Page 31 of Until the End of Ever (To the Cruel Gods #2)

LUCIAN

“ L ucian?” Kleos called as she stormed through the house, hurried footsteps echoing through the halls.

I smirked, wondering if she’d noticed I moved her in.

It took no small degree of stealth on my part, given the fact that we’d spent the better part of the last week joined at the hip—oftentimes literally—but thanks to Silver and Gideon’s assistance, as well as Ronan’s carriage, I managed to do so discreetly.

Her clothes just took one trip, while she was busy helping a handful of people with their various aches Thursday morning.

I left all the girlish dresses she didn’t choose, only bothering with her casual attire.

Those, I placed at the back of her wardrobe—now relocated to my room, though she still had a fair few clothes in the guest bedroom.

The bulk of Kleos’s former collection qualified as what I would call cheap and cheerful.

She herself gravitated towards luxurious comfort, and I wasn’t going to complain.

I also insisted to pack her jewelry making tools, which all fit in a box. Her metal, I replaced with silver, white gold, and platinum. Her semi-precious stones, I switched for gems.

That, she did notice last night. “Lucian, how come I have diamonds all of a sudden? A lot of them. I see Gideon dropped my pack off, but I can assure you, it did not include dozens of huge-ass rocks!”

“You like shiny things.” That was the end of it as far as I was concerned.

“That’s ridiculous !” she protested, with wide hand gestures to display the enormity of the perceived absurdity. “My skills aren’t worthy of that sort of money. The kind of things I make could be sold at a flea market for a fiver. Like, friendship bracelets.”

I only smiled. “Such as the one Apollo himself deigned to wear?”

“Yeah, well, he’s weird,” she groaned. “Seriously, that’s unnecessary.”

I shrugged, and repeated, “You like shiny things,” before kissing the top of her head. “You should redesign Gertrude’s necklace, since you have your tools. My spell’s in the stones. Get them out of their setting. Make something new.”

She gasped. “I couldn’t! It’s vintage. And a family heirloom. What would Kaelius and Cassiopea think?”

That being her position, I took her to the treasure room in the belly of the manor, under many spells ensuring no one but those of the blood of Regis could get in.

The Saltzin collection was small—more sentimental than of real value—but, well, Cassius also liked shiny things.

Kleos looked like she might faint, and didn’t manage to say a single word for over an hour, so that was that.

Friday morning, while she baked, we packed and moved the rest, Gideon letting Silver and me in, and the dainty little princess doing most of the heavy lifting. I tried to keep up for a while, but truthfully, I gave up. The damnable woman wasn’t even winded .

I didn’t bother to try to move Kleos’s furniture.

Like her formal attire, it didn’t truly feel like it suited her, and she seemed to like the decor here.

The manor constantly adjusted to make our space perfect for her, adding splash of colors and delicate designs it never bothered to craft for me.

But it was possible she might have noticed her books added to Theke.

Perhaps I ought to have asked if she’d like to move in. But Kleos didn’t enjoy answering questions—nor did she like when I tried to clarify her place here. It made her blush and stutter, and occasionally, stomp her foot.

So when she raced through the house at high speed on Saturday morning, I was prepared for the inevitable fight where I would inform her that she had indeed been abducted.

“Yes, love?” I asked over the newspaper, bringing my tea to my lips.

“Your mother wrote to me!” she practically screamed, a letter in hand.

“Ha.” I grinned, glad we were apparently going to argue about her permanent address another day. “Yes, I thought she might.”

Kleos looked positively baffled, eyes wide. “She’s offering to be my guardian. Cassiopea Regis, my guardian .”

It came as no surprise to me.

After one restless Wednesday night considering the Zenya problem, I decided a drastic move was necessary.

Kleos didn’t just need a replacement as a guardian, she needed someone who’d actually take the time to teach her about our city, its traditions, its unspoken rules that I’ve known my whole life.

Frankly, she needed a mother, but as hers sucked, she could borrow mine.

“I take it you’ll accept?” I gleaned from her stunned, open mouth.

Instead of answering, she read aloud: “‘It is my understanding that you haven’t been given a chance for a proper introduction to Highvale history, and as such, might find our private customs either strange or daunting. Whether you wish to be moved to my guardianship or not, it would be my privilege to enlighten you on any matter you might find of interest.’ Lucian, she’s offering me noble secrets—founders’ secrets!

” Kleos squealed. “The kind we can’t just read or hear about. ”

I shook my head. The simple fact she was surprised both amused and frustrated me. “Fascinating. I wonder why she might think it necessary.”

Naturally, Kleos missed the heavy dose of sarcasm. “I need to reply. I need to thank her. I need to bake more choux!”

I nodded seriously. “And canelés. Mother would love canelés.”

Never mind the fact that, unlike everyone else by the name of Regis, my mother didn’t have a sweet tooth.

We hadn’t intended to take the weekend off, given the fact that what we were studying was a way to keep my witch alive, whole, and hale, but between Mother’s letter and the constant ringing of Kleos’s phone, dampening her spirit each time she saw Zenya’s name on the screen, it was time for a break.

“There’s a town meeting tonight,” I told her, watching her fly around the kitchen from the doorway. “I meant to speak last week and didn’t get a chance. About the murders—warning everyone to be careful. My parents will be there, if you’d like to accept Mother’s offer in person.”

Kleos’s eyes widened. “A town meeting? Is that like a council session?”

She truly didn’t know much about the underside.

“I mean, yes and no. We begin with an open forum for anyone who wishes to speak. Typically, that’s my brother.

” I rolled my eyes. “But after, it’s mostly a party.

The town hall’s open to all who wish to attend, so long as they’re of age.

Typically, there’s food, alcohol, music.

You can absolutely count on a duel or two.

Really, by now, it’s understood that one of the younger founders must offend another to entertain the plebe. It’s all good fun.”

“You mentioned something about it last week.” She tipped her head to the side. “It still sounds archaic.”

“Well, when half of the population was alive back when people still pissed in chamber pots, we can’t be surprised by a few old-fashioned customs.” I smile. “You’ll like the meeting. It’s nothing like your idea of a party up in the vale.”

“I meant to read another volume about that damn ritual, find a way to protect myself against it before next full moon. But…” She sighed.

“We need a break,” I completed for her. “And the full moon isn’t for another three weeks, and my runes haven’t budged since I wrote them.”

Every time my eyes fell on my words on her skin, a satisfying jolt of possessiveness and arousal rumbled inside me.

Mine, mine, mine.

“All right. Let’s go.”

“In a moment,” I purred, suddenly struck anew by a huge oversight. “I don’t think I’ve bent you over the kitchen counter yet.”

I walked up to her, and smoothly ran my hands to the back of her thighs, before lifting her up, her crotch meeting my groin through the clothing I soon discarded.

Mine .