Page 117 of Fallen Heirs

“You’ve been out since you got back from the Academy battle. But she spent a lot of time with him and Marlowe in their room discussing you and then Lenora. But not just Lenora. They were conversing like a couple of old friends.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

“That’s certainly something positive that has come out of all of this.” He laid his hand on mine. “Thank you for talking this out with me.”

“Of course.”

“Tomorrow, when I’m back to full strength, I’ll introduce you formerly to the troops. We’ll begin setting you on the track of becoming joint leader.”

“And Alena?”

“Alena too, yes. Talon’s insisted on avoiding any sort of leadership role.”

“He’s still discounting himself.”

“Not entirely. He’s been working hard on planning his supernatural orphanage. He even brought it up to Elliot.”

“That’s a good sign. It means it’s moving from fantasy to reality for him.”

“He just gets nervous about any sort of change, including planning his future. He’s all for envisioning it, but enacting the necessary steps is usually another story. But with the intensity lately, it’s pushed him over that hurdle, and he’s serious about it, even working on a business plan he’s excited about showing us.”

“It might also be his way of coping with you putting yourself in so much dangerandhim realizing that with the creation ofObsidian, it will become a regular thing.”

He grimaced. “Yeah, I know.”

“You did what you had to do. Talon will accept that. I actually think with what you’ve just reported to me that he already has begun to. He’s also out there right now hanging with the troops, entertaining them with his flame art.”

Ore raised an eyebrow. “That bodes well.”

“My thoughts exactly.”

He sank down into the bed, looking absolutely exhausted. “Check on Alena, will you? Make sure she’s resting. You should’ve seen the shield she erected to hold off my mom’s power. It would’ve taken a lot out of her. Plus, she saw Constantine for the first time since he abused her, it’s not exactly something to just shake off.”

“I was actually headed to her when I heard you in here. I’ll go right now, if you’re okay.”

“I am. I’ll be fine. It helped to get that off my chest.”

As I knew better than most, trauma wasn’t simply something you could cast off from a one-and-done situation of expelling some of its toxicity through conversation. It took time.

But at least he’d made a start and he wasn’t bottling it up and acting like he was okay.

That was a major step for him.

“You need anything, you let me know,” I said, pushing off the bed.

“I will,” he said, smiling tiredly out at me.

I smiled back, then crossed to the door.

I’d barely made it two steps outside when my senses screamed at me and I swung my head to see Saryan approaching, striding down the corridor clad in a sweepingsilver bath robe, his thick black hair majorly disheveled, deep scratches all over his throat, some even bleeding.

My pulse picked up, my bloodlust sparking at the scent of royal Dark Fae blood in the air. I’d become used to Ore’s because I’d been around him so much and I’d fed from him. But that wasn’t the case with Saryan. The potent scent of sex all over him was only heightening the struggle for me.

I sucked in a breath and clenched my fists, pulling myself back.

Saryan noticed and swept a glowing silver hand over the marks, healing them instantly. “My apologies, I’m not accustomed to vampires being in my midst.”

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