Page 114 of Bane of the Wild Hunt

“Madness,” he interrupted, and my brows rose at him as he nodded toward the display of scrolls next to the wall of weapons. “Our texts are sacred to us.”

“Riordan told me about the archives below us and how they form a city. It sounds incredible,” I admitted.

“It is. Whatever you can imagine of it, the archives are a hundred times more impressive,” he assured me.

“You’ve been down there? Riordan made it sound like he was only allowed to go because he is a prince!”

“Well… I’m not sure I was supposed to go with him,” Orion admitted, and my brows rose in surprise.

Was that a hint of irony in his voice or was I looking for too much in our interaction? He was still very reserved with me, would barely meet my eyes, and he stood with his arms crossed. But I was just happy that he answered a question simply without brushing me off. It made me feel a little braver, so I decided to actually risk broaching the topic of our shared beloved.

“You know him so much better than I probably ever will be able to,” I admitted tentatively and then turned my head to look up at all the scrolls. I could not look at him, but I knew he was looking at me now. I could almost feel the weight of those hooded, golden-brown eyes on me as he debated how to respond to my acknowledgement.

“And does that intimate you?”

“No,” I assured him unflinchingly, relieved that he was not going to shut me down as I finally looked up at him. “He’s proven that there is enough room in his heart for both of us. I am building something different with him. What he has with you will always be yours.”

Orion was silent for an agonizingly long time with his hard gaze drilling into me. It was hard to tell what he was thinking until he glanced away, and I could tell he was not sure whether he wanted to have this conversation. But it had been such a good interaction that I did not want either of us to spoil it by saying the wrong thing.

“It was… good to have a real conversation with you,” I told him when the anxiety got the better of me.

Then I turned and left the room before he could reply.

Chapter thirty-two

DEBRIEF FROM AHNNAÒIN

Amira

The coronation ceremony was tomorrow evening, my first night with Riordan as mates would follow immediately, and then our meeting with the Sylvan was just a day later. So my mind was a little preoccupied, but I had offered to entertain Rhea for brunch since I’d had to cancel on her when I had spent longer than expected in the Rookery. There were still a lot of kinks to work out with the new relief program, but I was confident that we were already making a significant impact.

I found Riordan’s sister to be about as incognizant and spoiled as one might expect from a princess, and she still insisted that Riordan needed Nikos, but she was relatively harmless otherwise. We were not similar, and if we were not connected by her brother, then I knew we would not have been friends. But she seemed determined to help her brother’s mate, and I knew Riordan adored her, so both of us committed to our unlikely friendship.

The wine she preferred was so potent for humans that I had to dilute it. It still tasted exceptional, and the buzz actually made her gossip more bearable to listen to.

“My mother finally expressed interest in meeting you. She has been swayed, I think, by reports from Isaura that you are not a beast,” Rhea informed me with a smirk as she reclined deeper on my lounger. She already looked a bit flushed, and her beautiful wings had draped across the couch with a nonchalance that meant she was buzzed too. “She heard you have been training and tutoring.”

I still did not know what to think of Andromeda, so I decided not to say anything and popped some grapes into my mouth so that Rhea might feel inclined to go on.

“My mother is a proud woman. You should invite her to brunch next time,” Rhea informed me.

“I shall consider that,” I told her, although my attention was on Sofia who had gone over to my door.

“She is concerned with how quickly Riordan is making changes and how angry it makes the Imítheos. She wants to talk to you about it,” Rhea revealed, regaining my full attention again.

“She wants to talk tome?” I verified as Sofia closed the door again and came toward me urgently.

“Riordan has always been too stubborn to listen to her. You have his ear,” Rhea shrugged.

“My lady,” said Sofia, curtsying in apology for the interruption before she leaned down to whisper to me.

Evidently, Iris had brought news that one of our spies had returned from the Spring Court. I needed to go meet Riordan to interview the informant once he reached the safety of Ergastiri.

I wanted to rush off immediately, but Orion had been strict with all of us about how important it was to keep our interest in the Four Courts quiet for now. And Rhea was already looking at me expectantly once Sofia had stepped away from me again. She would ask too many questions if I were to jump up and rush out on her.

“Please tell her that I preferred the purple fabric for it,” I said, covering for us, and Sofia bowed her head as if this response made sense to her. “There are always so many last minute details to be attended to,” I sighed to Rhea once my handmaid returned to Iris at the door.

“Always. And I also heard from Dio that you are going to the Silver Moor after the ceremony! I have never been there myself, but I hear it is breathtaking. Did you receive an invitation from the elves or did you request to go there for yourmínas agápis?” Rhea asked me.

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