.

“There’s enough for all of us,” he urged.

“Besides, Scarlett did say after this coronation we were all taking some time to relax.”

“I do not think she meant literally the moment we returned home,” Sorin said.

“I definitely did,” Scarlett cut in, swiping a roll from Cyrus’s palm. “We can share.”

“See? One for Eliza and Razik. One for Cass. One for Rayner. One for me. Perfect,” Cyrus said, tossing one to each person, respectively.

They all looked between each other as if debating this decision, and it was Rayner who finally shrugged and said, “Let me put Tula to bed, and I will meet you all in the den.”

A fire portal appeared a moment later.

“So you do not have to carry her up several flights of stairs,” Sorin said by way of explanation.

Rayner was holding Tula, who was sound asleep on his shoulder, and he nodded his thanks before he stepped through the portal.

“Is that ever going to be addressed?” Eliza asked when the portal snapped shut behind them.

“Yes, but not tonight,” Sorin answered.

Scarlett was already halfway across the bridge, making her way to the den. They followed after her as they always seemed to, and a few minutes later, they were all in various states of undress from their finery and taking pulls from the mugweed.

“I cannot believe you did this without me last time,” Scarlett said with a pout as she took the roll back from Sorin.

“Should I tell her how many times you and I have smoked this since I met you, Cass?” Cyrus asked.

“Why would you do that, Cyrus?” Cass muttered when Scarlett immediately made another sound of outrage. Cyrus let out a laugh. “Calm down, Darling. Soon enough, you’re not going to give a fuck about it.”

Sorin took the mugweed back, and she crossed her arms, looking disgruntled. It didn’t last long. Sure enough, within minutes, she was melting back against Sorin and propping her feet in Rayner’s lap, who sat at the other end of the sofa they occupied.

“Tell me about this cave, Eliza,” she suddenly said, silver eyes sliding to the fire general.

Eliza’s lip curled up. “What about it?”

“Why do you go there to sleep all the time?”

Cyrus huffed a laugh, taking a pull from his mugweed. “I assure you, Darling, she is not going there to sleep.”

Eliza flipped him off from her spot on the opposite sofa, but the fact that she didn’t spout something back to him told him she was feeling as relaxed as the rest of them.

“So you have a bed in that cave?” Scarlett asked, tilting her head as she studied Razik.

“He has an entire home in that cave,” Eliza said, blowing out some smoke. “It’s rather cute.”

Razik looked down at her. “It is not cute .”

“What would you call it then?”

He blinked at her before finally grumbling, “Not cute.”

She smirked, passing him the mugweed.

“Is it like a lair where you hide all your stolen treasure?” Scarlett continued. She was even lower on the sofa now, her head in Sorin’s lap. Sorin had been methodically removing all the pins from her hair, and now he was winding various strands around his finger.

“It is not stolen treasure,” Razik deadpanned.

Scarlett’s brow pinched. “But you were going to steal a bowl.”

Eliza snorted a laugh as Razik growled, “I was not going to steal that bowl.”

“What kind of treasure do you have there?” Cyrus asked, sinking lower in his chair.

That had Eliza perking up. “Books,” she said.

“Of course,” Cyrus muttered.

“Books?” Scarlett asked, lifting her head. “Can I come see them?”

“Yes,” Eliza said, at the same time Razik said, “No.”

“No spare beds?” Scarlett mused.

“No,” Razik repeated.

“But it’s a giant cave.”

“No.”

“Rude,” Scarlett said with a frown. Then she was shoving at Rayner with her foot. “What about you?”

“What about me?”

The Ash Rider’s elbow was propped on the arm of the sofa, his finger steepled along his temple as he took a drag from his mugweed.

“Do you have a secret treasure cave you take all your female friends to?” Scarlett pushed, and it took all of Cyrus not to burst out laughing when Rayner’s lips twitched. It had Scarlett pushing onto her elbows to study him closer. “Do you have a secret treasure cave?”

“No, Scarlett,” Rayner sighed. “I do not have a secret treasure cave.”

“Do you have a secret female friend?” Then she frowned in contemplation. “Or male friend? Both? Like Arianna and Stellan?”

A dark grin curled on Rayner’s lips, and he slowly began dragging a single finger along the top of her foot and up her calf. “Are you thinking about new experiences again, your Majesty? You did mention that after saving the realm, you’d be interested in some of them.”

And fuck. The sensual purr of his voice had Cyrus immediately contemplating hauling Cassius back to their rooms …

Scarlett’s face went bright red. “What? No! I mean— I don’t—”

Cyrus couldn’t contain his laughter this time, and Scarlett turned to him, flipping him her middle finger. She spun to Sorin, who had slipped down the sofa, his head tipped and resting along the back of it.

“Sorin.”

“No experiences tonight, Love,” he answered, not even bothering to open his eyes. “If you are still interested in the morning, I am sure Rayner and I can come to an agreement.”

