Page 212 of Lady for Embers

“I want to travel with you. I want you to wear blue and grey. I want your dances at events like tonight. I still don’t know who I will be at the end of this, but I want to ?gure it out with you.”

He leaned in then, closing the distance between their mouths. He slid his tongue along the seam of her lips, coaxing them open. She was hesitant, had every right to be, but then her lips began moving against his. Slow and tentative. Nothing like the other two kisses they’d shared. One had been a scheme. One had been a surprise.

But this one was neither of those things. This one was apologies and promises. This one was saying there would be no in-between, not anymore.

He pulled back and whispered onto her lips, “I want all of those too, Tava. Every single one.”

She laughed softly. “Truth be told, when I kissed you in that conservatory knowing Veda would catch us, that was only the second time I had kissed someone.”

“Who else?” Callan demanded.

“It does not matter,” she said breathlessly. It didn’tnotmatter.

Then again, as long as she hadn’t kissedHale, he could livewithit. “But the rest of them?” he pressed, brushing his mouth along hers again.

She laughed. “They are yours, Callan, but... ”

He leaned back, tucking her hair behind her ear. “But what, Little Fox?”

“I need you to be sure. I cannot... ” Her eyes darted to the pond before coming back to his.

“Tava, this is the only thing I am sure of in my life right now.”

“Okay,” she whispered, a tear slipping free.

He brushed it away with his thumb. “Okay.”

She leaned against him, and he ran his ?ngers through her hair before settling an arm around her and tucking her in close to his side. She eventually lowered her feet again, toes once more dipping into the water beside his.

“I do not like it here,” she whispered.

He smiled into her hair. “Care to specify?”

“Avonleya in general,” she answered, leg brushing against his as she glided her foot through the water. “The kingdom itself is beautiful, but I do not like their schedule. I miss the morning sunrises. It is too dark here.”

“I could not agree more.”

Chapter 41

Cyrus

Cyrus was leaning back against the wall seated on a bench, watching Scarlett and Rayner move around the dance ?oor.

Sorin had convinced Eliza to go back up to her guest room a little bit ago. She had gone pale and was undoubtedly overdoing it by staying down here far longer than she should have. She’d ?nally relented as long as Sorin was the one to escort her back and not Razik.

The male in question was seated beside him. Cassius sat on Cyrus’s other side. With Eliza being stuck here to stay close to the Healer, they’d been hanging around the castle the last few days. They’d found themselves spending more and more time with Cassius’s cousin, and while the male was certainly a prick, Cyrus found he didn’t mind him. He was helping Cassius learn to harness his magic and continued to train him. He was an excellent warrior, which was to be expected with Sargon’s blood running in his veins, and he was knowledgeable. Cyrus had asked him questions for nearly two hours the other day, and he’d answered every single one. Granted, he had seemed utterly annoyed the entire time, but he’d still answered them.

“I cannot believe you brought that here tonight,” Cassius said, eye ?xed on the object in Cyrus’s hand.

He’d been absentmindedly ?ddling with the sea glass item that he’d pulled from his pocket. It was Sawyer’s mirror that he’d stolen. He’d hinted at it that night they’d raced through the hedge maze. From the glare Sawyer had given him the next morning, he knew it was gone. Which meant he’d be trying to get it back.

Since Cyrus was staying at the castle right now, and there wasa big event planned, it was the perfect time to attempt to steal it back. It’s what he would have done, and Sawyer had gone conspicuously missing a few hours ago. Which is precisely why he’d slipped the mirror into his pocket before heading down to the festivities tonight.

“Strategy,” Cyrus said with a wink at Cass, ?ipping the mirror between his ?ngers again.

Cassius gave him a droll look as he ?nished off the mug of ale he’d been drinking.

“Do you have an attachment to this trinket?” Razik asked. “Or the female that you glimpse in it at times?”

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