Page 149 of Lady for Embers

But he was just as equally sure it would kill him to never kiss him like this again.

Cassius’s hands slipped from his face, palms ?at in the dirt on either side of his head as he pulled back, but Cyrus kept his grip on his neck, not letting him move back very far. Amber-red eyes bore into his. The anger and violence still shone there, but something fractured and raw glimmered behind it too.

“Do not push that way again, Cyrus.” His voice was gravel and just as raw as the look in his eyes.

“I’m sorry,” Cyrus said, squeezing the nape of his neck. “Cass, none of that is true. Him not coming to meet you? That is his loss. No one who knows you is indifferent to your existence.Iam not indifferent to your existence.”

The sound of a throat clearing had both of their heads jerking toward the sound to find Scarlett and Sorin, along with Razik. Cassius swore under his breath, Cyrus dropping his hand from the back of his neck.

Cassius got to his feet, reaching down a hand and yanking Cyrus up. Scarlett was studying them both, and Cyrus wasn’t sure what she was thinking as she watched them approach. Sorin’s gaze, however, was burning into him, and he couldn’t bring himself to look at his best friend at the moment. By the gods, how long had they been here?

Scarlett opened her mouth, but before she could say a word, Cassius said shortly, “Don’t.”

Her lips pursed for a moment, then she said, “Did you ?y?”

“What?” Cassius asked, his brow furrowing.

Scarlett jerked her chin. “Your wings. Did you ?y?”

Cassius looked over his shoulder as though he’d forgotten about the dragon wings that had appeared. Although, to be fair, Cyrushad forgotten about them too, somewhere between the heat of his mouth and the taste of his tongue.

“No, I did not ?y,” Cassius replied. “I just don’t know how to... put them away or whatever.”

Scarlett barked a laugh, inching closer, her eyes darting warily to Cyrus. “Put them away?”

“Is there a reason you are here, Darling?” Cyrus drawled.

“Maybe I came to supervise your training sessions the way you used to supervise mine,” she mused, slinking to Cassius’s side and lifting a hand toward one of his dark wings. “May I?”

Cyrus bristled at her teasing jab, because, yeah, he was more than interested in how that would have played out if they hadn’t been interrupted. Gods, he had been a real prick to Sorin, hadn’t he? Getting in his way all the damn time.

“So you can isolate the shift from the ?ames?” Razik asked, his arms folded across his chest.

“No,” Cassius said from between gritted teeth, Scarlett’s ?nger lightly tracing the edge of a wing. “It seems like it’s all or nothing.”

“You came up here and accessed your full well of power? You are fools,” Razik said. “You could have killed him.”

“Burned me maybe, but my own magic is ?re,” Cyrus retorted.

Razik snorted in amusement. “Your ?re would do nothing in the face of dragon ?re. The only thing stronger is star?re.”

“Dragon ?re?” Cassius asked.

“The ?ames,” Razik said, lifting a palm and black ?ames ?ared. The heat was intense. Cyrus could feel it from where he stood a few feet away from him. “Surely you ?gured out that is what it is?”

“How did you know we were here again?” Cyrus asked, ignoring Razik, but he was the one to speak again.

“I thought you understood you were being watched?”

“She is still following us around?” Cyrus asked.

“I guess so,” Scarlett supplied. “You should try ?ying. I’ll go with you on my shadow dragon.”

“No,” Sorin said, stepping forward. “We did come here for a reason.”

“Oh yes, that,” Scarlett said with a dramatic sigh, followed by a sympathetic look at Cassius. “Commander Tybalt has returned.” Cyrus was fairly sure Cassius stopped breathing.

“My—your—father is hoping to meet you,” Razik said.

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