Page 98 of The Sundered Realms

Vhannor quickly scrawled a spell, showed it to her—sound obfuscation bubble—and at her nod of acknowledgement, cast.

“Why didn’t you use that on the way over?” she asked.

“Because if we’d been caught, someone might have wondered why we were trying not to be heard.”

Vhannor turned, and Liris adjusted to let him, but then he took her face between his hands.

She stilled, heart hammering.

“Partnership is not one-sided,” he said. “It goes both ways.”

She knew that. She knew that.

After a lifetime of working for Serenthuar and their claims that everything they did was to help their people, which more and more seemed false, it was just... maybe going to take a little while longer for her to believe it.

“I’m sorry,” Liris said.

“You’re sorry?“ Vhannor threw up his hands, narrowly missing slamming them into the door. “I’m the one who let Ambassador Rhuil get you alone.”

What? “I came here to be an asset, but now before we managed to learn anything concrete you’ve had to quit the field because of me—“

“Liris,” Vhannor growled, “I hope you learned enough with the time you had, because I learned enough from Belighia to be very suspicious of what all’s been going on in this place, with all this money and no one watching as they prepare to lure the elite of all the Sundered Realms here—“

”—as though for a demonstration, yes,“ Liris finished. “That’s why everyone’s so expectant.”

“My thought exactly. I don’t care to wait for it.” Vhannor’s lips twitched into a small smile, and Liris’ heart turned over. “And really, after an incident like that in the ballroom, it would be suspicious if we hadn’t made a visible exit, wouldn’t it?”

Gods, she loved him.

Liris’ laugh was some combination of admiring and relieved and possibly slightly hysterical, because of course she loved a man who could prioritize her and execute master strategy at the same time. How could she not have loved him?

“This is an excuse.” She shook her head, smiling. “To go searching for whatever Belighia has plotted with Jadrhun.”

Vhannor nodded, but his eyes dropped to her lips.

Warmth pooled low in Liris’ stomach. She dared, “Time for one?”

Vhannor closed his eyes and tilted his head all the way back until it banged into the wall. “I won’t want to stop at just one.”

Liris sighed. “Fair, I suppose.”

He snorted.

She looked around. “Do you want me to try to move...?”

Vhannor’s arms crashed around her. “No.”

“Well,” Liris said, wrapping her own arms around him, “all right then. Much easier to manage.”

With her face practically smashed against his chest, she felt him shake with laughter.

And she felt his racing heart.

After a moment, Vhannor said, “I think we’re clear, I’m afraid.”

Liris reached over and pushed the door open, stepping back with what was probably an overly fond smile.

Fortunately, he seemed to be wearing one too.

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