Page 47 of To Ashes and Dust
Damien lowered himself into his seat beside me, leaning back as he laid his arms along the armrests. The weight he bore suddenly became more real seeing him take that throne, and I felt the annoyance radiate off him. I reached out through our thoughts.
I’m here at your side, mea sol.
His eyes softened, but he didn’t meet my gaze.
Thank you, mea luna.
I maintained that connection with him, afraid to be alone with my thoughts. He must have felt it, for his voice reached out to me, so soft and gentle, it felt like a brush of his fingertips.
Be mindful of your thoughts. We don’t know whose prying mind might slide in.
It was a gentle reminder there was another Nóus user among us now—one who likely didn’t mind crossing boundaries. I ignored the urge to glance toward Tobias, to avoid drawing his attention to us, but I could already feel his gaze burning into me.
Xander offered me a smile of confidence as he took his seat nearby, and I smiled in return. The other Kyrios joined him, settling into their seats at the table, what appeared to be their own guards taking places at their sides. For some reason, the weight of the two empty stone chairs at the table was difficult to look at, the pain and sorrow of those losses leaving a hollow pain in my chest. I didn’t know how much Lucia had witnessed during The Fall of Kingdoms, but the sorrow had imprinted so deeply into her soul that it affected me over a century later.
Would I regain all my memories of those lives? Would I have enough time to remember everything I shared with Damien? I wanted to dive into my memories as I’d done with Lucia, see if I could learn how they defeated Melantha, see if I could find any clues as to how we might destroy the darklings once and for all. I pulled myself from those thoughts, though. I couldn’t dwell on it. I needed to focus now, on this moment, needed to pay attention in case Tobias attempted to read my mind.
Barrett, Vincent, Zephyr, and Thalia took their places at each corner of the table, their faces unreadable, only the masks of guards who’d tolerate no moves against their king… and queen. Thalia and Vincent stood at the far corners of the table, Zephyr at Damien’s side as his right hand, and Barrett at mine.
“You’ve got this, spitfire,” Barrett whispered, barely loud enough for me to hear. His watchful eyes remained on the Kyrios seated at the table.
I smiled, straightening, happily accepting the vote of confidence he’d offered.
I understood why Damien dreaded these meetings. The first hour had been spent going over statistics, each Kyrios sharing tedious details of any occurrences in their houses, disputes, resolutions, and anything in-between. They spoke of how many immortal offspring had been born last year, whether the number of successful births were increasing or falling. There was also a brief discussion of improvements in their medical practices which had increased the survival rate of females during labor and delivery. I couldn’t help but wonder what would have happened if those practices had existed when I’d given birth to Emilia. Would I still be alive as Lucia, living my life with Damien and Emilia?
Emilia. I had to swallow back the sorrow creeping into my chest. I could only imagine how wonderful it would have been to live that life with Damien, with her.
Damien’s hand took mine, and I stiffened. His thumb brushed over my skin tenderly, the touch rippling over me in a calming wave. We were sitting so close, I wondered if he could feel my sorrow through the bond. I blinked, pulling myself from the depths. I lifted my eyes as Thalia and Zephyr took turns reporting information on The Order.
It was almost too much to bear listening to. To hear how many humans had been devoured or converted by the darklings left my stomach in knots. Given the vision I’d seen in Cole’s memories of the darklings’ nest and the growing army, it barely scratched the surface of the true number. My heart ached for the people searching for missing family members.
Family who would never come home.
Thalia was speaking now, and I watched her intently, trying to absorb every bit of information I could. She held her head high as she spoke, proud and unyielding, powerful, and just as formidable as any of the male warriors standing at this table.
I hadn’t acknowledged him, but I’d felt Tobias’ stare intermittently throughout the presentation. There was no telling if he would try to use his abilities on me, but I hadn’t felt any sign of someone trying to enter my mind.
Damien squeezed my hand gently, and I could feel the annoyance through our touch. He knew Tobias had placed a target on me the moment he’d entered the room. I wondered how Tobias might use me to get at Damien, what his game would be. Regardless of what his plans were, I’d do everything in my power to fight him.
“We know the numbers,” Tobias huffed, interrupting Thalia on the tail end of her report. Her eyes widened slightly as she gaped at him. Heat crawled over my skin.
“Have you no manners, Tobias?” Xander glared at him from across the table.
“We’ve got more important things to discuss,” Tobias said.
My spine stiffened, unease settling into the pit of my stomach.
Before anyone could make a remark, Tobias turned to Damien. “What’re you doing about the attack on the civilian family? Darklings have never invaded a home like that. They’re getting smarter. If we don’t do something soon, they’ll be dragging families out until none of us are left.”
Damien leveled his gaze on Tobias, his face a mask of calm and calculation. “We’re searching for the darkling nest. I already sent out instructions to relocate and secure any civilians who haven’t already been moved.”
“What about the traitors? I’ll bet they’re the ones who gave their location away,” Tobias snapped back.
Barrett tensed at my side, his hand twitching faintly against the hilt of his sword. The traitors… We knew this was going to come up, but I didn’t know how to respond to that.
“How many secrets did Marcus and Cole give the darkling queen?” Tobias barked. “How many more traitors hide amidst the ranks ofyour Order?”
Our Order? Vincent, Thalia, Barrett, and Zephyr tensed at the accusation, gripping the hilts of their swords tightly. As if The Order wasn’t something that existed to protect us all, immortal and human alike—to protect him. His attempt to sow distrust disgusted me, but I couldn’t deny the possibility was a fear I’d harbored. I’d just been too afraid to acknowledge it. How could we tell who was truly an ally? How many more had Marcus coaxed to their side?
