Page 131 of Blinding Light

“The stranger. The one on Kylix’s shit list?” Cyprian looked up. “He was Dariux. When I asked him who he was, he replied with those words. Davon-tus. What does it mean?”

Moargan exhaled a shaky breath. So, it had begun. He would have to start sharing Cyprian too soon. And Good light, he wasn’t ready for that. “It means ‘my brother’, in Helion.”

“My brother?” Cyprian’s heart rate picked up. His eyes were shining with tears. “One of them came for me.”

Moargan nodded. “It looks like one of them saved you.”

“Wow.” Cyprian nuzzled Moargan’s chest, purring satisfied. “That makes me really, fucking happy.”

34

Cyprian woke, curled snugly against Moargan’s side and chest. Judging by his cramped muscles, he hadn’t moved the entire night. Peeling himself free, he headed for the bathroom to relieve himself, then walked to the kitchen, determined to bring Moargan breakfast in bed. Anything to extend their moment together. The Imperial Prince would soon enough be claimed by his busy agenda. Kylix and the prisoners, Helianth and his recovery, and his father who’d surely soon return from the hospital.

Cyprian strolled to the kitchen but paused at the sight of Aviel, already up and in control of the stove, swinging his hips to a melody that filled the space. When he saw Cyprian, he smiled, raven curls bouncing and eyes flashing, the perfect embodiment of a handsome menace.

“Hi. You’re up early.” Cyprian crossed his hands in front of his chest, aware that he was scarcely dressed in only his pajama pants. He hesitated before taking a seat at the kitchen island. He had intended to sneak in and out in less than a minute, but with the wicked Dariux hanging about, that wasn’t going to happen.

“I am.” Aviel watched him, grinning. “Go on. Ask your question, I can feel it burning in your mind.”

“Okay, well…” Cyprian watched him stirring in the pan. “Do you ever do anything else but cook?”

Aviel’s grin widened. “Come on, you can do better than that.”

Cyprian sighed, hands curling in his lap, unease increasing. There was something about the guy that was so intense. “Okay. What happened yesterday? How did you end up in my room?”

Aviel finally stopped stirring. Discarding the wooden spoon, he took out a tray and put two plates on it. “I heard voices.”

“Voices?”

“Yeah. From inside your room. From your drawing, to be precise. You wanted me to find the stairs, so I did.” He dropped a few tiganos on each plate and started preparing the eggs. “You were given a precious gift, Cyprian. Now I understand why you and Moargan were designed for each other.”

“Why?” Cyprian asked. The words made his mind race.

Aviel looked away as he whistled a tune.

“What exactly is my gift?” Cyprian tried again. The other question had obviously not been the one Aviel wanted to answer.

This time Aviel looked up, his golden eyes seering into his own. “The link starts with you, Cyprian. Dariux are powerful, but only when we operate together. Think of us like an elite troop. We will only make a difference when we are all grouped together. Helianth reached out in search of help. His mother felt it, somewhere in the back of her beautiful, troubled mind. And you felt it too. Your drawings gave us the key to the location. Your mate came to your rescue.” Aviel held out two mugs. “Coffee or tea?”

“My brother was there.”

Aviel halted mid-air. “Yourbrother?”

“Davon-tus.” Cyprian repeated the words the other guy hadwhispered, before disappearing into the darkness. “He saved our lives. Turned everything to ice.”

“To ice? Ouch. Poor brother.”

Cyprian stood up. “Moargan said that Kylix was irritated. But he wouldn’t hurt him, would he? ”

“Well…” Aviel placed two coffees on the tray. “He pissed off Moargan’s cousin. And you don’t want to piss off the head of the Luminary. His fire is activated.”

“His fire?”

“Fire, yes.” Aviel’s eyes flashed maliciously. “And your brother? He’s ice. And he’s hiding.”

“How do you know he’s hiding?”

“I know everything.” Aviel looked proud. “And you will soon, too.”

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