Page 72 of Ira

And followed by a faintly terrified-looking Meera.

Chapter 25

Verner’s family home was like something out of a storybook.

The architecture in this part of the realm was nothing like the palace. Sunlis was more like a collection of towers, connected by covered walkways that were open on either side—probably because of the suffocating heat. Every corridor was lined with lush foliage, and I wondered what it would look like when it was entirely colorful, rather than just shades of gray with the odd hint of green like it was now.

I’d never been to East Asia, but the polished timber, extended eaves above the open-sided walkways, and ornate carvings reminded me of that region of the human realm.

“It’s actually obscene how hot it is here,” Verity panted, peeling off her fishnet arm warmers as though that was the key to cooling off.

Theon grunted in agreement, marching ahead. I didn’t know him well enough to know whether he was in a worse mood than usual or not, but I hazarded a guess that he didn’t like being away from Lindow. From what Verity had said, his home was a real sanctuary for him.

“Do you know where we’re going?” I whispered. I had no idea why I was bothering to be quiet—Theon had already barged past a staff member in the entryway, and Verity was loudly exclaiming over everything that she’d spotted of interest. I was pretty sure Theon had agreed to build her a whole Sunlis-inspired wing at Lindow at this point.

“I’ve been here before,” Theon clipped. “Back when I was the Crown Prince, I toured many family estates.”

We headed down winding stairs to ground level where the trees towered above us, before going along a corridor and heading down yet again, this time beneath the surface. This area felt a little more slick, a little less tuned in with nature. But it was cooler, which was nice. I’d only been here ten minutes, and I was already sweating.

The humidity in this part of the realm wasoppressive. I felt the energy draining out of me with each passing second.

We came to a tall set of grand black double doors, and Theon threw them open like he was walking into his own house. I heard the voices from within the room go quiet, and I took a steadying breath before I followed after Verity, hoping I looked—and smelled—less scared than I felt.

“Meera?” Verner stood immediately from his spot at the head of the table on the far side of the room for me, looking at me as though he’d seen a ghost. “You’re here.”

“Yes. Why is that?” the Shade at the opposite end of the table snapped, glaring at me. He looked too much like Verner to be anything other than his father.

Apparently, I’d already made a poor impression with the in-laws.

I should have planned what I was going to say. I should have written something down—something romantic, and understanding, and reassuring. Shoot, what was Idoinghere? I wanted Verner, but I didn’t know how to convince him that I was worth the hassle.

Seeing his house had me even more unsure—what on earth would he wantmefor? Verner wasrichrich, and I brought nothing to the table except human-realm vegetables that he didn’t even like.

Damn it. I hadn’t thought this through.

“Hey, big guy,” Verity said, slinging an arm over my shoulders and looking at Verner. “This is all you. Meera has done the scary part—don’t let her down now.”

“Verity,” I chided softly, not wanting to put Verner on the spot.

“Stop telling me off, he knows I’m right.”

“I do know that,” Verner agreed, straightening up and surveying the room. “Will you stand with me, Meera? I’ve missed you terribly, and I want nothing more than to hold you right now.”

“I’ve missed you too,” I whispered, feeling the eyes of the room follow me as I walked down the length of the table on my own, coming to stand in front of Verner. He pulled me into his embrace immediately, shrouding me in shadows that mostly hid me from the rest of the room.

“I can’t believe you’re here,” he murmured for my ears only. “It never occurred to me that you’d seek me out. This mess is my problem to deal with, I suppose. Not yours. You shouldn’t be dragged into this.”

I tipped my head back so I could see his face, narrowing my eyes at him. “Verner, whatever mess you’re in is because of me. I dragged you into an entirely differentrealmto deal withmy problems. If anyone would have told me where you were, I would have come sooner—you never left me alone, even when it put you at risk. Why would I leave you? We’re a team, you and I.”

I didn’t like speaking in front of people, it usually gave me heart palpitations. But with Verner holding me, staring into my eyes as though they held the answers to all of his questions, I felt invincible.

“Are we, Meera?” he asked softly. “Are you ready for that?”

“Yes.” Heat crawled up the back of my neck. I hated that Verner even had to ask, but I’d been so wishy-washy about it, and he’d been more than patient with me. “We’re more than that.”

“I’ve been trying not to rush you, my love. I know this is a lot for you to process, and I want you to know that you’re always safe with me. That your heart is always safe with me. But I’ve been in love with you for so long that I can’t even remember a time before I felt any other way. If you need more time for your feelings to develop—”

“I don’t.” Hearing how he felt gave me the security I needed to givehimthe words that had been floating around my head since we were in the human realm. Except, how could merewordsbe enough? How could I capture the depth of what I felt for Verner in a way that would make him truly feel it?

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