Page 170 of Blood Feast

Lio nodded. “I expected him to have more sympathy for our choice to carry weapons, even if it does put him in a difficult position.”

“We didn’t exactly handle it as well as the Blood Errant did,” Mak said, his gaze downcast.

“I truly thought he would understand.” Cassia swiped at her eyes, wondering where the armor over her heart was now.

I cannot bear this,Lio told her privately.A Hesperine has made you cry. Our Ritual father, no less!

The Gift makes us good, but not perfect. I can point fingers least of all.

“I didn’t mean Lyros should give up the battle arts,” Mak said. “I just want to protect him from what I’ve done.”

Cassia rested a hand on his shoulder. “I know.”

She had lost her own battle to make her Grace put himself first the night they had gotten arrested. Looking at Lio, knowing she would do anything to protect him, she thought she finally knew what to say to Lyros.

“I’ll try to talk to him, if that’s all right with you,” Cassia said.

“Thank you,” Mak replied. “Goddess knows I can’t say the right thing to him tonight.”

I’ll talk to Mak, Lio promised.

Knight is still napping by the fire. I’ll let him sleep. Would you veil me?

Yes, I agree an ambush may be necessary.

Concealed by Lio’s spells, Cassia headed out of the practice room. She levitated up through the tower and found Lyros out on a parapet. He had his fists propped on the stone as he stared out over the bailey and front gates of the fort.

This tower was too small for three brooding immortal males. Cassia smiled with affection for all of them.

I’m not brooding,Lio protested.

She couldn’t keep her amusement from filling their Union.You are the most brooding of all, my mind mage.You can drop the veils now.

Done,he grumbled.

Lyros actually started, and Cassia bit her lip to keep from laughing.

“Hespera’s Mercy,” Lyros said. “You were a sneaky mortal. I should have known no one would stand a chance against you as a Hesperine.”

“I was afraid you’d storm off again before I had a chance to tell you that I know where to find Miranda.”

Lyros stood up straighter. “How?”

“The Lustra showed me her trail.” Cassia waved a hand. “It has decided she’s its prey, and it is all too happy to help us hunt her down.”

Lyros leaned against the parapet and crossed his arms. “Is this like Kalos’s tracking methods?”

“No. This is a Silvicultrix’s method.”

Lyros gave her a nod, respect in his gaze. That look meant more to her than she could say. Despite all her mistakes, he trusted her to make this right. No matter what the elders thought, her Trial brothers and her Grace had faith in her.

She drifted forward, looking out over the fort with Lyros. “Being fugitives like this…it’s different for you and me than it is for Mak and Lio. You and I remember when we were human.”

Lyros shook his head. “I was Gifted as a child.”

She touched his arm. Seeing her olive skin against his, she was struck again by how much they had in common, two bastards of Tenebra and Cordium’s conflicted couplings over the centuries. “You were old enough to have some memories of your human life in Namenti. Those early years leave powerful marks on us. Surviving as an abandoned child on the streets of a border city must have hurt you as much as losing my mother and Solia hurt me.”

Lyros crossed his arms. “I’ve had decades of growing up as a Hesperine to leave all that behind.”

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