"Being a wizard isn’t just sex and magic, Arlon," she said. "We have a job, and a perilous one at that. We’re protectors and servants of the realm, and there will inevitably come a time when I make a decision you disagree with or give you an order you don't like. But I am Grandmaster, and that means I willalwayshave a disproportionate amount of power in our relationship—whatever form that relationship takes. I will always take council, but when I give an order, I have to trustthat my wizards will obey, even if they disagree. Can you do that?"
Arlon studied her face, swallowing the knot of emotion that had formed in his throat. Maybe this really was what love felt like.
"I'd go to the ends of the world for you."
Fawn's smile took on a sad tilt. "I know. And that's what scares me about you."
Arlon's stomach dropped, and he couldn't help but think he'd done something... wrong. He didn't know what to say, so he said nothing, but Fawn could read his unease like a book.
"I felt your potential as a wizard the moment I laid a hand on you. I knew that I was creating a potentially complicated situation when I intervened to commute your sentence,a'marra.” She rested a hand on his chest, her fingers brushing the edge of the crescent scar that peeked through the v of his shirt. "But what I didn’t know at the time was how much I would come to care about you.”
Arlon’s chest filled with a painful sort of happiness at the declaration. But the part of him that expected anything good to be accompanied by something far worse asked, “Do you regret it?”
“Would it be less complicated if I hadn’t fallen in love with you? Yes.” Fawn smiled up at him and said, “But you are more than worth the risk.”
The statement made Arlon’s heart thud against his ribcage. Hearing it spoken so plainly helped him see the knotted web of her loyalties. Her duty to the Crown and the realm, her duty to her wizards and the Crux, the duty she owed herself and her own happiness.
You’re also in love with her. I have eyes, you know.
Bridgette had said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world. So obvious that she’d seen it after one conversation.
So why did the realization blindside Arlon?
He suddenly saw how precarious of a position he’d fallen into with Fawn. A risk, indeed. One that was bound to get him hurt. Nothing good in his life ever lasted, and his relationship with Fawn would be no different.
Only heartache would come from falling in love with the Grandmaster of the Crux, yet he couldn’t seem to help himself. He was drawn to her like a lodestone, and he helplessly followed the unspoken command. He shifted to kneel over her, burying his face against her neck as he closed his eyes. Her arms raised to circle his shoulders, one leg twining over his hip, and his body responded automatically.
The first time he ever laid eyes on her, Fawn had burst into the Wolves’ camp, flames dancing over her spell-wrapped hands. She’d looked like a demon, her eyes dark with purpose, teeth bared in a snarl. In that moment, Arlon knew she would be the death of him. As he breathed in the scent of her juniper soap now, he was certain that was still true.
Which left only one road he could take to save himself. He pressed a kiss to her neck before he pulled away. He’d gotten far too close.
“I should go. I don’t want to leave Garrett waiting.”
Fawn hummed, stretching luxuriously as Arlon slid out of her bed. If she noticed the sudden change of topic, the lack of reciprocation to the war hammer of a declaration she’d just given him, she didn’t press the issue. Something he was grateful for. He couldn’t talk about it. Not now.
“Speaking of Garrett,” Fawn said, “I have a surprise for you both today.”
Arlon turned to look at her, eyebrow raised. “What surprise?”
Her smile was bright as she looked up at him. “Bring Garrett to my office later this morning, and I’ll show you.”
The promise of that surprise carried him through a bath and breakfast. When it was finally time to meet Garrett, the other man was already waiting for him in the evocation yard. At Arlon's news, he was eager to follow, and together they walked the short trip to Fawn's office at record speed.
As they opened the door, Fawn looked up with a grin. She got to her feet, seemingly as excited as they were. Then, she opened the door to the dungeon, and Arlon raised a skeptical eyebrow.
"It's downstairs?" he asked.
Fawn chuckled and said, "It was the only room big enough to house it."
Arlon shared a look with Garrett before he led the way down. Fawn followed behind them, touching one of the glow globes to chase the gloom from the dungeon. And as they brightened, Arlon found the new addition immediately.
A woven mat lay on the floor. It was tucked into the far end of the room, all stored casting equipment relocated elsewhere.
Garrett was too busy surveying the rest of the room to even notice it. He must not have seen the full might of the dungeon before, and his wide-eyed shock made Arlon grin and slap his chest before pointing to the mat.
"Oh," Garrett said with a bark of a laugh. "For a second, I didn't know what kind of surprise this was supposed to be."
Arlon thought he detected something like disappointment, but no. Garrett's smile was bright as he walked over to the mat. He threw himself down in a side fall, slapping the mat as he landed, and the satisfyingsmackechoed around the dungeon.An appreciative groan escaped him as he flopped onto his back, his hands sliding across the woven surface.
