Page 213 of Lady for Embers

“No, I am not attached— Wait, what female?”

Cyrus ?ipped the mirror over, staring at the re?ective surface. There was nothing in it. The mirror itself was imbued with Water Gazer magic, but Cyrus had still assumed only Water Gazers could see anything in it. If Cethin or Scarlett had seen something, that could have maybe been explained away since their father was a Legacy of Anahita, but Razik? He was Sargon and Shifter.

Unless Cyrus had misunderstood how the mirror worked.

Cassius leaned in, peering at the mirror over his shoulder, and Cyrus clamped down at the heat of his body being so close.

They hadn’t spoken of Cassius getting a Source or going to Aelyndee since the night Cassius had kissed him again. The godsdamn prick. They’d gone to Rydeon, split up on their tasks. Cass had guarded Scarlett as her Guardian, and he’d guarded Drake with Eliza. He’d never admit it, but he was glad he’d been partnered with someone because his focus had de?nitely not been entirely on Drake.

Then they’d been staying at the castle with Eliza. They’d been given suites in the wing on Scarlett’s ?oor. The rooms were big— alarge sitting room with seating and dining space, small study, bedchamber, bathing room.

They were too big. Too much quiet in such an empty space. Too many places for memories to lurk.

He’d lasted two hours before he’d found himself outside of Cassius’s door. He was in the suite next to his, and Cyrus stood in that hall for ?fteen minutes, cursing himself up and down, before he ?nally knocked on the door. It opened within seconds, as if Cassius had been waiting for him. He’d been shirtless. Again. No patch. Barefoot. But he noticeably hadn’t been sleeping either.

“No talk of Sources,” he’d said.

“No talk of Aelyndee,” Cyrus had replied.

Cass had nodded, stepping aside and moving to the alcohol cart in his rooms. He’d passed Cyrus a glass of liquor before he’d moved back to the sofa, picking up the book and notes he’d been poring over. It had taken him a while to realize it was the same book he’d been studying that night they’d argued, but he had been too busy breathing deeply for the ?rst time all night to ask him about it.

He didn’t know how to navigate this thing with Cassius. It had been different with Merrik. They’d both been little idiots, learning the ways of the world, the ways of their bodies, and everything in between. They’d fumbled through all of it, their relationship included, learning as they went until they were dealt one of life’s hardest lessons: loss and grief. Or at least he was. Cyrus had always thought Merrik got the better end of that deal, not having to learn how to keep going when it hurt to breathe.

Thia had been different too. Everything had been instant with her. They’d both felt the pull of the twin ?ame bond. Things had become heated and passionate right from the start. That described their entire relationship. She’d challenged him, yes. Was perfect in every godsdamn way. But Cyrus had always been waiting for her to get taken away from him. Cassius had been right that night. When she’d died, it had only con?rmed what he’d always suspected.

But this thing with Cassius had been slowly building, and Cyrus didn’t know what to do with it. Things hadn’t been easy, per se, with Thia, but they’d certainly been easier than this. No, that wasn’t true either. They had just been different. The challenges they’d faced together had been different.

“You haven’t seen her?” Razik asked. “Every once in a while there is a ?ash of her in there.”

Cassius’s ?ngers closed around his hand, tilting the mirror in his direction, and fuck him and his casual fucking contact.

“The mirror is usually hidden. Out of sight. Out of mind,” Cyrus said, watching the re?ective surface carefully.

“How many times have you seen her since we have been sitting here?” Cassius asked, face so close to Cyrus, his hair was brushing his cheek. He’d pulled the shaggy brown strands up and tied them back for the ball tonight, but a lot of it had slipped free again.

“A few,” Razik said with a shrug.

“Helpful,” Cyrus deadpanned.

“I assumed she was of some signi?cance to you,” Razik said. “It was not my business, but I was curious how that worked with you two being together.”

Neither Cyrus nor Cassius said anything to that.

“It has been a while since I have seen her, but I was not monitoring it all evening. Just saw glimpses,” Razik said.

Cyrus and Cassius both muttered something of acknowledgment as they watched the mirror, Cass’s ?ngers still wrapped around his hand. Which wasn’t helping his focus. Granted, they were just watching a small mirror. It didn’t exactly require a lot of concentration, but gods. His touch made him think of the way he’d felt underneath him in that training arena. Cassius straddling him, the feel of his—

“Is that who I think it is?” Cassius said, leaning in even closer, pulling Cyrus from things he really should not be thinking about right now.

“It can’t be,” Cyrus said, bringing the mirror closer. “Why would Sawyer have a mirror that showed him Talwyn?”

“The Fae Queen?” Razik asked, leaning in to look too.

“The dead Fae Queen when Scarlett gets a hold of her,” Cyrus muttered.

“You still think she will kill her?” Cassius asked, watching Talwyn in the mirror.

Cyrus snorted a laugh. “I can’t believe you are asking that. If Scarlett had seen Talwyn on any of our missions to the continent, she would have either killed her there or brought her here to do so slowly. Likely the latter now that I say it out loud.”

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