Page 214 of Blood Feast

He thought of the way Mak and Lyros had looked at him after they had given those men the Mercy he would not. He had placed the burden of violence on his brothers after he had promised to shoulder it with them.

Lio stared at his hands until his vision burned. Finally he closed his eyes and made himself look at the faces of his own victims.

A soft sound disturbed the dreadful quiet. Paws padding through the grass.

Lio’s eyes flew open. Dame was trotting toward him across the circle. He had never been so glad to see a living creature.

“Hello, girl,” he said softly. “You had me worried. Where did you go?”

She halted and dropped a dead rabbit in front of him.

Lio covered his nose with his hand. “Did you get hungry?”

She nudged the rabbit toward him, then sat down on her furry backside, her ears perked and eyes bright.

Lio laughed. He had no right to, not after what he’d done. He hadn’t thought he could. But looking at Dame, so eager to please with her present, that laugh came out of him, her real gift.

“Is this your way of saying thank you for saving you?” With a smile tugging at his mouth, he lowered his hand from his nose and extended his fingers toward her.

She didn’t bite them off, only flared her nostrils and sniffed him. Her jaws parted, and her tongue lolled out. It looked like she was smiling back.

He reached a little farther. She didn’t move. Gently, he petted her fluffy ears, and she began to wag her tail. For the first time in many hours, peace came over him.

“Thank you.”

Dame stretched out beside him.

He stroked her back next. “Dogs love unconditionally. That’s what Cassia says. You don’t decide if someone deserves it, do you? You just love.”

Lio stopped wondering what he or the mages deserved and accepted the moment of calm. After a while, Dame began to gaze at the rabbit with longing.

“This is an impressive kill,” Lio made himself say. “Oedann. You’re such a good dog. So good, in fact, that I won’t even ask you to share the rabbit with me. You can eat every bite yourself. Yes, truly you can.”

He scooted away from her. She tensed, as if ready to spring up and follow him. He tried to remember what word might put her at ease.

“Soor.Relax and enjoy your rabbit.”

He didn’t go far, but he cast a veil over her so he wouldn’t hear the crunching. Leaning on one stub of a stone, he looked out at the dreamlike landscape.

Where were Cassia and Mak and Lyros now?

He had thought he was protecting them. And yet his decisions on this journey had only made everything harder for them.

He had pushed Mak to use his weapons and pushed Lyros to fight instead of retreat. Worst of all, he had pushed his Grace harder and harder to wield her magic. He had only wanted to show them how much he believed in them when Orthros would not. But he’d driven them so hard that he’d driven them apart.

He had been so focused on the warpath that he had failed to be what they needed most. The cousin who talked Mak down when he was angry. The friend who understood Lyros when he was overthinking everything. The lover who comforted Cassia when she was fighting with herself.

He could hardly call himself a diplomat any longer. But even at war, he could be their peacemaker. He still believed in the Black Roses.

When Dame finished her rabbit, she approached him again, almost hesitant. She looked to him as if for guidance. Her whole life must have been so disciplined. Did she feel as adrift as he did right now?

His determination to hunt down Miranda was gone. Only one thing mattered now.

It would take a great deal of apologies and might end in a prison cell. But if that was what it took to bring their circle back together, then he would do it. Starting with the person he had hurt the most: Lyros.

He rubbed Dame’s ears again. “Let’s go find our pack.”

AS A CIRCLE

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