would never make up. She could never tell her
mother that she understood. She’d never have anything but a stranger’s
fairytale account of what her father had been like.
“I’m sorry, Lily. I wish I hadn’t been the one to tell you,”
Bane said. Darek turned on his side, placing Lily between himself and Bane.
Feeling helpless, Bane held Lily gently and stroked her
back. Darek sat up and drew the sheet and blanket over the three of them.
Together, they held her while she cried, her face pressed tightly into the
curve of Bane’s shoulder. Darek gathered her hair at her nape, smoothing it
down against her back, and molded his body to hers.
Neither of them said a word. Bane didn’t know what to say.
His own chest was tight with a sadness he hadn’t felt when he’d first heard
Mara’s story from Savara. At the time, he’d reveled in a sort of academic
satisfaction—he’d found one more piece of the puzzle that was Lily. Now he
almost wished he’d left well enough alone.
As though reading Bane’s guilt, Darek met his gaze over
Lily’s shoulder and shook his head. There is nothing you could have done ,
his expression said. Bane nodded, understanding, but it was an unsatisfying
knowledge. He didn’t want to see her suffer like this—certainly not because of
something he’d told her. Something he’d risked his skin to discover.
Closing his eyes, Bane reached for her mind and bent his
will over hers. “ Sleep, Lily, ” he whispered. She frowned up at him
through her tears, then half turned to look at Darek. Her lips parted as if to
speak.
Darek put a finger over her mouth. “Sleep,” he said, adding
his will to Bane’s.
Her eyes grew languorous and she relaxed, but Bane felt her
resisting them.
“Will you stay?” she asked.
The question touched Bane. “Yes, Lily, we’ll stay.” Still
she did not yield. “ Sleep ,” he repeated, leveraging more power behind
the order.
“Both of you?” she added, tapping his chest with one finger
to emphasize the point.
He grinned. Her words were a little slurred but her defenses
were pretty strong.
“Both of us,” Darek answered.
She wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand, seeming to
compose herself, and nodded. “Okay then.”
Only then did Bane sense her surrender. Her eyes closed, her
struggle subsiding. Within seconds, her breathing was deep and even. Darek
propped himself up on an elbow and ran his fingers through her hair, his eyes
full of wonder. Bane drew the edge of the sheet up and dabbed her reddened
cheeks. Her fingers twitched against his skin but subsided when he shushed her.
“Well,” Darek said in a hushed voice, “congratulations. You
made a girl cry.”
“Shut up,” Bane snapped. Seeing his friend’s sympathetic
expression, he softened. “ Our girl,” he added.
Lily twitched in her sleep, murmuring. Two distinct bands of
colored light encircled Lily’s sleeping body, weaving over and through her
skin, illuminating the sheet as they traveled from her head to her toes. The
first was brilliant red, the second a swirling mixture of blue and gold.
It was a moment before Bane remembered to breathe.
“Damn,” Darek whispered. “The sovrán ’s going to kill
us.”
“We can’t take her in for the Inquiry,” Bane remarked, his
jaw tightening. Darek was right—Anthony would be staunchly against an
idana-dracambri mating. Then again, he was mated, and to a human. He would at
least understand that a dracambri’s soul, not his heart or mind, chose his
mate.
As if he sensed the direction of Bane’s thoughts, red light
flashed in Darek’s eyes. “No. We can’t.”
Bane met his friend’s hard gaze. “Of course not,” he
murmured.
Of course not.
Chapter Four
“And steak, rare, for the gentleman,” the waitress said,
setting Bane’s plate down in front of him with a flirtatious flourish. He
nodded politely but didn’t return her smile. She turned to Darek, ignoring
Lily, and asked hopefully, “Will
mother that she understood. She’d never have anything but a stranger’s
fairytale account of what her father had been like.
“I’m sorry, Lily. I wish I hadn’t been the one to tell you,”
Bane said. Darek turned on his side, placing Lily between himself and Bane.
Feeling helpless, Bane held Lily gently and stroked her
back. Darek sat up and drew the sheet and blanket over the three of them.
Together, they held her while she cried, her face pressed tightly into the
curve of Bane’s shoulder. Darek gathered her hair at her nape, smoothing it
down against her back, and molded his body to hers.
Neither of them said a word. Bane didn’t know what to say.
His own chest was tight with a sadness he hadn’t felt when he’d first heard
Mara’s story from Savara. At the time, he’d reveled in a sort of academic
satisfaction—he’d found one more piece of the puzzle that was Lily. Now he
almost wished he’d left well enough alone.
As though reading Bane’s guilt, Darek met his gaze over
Lily’s shoulder and shook his head. There is nothing you could have done ,
his expression said. Bane nodded, understanding, but it was an unsatisfying
knowledge. He didn’t want to see her suffer like this—certainly not because of
something he’d told her. Something he’d risked his skin to discover.
Closing his eyes, Bane reached for her mind and bent his
will over hers. “ Sleep, Lily, ” he whispered. She frowned up at him
through her tears, then half turned to look at Darek. Her lips parted as if to
speak.
Darek put a finger over her mouth. “Sleep,” he said, adding
his will to Bane’s.
Her eyes grew languorous and she relaxed, but Bane felt her
resisting them.
“Will you stay?” she asked.
The question touched Bane. “Yes, Lily, we’ll stay.” Still
she did not yield. “ Sleep ,” he repeated, leveraging more power behind
the order.
“Both of you?” she added, tapping his chest with one finger
to emphasize the point.
He grinned. Her words were a little slurred but her defenses
were pretty strong.
“Both of us,” Darek answered.
She wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand, seeming to
compose herself, and nodded. “Okay then.”
Only then did Bane sense her surrender. Her eyes closed, her
struggle subsiding. Within seconds, her breathing was deep and even. Darek
propped himself up on an elbow and ran his fingers through her hair, his eyes
full of wonder. Bane drew the edge of the sheet up and dabbed her reddened
cheeks. Her fingers twitched against his skin but subsided when he shushed her.
“Well,” Darek said in a hushed voice, “congratulations. You
made a girl cry.”
“Shut up,” Bane snapped. Seeing his friend’s sympathetic
expression, he softened. “ Our girl,” he added.
Lily twitched in her sleep, murmuring. Two distinct bands of
colored light encircled Lily’s sleeping body, weaving over and through her
skin, illuminating the sheet as they traveled from her head to her toes. The
first was brilliant red, the second a swirling mixture of blue and gold.
It was a moment before Bane remembered to breathe.
“Damn,” Darek whispered. “The sovrán ’s going to kill
us.”
“We can’t take her in for the Inquiry,” Bane remarked, his
jaw tightening. Darek was right—Anthony would be staunchly against an
idana-dracambri mating. Then again, he was mated, and to a human. He would at
least understand that a dracambri’s soul, not his heart or mind, chose his
mate.
As if he sensed the direction of Bane’s thoughts, red light
flashed in Darek’s eyes. “No. We can’t.”
Bane met his friend’s hard gaze. “Of course not,” he
murmured.
Of course not.
Chapter Four
“And steak, rare, for the gentleman,” the waitress said,
setting Bane’s plate down in front of him with a flirtatious flourish. He
nodded politely but didn’t return her smile. She turned to Darek, ignoring
Lily, and asked hopefully, “Will
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