Page 49 of Strange Familiar

“You’re amazing.”

“I’m glad you think so.” He smiled warmly and leaned in to kiss her.

She pulled back just enough that he missed, scowling at him. “That wasn’t a compliment, Cillian. You have no idea how far in over your head you are!”

“I believe in you.”

“Well, you shouldn’t,” she snapped, feeling the weight of his belief.

The carriage wove around a curve, climbing the first rise out of the river valley, and the massive structure of House Elal filled the view. Spring had rushed headlong into full bloom during her time inside, coming late to these mountainous climes, but fully in place now and edging into summer.

“You’re not going back,” Cillian informed her with quiet resolve, “so don’t even think about it.”

“Or what,” she fired back, turning her fear and anger on him. “You can’t stop me.”

He cupped her cheek with one hand, sliding it around to the back of her neck when she tried to pull away again. This firmer, more assertive Cillian had her a bit off-balance, but… that probably wasn’t fair or true. He’d always been determined in his interest in her, just more polite about it before. Her father had totally bitten on the bait Cillian had dangled about being delicate and unable to withstand much adversity, but the person who underestimated Cillian—and she had to include herself in that group—found out to their sorrow that beneath his sweet and mild personality lay a will of iron.

“Alise,” he said, gaze holding hers, “please don’t leave me again. I’m begging you.”

“I didn’t mean to leave you to begin with,” she pointed out crisply. “And besides—”

He stopped her with a kiss, a long, lingering, dreamy kiss that sapped all thoughts from her mind. Oh, how she’d missed him. His taste, his feel, his wry humor, his generous affection, the way he looked at her like the rest of the world had fallen away and he didn’t care if it ever returned.

Pulling back just enough to lean his forehead against hers, he whispered. “Just don’t leave me again, for whatever reason. I don’t think I can withstand it. Bond a familiar, bond all five of the Nod brothers if it will make you happy. Just let me be with you, too.”

“I don’t want any of them,” she confessed, also whispering, for no good reason. “I didn’t bed any of them, either.”

“It wouldn’t matter if you had.”

“Thank you. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

His fingers flexed on the back of her neck. “I didn’t mean to hurt you. Maybe we’ll get better at not doing that over time.”

“Over time?”

“Yes. Our lifetimes. I want to go where you go. I don’t care where that is, so long as it’s with you.”

Shaken, she set that aside, not ready to deal with the implications. “Where are we going?” it occurred to her to ask. There was only one way out of the river valley, by design, but soon they’d have to choose a direction and that would determine how soon she’d have to fight off her father. He might be indisposed for a few hours, but when he recovered, he’d be looking for her and his anger would be something she did not care to behold.

“It’s up to you.”

“Why?” she demanded. “Is this also part of the ‘I didn’t have a plan past getting Alise out of House Elal?”

“I don’t know how I missed that sharp tongue of yours.” He kissed her, flicking his own tongue against hers in a sensual and loving caress, then sat back, still holding her one hand. “This is still your project. We have the code to break, which could take a very long time, but the fact that we’ve come this far is entirely because of you. So what we do next is your call. I have three options in mind, but you might think of something else. First, we can go to House Harahel and—”

“No, thank you.”

“I promise to be conscious this time and, no matter what, my grandmother will never turn you away again. You have my word on that.”

She withheld comment, but she’d believe it when Lady Harahel laid down the attitude along with a welcome carpet.

“If we go there, you can examine the texts we extracted and see what you think. Then we can take Han and Iliana back to House Phel and you can tell your family about your discovery.”

Her family. The pang of longing to see Nic, and everyone else, to be at House Phel once more hit her like a punch of magic breaking through her shields.

“We can also go directly to House Phel,” Cillian said softly, watching her.

Was she that transparent? Probably. “What’s the third option?”

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