“Oh, Mother is going to hate that.”
She could not fault Astra as a grin broke over her face.
“A big part of the appeal for me, if I’m being honest. Now, if you all don’t mind, this crown is becoming a permanent part of my skull and I am drunk on the wine of the gods. I desperately need to get home.”
“Of course. We can talk more tomorrow,” Lunelle said. She crossed the room, leaning into Mirquios’s side, drawing any of the calm grace she could from his poised spine.
His fingers brushed hers in a silent prayer.
Lunelle could only see him, only feel him, only hear his breath catching as they both wondered if perhaps they had reason to hope once more.
Astra offered Lunelle one more embrace, her arms circling her shoulders tightly.
“Thank you,” Mirquios said as Astra untangled herself from Lunelle. He glanced at the commander, who quietly seethed against the wall.
“Will you make sure Astra makes it back to her chambers safely, Commander? I’d rather she not enter the Rift alone after tonight.”
Lunelle waited for the thuds of the commander’s boots to fade before she turned to Ameera.
“How much does he hate me?”
Ameera rested a hand on Lunelle’s shoulder. “He does not hate you. He envies you. You’re allowed to love her as fervently and as publicly as you want.”
Lunelle’s cheeks heated as Ameera darted into the hall. Mirquios pulled her toward him, looping an arm around her waist.
“He’ll never forgive me for this,” she sighed.
“I’ve known that man for thirty years, Lunelle. I believe this is the first time I’ve seen him scared.”
“You don’t think…” Lunelle gestured to the Tether singing between them, raising her eyebrows.
“He’d never tell me,” Mirquios answered.
“I’ll force it out of her after she goes to hell and back on our behalf,” Lunelle sighed, her heart aching. He stroked her shoulder in the quiet of the library, pressing his lips to her temple.
“Would you like to stay here tonight?” he asked, his hands wandering her back. “I have a few things I need to tend to, but it shouldn’t take me too long.”
She leaned back, placing her hands on his chest.
“Believe me, I would. I’m just… I’m a little overwhelmed by Astra. What if…what if—” Lunelle could not bring herself to say the words.
Mirquios understood the implication in her strangled silence.
“We will protect her, Lunelle. Exactly as you always have.”
She lingered in his arms for one more moment before heading back to the Rift, finding herself tempted to grip the shimmering sapphire thread above her and make a deal with a certain goddess to protect her sister.
ChapterTwenty-Nine
The halls were silent as she swept through them. The sconces on the walls burned low, her breath still catching as the panic coursed through her veins.
She’d failed her. She’d failed her sister once again, letting her take on far too much for her benefit. It was unfair of her to even lead Astra to believe it was her job to step in—she should have never created this mess in the first place, let alone let it spiral so far out of her control.
Her muscles burned with anxiety that was begging to gosomewhere, anywhere but there, anywhere but spinning out in the empty corridors of a palace she wasn’t sure she could protect any better than she’d protected her sister.
“Fuck,” she muttered under her breath, pacing beyond her own bedroom door, heading for Astra’s chambers directly. She could still change her mind.
And she just might have, if only her sister were available. Lunelle hesitated outside her door, and she was glad she did as she heard a high-pitched giggle followed by a rumbling groan from a certain commander’s chest.
