Page 19 of Cathmoir's Sons

“And his mind?” Caileán asks. “You’ve both seen many battles, but that was his first life-or-death situation since his granduncle tortured him. How is he?”

Luca rubs his palm up and down her thigh. “He’s better. He was rocky at first. Nightmares?—”

“Sullen,” I interject.

Caileán flicks her claws against my jaw. “Is that an objective opinion, my love?”

“Yes, I’m completely objective,” I object.

Luca snorts. “He’s better. Fewer nightmares. Less ... sullen.”

Caileán hooks one of her necklaces with her claw and draws it off over her head. It’s a dozen small black beads on a leather thong. She holds it up in front of her and blows on the beads. They flare, glittering white and gold. Caileán flicks her claws so the beads rise in the air. She holds out a hand to each of us.

Luca and I take her hands. A warm pulse, an echo of afterglow, flutters between us. Caileán blows again on the beads and they flare: blue and red swirling among the white and gold.When the beads dim, Caileán releases my hand and catches the beads up with her claws. She hands the beads to Luca.

“For Rhodes. To help with the nightmares. And to warn us if his family gets too close to him.”

Luca tucks the beads under his pillow, then catches Caileán’s hand again. “Rho doesn’t talk much about his family.”

Caileán relaxes back into me, and I stroke her hair.

“With reason,” she says. “His own family committed unimaginable violence against him when he was still a boy. I understand why he wants to forget it.”

Nothing good ever came of ignoring a bid for power. “Hunger for power runs in his blood. Rhodes may want to forget, but those among his family who want to use him won’t.”

“No, they won’t,” Caileán agrees. “Rhodes will be a target for them, unless we stage a show of strength.”

“And by show of strength you mean ...” Luca trails off.

“I mean we hunt down the cousin who attacked him and kill her in a very public way,” Caileán says.

“Just wanted to make sure we’re on the same page,” Luca says.

“We are,” I agree. “I’ll put out the word among the Cait. We’ll find her.”

“When you do, bring her to Ceòfuar. We’ll deal with her there.”

My perfect, bloodthirsty mate. “Consider it done.”

“And now you, my love.” Caileán reaches up and scratches her claws gently along my jaw.

“And now me what?”

“You haven’t healed completely from that cursed tooth. I can feel the wound still biting you.”

The ache’s dulled but Caileán’s right. It hasn’t gone away.

I catch her hand and bring it to my lips, nibbling at the pads of her fingers. “I’m happy to suffer it for you.”

“But I’m not happy for you to suffer it,” she responds, caressing my chin and lip with the fingers not in my mouth. “Nor am I happy for Luca to flirt with the Mother’s threshold again. The patchwork done in duress has held. Your body has made further repairs. Let me show you the deep magic to finish what’s been started. But I warn you, this can only be attempted during times of peace, of intimacy and trust. Trying this on a battlefield is a sure way to lose yourself among the Shades. Promise me neither of you will attempt it. No matter how dire the situation.”

I nod quickly. Luca nods slowly. Caileán’s eyes, electric in the cool dimness of the room, hold my twin’s. “Never, Luca.”

“Never,” he repeats.

She smiles. “Give me your hands.”

We offer her our right hands automatically, but she reaches for our left hands. “Sinister hand always when working with wild magic,” she says.

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