Page 102 of The Sorcerer of Shadowholde

Warmth enveloped her, though her mind still whirled.

Amulius was dead.Shehad been the one to kill him, along with the mage, Spurius. She had killed two men, purely with magic. Magic that had only come when Renatus and Verian were in danger.

The ones she loved.

Vita sat with that thought, trying to cling to it as opposed to the image of singed bodies, the stench of burned flesh. Renatus and Verian were with her, scrubbing the dirt and grime from her hair and body. The air was chilly—autumn finally here—but the water was warm. She caught the men glancing at each other, but no one spoke.

“I’m alright, really. I’ll be fine.” She tried to reassure them, though she knew her voice was weak, her muscles still shaky.

“Of course, sweet girl. You’re safe now.” Verian leaned in close, brushing dark locks behind her ear. “We all are. Because of you.”

The air was silent for a long while, and she was unable to resist a smile. For so long, she’d hidden her magic, bottled it up inside until she felt like she would burst. Releasing it in that manner, to savethem, it was like the biggest sigh of relief.

Renatus’ soft voice broke through the silence of the night. “You both are welcome to stay as long as you’d like.”

Without hesitation, Vita pressed her lips to his cheek, and he stiffened for a moment before letting his body relax. She did the same to Verian, and he wrapped his arm over her shoulder, pulling her in close.

This was exactly where she wanted to be.

Back in Renatus’ bedroom, Vita disrobed—too tired to be self-conscious—flopping on the bed with blatant exhaustion. The hour was late… or early… she was no longer certain, the past day more taxing than anything she’d ever experienced. She realized the last time she’d been in this room was when Renatus had run her off, before he came to save her. It seemed so long ago, a lifetime apart from where she was now.

The two men stood at the entrance as if unsure what to do, and she narrowed her eyes.

“You’re not going to leave me, are you?”

They glanced at each other, and Verian was the first to move, coming to her side and sidling in next to her, wrapping a robed arm around her bare waist.

His whispered words tickled the flesh of her neck. “I’m never leaving you again.”

The smile on her face beamed through the dark room, relief relaxing her whole body.

Renatus came to the other side of the bed, still stiff with hesitancy, and Vita held out a desperate hand to him. He couldn’t leave her, not now, not after everything that had happened.

With an uncharacteristic grin, he took her hand and edged onto the bed at her other side, resting a hand on her hip.

“Welcome back, darling.”

Vita slept heavily, not a single dream disturbing her slumber. When she fluttered her eyes open, Renatus was smiling sweetly at her.

“What time is it?” she muttered, still drowsy.

“It is morning.” His voice was a whisper, Verian still snoring quietly in her ear as he clutched her waist.

“Morning?” she hummed, a thought coming to her. “I’ve never seen you while it’s daytime. What do you do all day?”

He laughed, cupping her cheek and running his thumb across her scar. “I work in my office, rest, paint… There are only a few rooms in the palace open to light, so most are safe for me and my thralls.”

“What would happen if you were exposed to daylight?”

Another nagging question and another laugh from Renatus. “Why do you want to know, dear? Do you wish me dead?”

A pinch of panic clutched her chest, but it was clear he was joking. “Of course not. I was just curious.”

He smiled gently, his eyes darting to her lips. “Well, it would be a particularly painful event, one I’d not like to experience anytime soon.”

Vita nodded, her mind turning back to something he’d said.

“You paint?” She tried to keep the incredulity out of her voice, but it was difficult, the image of the High Consul hunched over a canvas so improbable.

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