“That is not what I was going to say!” she cried, reaching out to smack him in the chest, but he caught her wrist, dragging her up and into his lap. She was laughing by the end of it, and they all fell into conversations about nothing, enjoying the stars they’d all fought so hard to keep.

“Cass,” Cyrus whispered, nudging at Cassius’s shoulder.

They were on the floor of the den where they had eventually slid to when sitting in a chair had become too much. Everyone else was asleep where they had been sitting the night before. Scarlett was curled against Sorin’s chest. Razik had Eliza tucked into his side. Rayner—

Well, he wasn’t here. Cyrus assumed he’d eventually gone to his rooms to be there when Tula woke.

He shoved lightly at Cassius’s shoulder again, and Cass gave a low groan.

“Shh,” Cyrus hissed. “Everyone else is still sleeping.”

“Then why are we awake?” Cass grumbled, throwing an arm over his eyes.

“Come on,” Cyrus said, nudging him harder. “Get up. We need to get dressed.”

Cassius lifted his arm so he could peer up at Cyrus with narrowed eyes. “Why?”

“Get up,” he repeated, getting to his feet, joints cracking that definitely shouldn’t.

Gods, whose idea was it to sleep on the godsdamn floor?

Cassius managed to contain his grumbling until they were outside the den and trudging up to their rooms.

Their rooms. Because Cassius was staying here, obviously. Cyrus would remain the Fire Court Second, and Cassius would remain Hand-to-the-High Queen of the realm. Together. They would all be together.

“What are we doing, Cyrus?” Cass sighed, kicking the door shut behind him.

“Just get dressed,” Cyrus answered, crossing to the bedchamber and into their dressing room.

He quickly shucked off the formal attire he was still somehow wearing before pulling on far more comfortable pants and tunic.

He was sliding on his boots when Cassius finally appeared in the dressing room, still looking ready to fall into bed and sleep instead.

“How are you this awake?” Cassius asked, changing at a much slower pace than Cyrus had.

But the truth was, if he didn’t do this now, he’d probably lose his nerve.

“Get changed, then we have to wake Sorin,” Cyrus said, pushing past him and back out to the bedchamber.

He was trying not to pace when Cass came back out dressed in similar pants and tunic. He Traveled them back down to the den without a word, clearly realizing that this was something important to Cyrus.

Cyrus crossed the room, managing to wake Sorin without disturbing Scarlett. The worry that had immediately appeared quickly vanished when Cyrus told him what he needed. Sorin nodded, a fire portal appearing near the door where Cassius stood waiting.

Cyrus clapped Sorin on the shoulder in thanks before making his way back to Cassius, who was looking at him with concern in his eyes. One brown. One milky white. No eye patch. Not anymore.

He followed Cyrus silently through the portal, and then he went completely still when he saw where they were.

The cry of gulls filled the air as the sun bathed the land with its morning rays.

There were already people bustling around the town, unloading ships and calling to each other from the docks.

The smell of the sea filled Cyrus’s senses, but it wasn’t as agonizing as it had once been. Not with Cassius standing beside him.

Cyrus slid his hands into his pockets, waiting as Cass took everything in before his eyes settled back on him.

“This is Aelyndee,” Cass breathed.

“You once told me this was the last place I felt truly deserving of something, and you were right, Cass,” Cyrus said, watching as two workers loaded a cart with various items. Items he would have tracked and stolen a lifetime ago.

“I loved Merrick, and I loved Thia. Gods, did I love Thia with everything I was.” He looked back at Cassius once more.

“But everything I was … Pieces of who I was died with them, and while I had my family, I still never felt completely whole. I didn’t think I ever would again.

That brokenness was just part of my fate that I needed to learn to live with.

That I thought I was deserving of. But you …

” He swallowed thickly, Cassius quiet as he let him get this out.

“Who I was then? That person was made for Merrick. Was made for Thia. But who I am now? That person was made for you, Cass.”

Cassius smiled at him as he reached up and pulled something from a pocket realm. When he opened his hand, the vial of his blood the Sorceress had kept was lying there.

“To new memories, Cyrus,” Cassius said, black flames flickering to life in his palm and devouring the symbol of the hell Cyrus had been living for the past weeks, years, decades.

“To deserving happiness,” Cyrus replied, watching while Cassius burned even the ashes to nothing.

Then he was reaching up and hauling Cass’s mouth to his, not caring that they were standing in the middle of bustling docks on the shores of the sea.

“Show me everything,” Cassius murmured when they finally broke apart.

So Cyrus spent the day showing Cassius around Aelyndee.

It was different. A lot had changed, but much had stayed the same too.

He didn’t know if the loft would be the same.

If it would be vacant. Likely not centuries later, but he showed him where he and Merrick had lived for their short years together.

He showed him where some of his best cons had gone off seamlessly, and he showed him where he’d hidden when his father had died trying to steal him some bread to eat.

He showed him everything, just like Cassius had asked.

Because while this place was where Cyrus had lost so much and so much of who he was had ended, it didn’t have to stay like that.

After all this time, it became a place where something new began.

Something he was deserving of.