Page 56 of A Realm of Fire and Ash

I shake my head, glancing at Az, who sulks against the wall. He shrugs. "All we did was reinforce the place and would've christened it had you two not shown up." The sweat of our labors still clings to our bodies, even now, making the scent permeate the air. No doubt, lust, too.

Caius growls. "It's a good thing we did, then, otherwise you would've killed her."

I sink to the trunk at the foot of my bed, no longer able to stand. He’s right. I’d forgotten all about it.

"Fae promises work the same here as they do in Bedlam." He crosses his arms. "If you break one, you're dead." He spins on me. "And you're the one telling me I'm not trustworthy? Did you really plan to break the promise you made to me?" Hurt flashes across his features.

"I'm sorry," I whisper. "Please ... I wasn't thinking." We’d been caught up in the moment.

"No, no one ever does." He shakes his head, crouching next to me and burying his head in his hands. "Get out."

No one moves, unsure who he's telling to get out. He looks up, a pained expression in his eyes. "Both of you, get out," he turns towards Irid before glancing at Az.

"But—" Az starts to protest.

"GET OUT!" Caius roars, his fury rippling through the room.

I squeeze my eyes shut, waiting for the explosion, but it never comes. After a moment, I open them again to find both Irid and Az gone. Caius doesn't look up, and his shoulders are shaking. Is he crying?

Slowly, I move over to him and place a hesitant hand on his shoulder, expecting him to pull away. He doesn't. Instead, he leans into my touch and wraps his arms around my legs, burying his face against me.

"I'm sorry," he whispers, his breath hot on my skin.

"For what?"

"I didn't ..." he shakes his head. "I didn't expect you'd try to break it."

I sink to a crouch, crushing him to my chest. "No, Caius. I'm the one who's sorry." My throat is tight, and the words barely escape me.

He lifts his head, and tears streak his handsome face. They leave tracks of glittering silver, like tiny stars in the night sky. "Do you love him?"

"What?" I sputter. "Azazel?"

He hangs his head, the anguish in his eyes visible. I've never seen this broken version of him before, and it's so at odds from his role in this realm.

I shake my head in disbelief. "Caius," I murmur, "I barely know him."

"So, you don't love him?"

Gently, I wipe away the wet streaks on his cheeks with the back of my hand. "No," I smile, my voice barely above a whisper. "I don't love him." But I could.

He inhales sharply and brings a shaking hand up to his face to wipe away the remaining tears. Then he grabs my hand, pulling me up towards him before dragging me to the bed. Before sitting down, he wraps his other arm around me, tugging me along with him.

"Please," he begs quietly, his voice shaking, "let me just hold you."

I wrap my arms tightly around him as I bury my face into his shoulder. His tears are still warm against my skin, and the thought fills me with an immense tenderness.

We lay there for what feels like hours, Caius running his hand over my back in soothing circles while I cling to him.

"Why did Azazel turn your place metal?" His breath fans across my cheek.

"We'd gone out to dinner at the tavern—"

"He brought you to the tavern?!" He stiffens, his voice hard. "With that wretched incubus working there? Gods. What if she’d seduced you? You'd be dead, Morte!"

"It's okay, I kept it under control, and if I die, I would’ve come back to life. Az kept an eye on me, and his friend was there, too."

"Who?"

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