“Am I crazy,” Lux whispered, leaning closer to her. “Or did you just Tether with a complete stranger?”
She didn’t break his eye contact, mesmerized by the heat of him once again. “Can I get a coffee for the gentleman here? He’s clearly exhausted and imagining things.”
“Oof,” Lux huffed, rubbing his hand over his chest. “You wound me.”
Her eyes narrowed, taking him in. “You look like the kind of guy who might be into that.”
Lux grabbed her mug of coffee, taking a sip from it. “Look. I’m just a simple Mercurian warrior on his tour of the Earthen Court, basking in the glow of a newly discovered Tether to…?”
She twisted her lips as she thought. If Leona was still on the throne, and she’d been raised in the Earthen Court as her parents intended… who would she have been?
“An Earthen bog witch.”
Lux closed his eyes, fighting ripples of shimmering gold begging him to laugh. “Does one just become a bog witch? Or is there some sort of curse required?”
She shrugged. “It’s the family business.”
“Ah, of course. And do bog witches enjoy coffee?”
She nodded. “Oh yes. Very much so. My father was a coffee farmer, in fact.”
He leaned against the counter, moving closer to her. “Your father sounds like he’d like me.”
“Hmm,” she mused. “Don’t be so sure. He’s very protective of me.”
“I think I could charm him.”
Astra glared at him. “I’m afraid you’d have to charm me before you get to him.”
Lux glanced at their hands, tangled together against the wooden counter. He leaned in to whisper, “I believe I may have already won that battle, hmm?”
She held his stare. “When do you think we lost the kid?”
“I only paid for the one coffee. He was gone before you even ordered the second.” Lux grinned, pulling her close and wrapping her in his arms as he brushed his lips against hers.
The kid was smart to leave when he did.
Everything within her relaxed at once—if only for tonight—releasing months of tension, inhaling the colors around them, and finding new places to store their vivid hues.
“I know we’re fucked when the Court Above hears about the Nova Court,” she sighed, pulling away from him reluctantly. “But I don’t care how hard they come at us. I know we made the right choice.”
Lux stroked his finger along her jaw. “We’re in a lot of danger. The Nova Court is one thing, but when they find out about us… if Solan?—”
“We don’t have to have all the answers today.”
Luxuros nodded. “The good news is the Court Above does nothing hastily. And they can’t afford to lose the monarchs of the Outer Courts to the rebellion by being excessively violent, either. They’ll take their time and find a way to make it look like the Solar and Lunar Courts attacked each other again.”
She pressed her hand to his chest, running her fingertips over that aching space between sternum and soul. “We’ll be ready.”
“We’ll get ready,” he laughed, stroking her hair. “Tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow,” she agreed.
Epilogue
SPRING EQUINOX
“I used to wear my hair just like this.”
