After what felt like an endless stretch of time, a lopsided grin teased his lips. “Well, hello there. I don’t believe we’ve had the pleasure of meeting.”
Oz choked on a laugh through a fresh stream of tears, and Kost slumped in place. Noc stared without speaking. He reached out and placed a hand on Calem’s shoulder.
Kaori smiled. “No, we haven’t met. My name is Kaori.”
Calem blinked away the remnants of death, and that teasing grin grew. “What are you doing later?”
A faint blush touched her cheeks. “Um.”
A bellowing laugh escaped Oz’s chest. “Gods, Calem.”
Calem grinned, dropping his hand and pushing himself up into a sitting position. “What’s with all of you?” He turned his face my way. A rock wedged itself tight in my throat, and I dropped my head. I couldn’t bear to look at him.
My beast… The deep red of Calem’s wound stained the back of my eyelids.
A quick finger snaked its way around my chin, Calem angling my face to his. “Leena. It’s good to have you back.”
Tears broke through my lashes. “But—”
“Not another word.” Calem glanced up at Noc. I tried to pull away, but he gripped me tighter. “I’d do it for you, too.”
My heart split into a million places, and my body shook. Noc cradled me against his chest, wrapping his arms around my waist and placing a quiet kiss on the crown of my head. “I’ve got you,” he murmured.
Burying my head into Noc’s collar, I wept. He smelled of battle, of blood and grime and death. And honey. Always honey. I gripped onto that familiar scent and told myself that somehow, we’d put ourselves back together again.
I registered the groan of the beast door opening and glanced up to see Raven return. Her eyes were guarded, but not tearstained. Mika must have survived. Yazmin glided toward us with the others following close behind. Offering a slight bow, she inclined her head toward me. “Leena.”
I rubbed my cheeks with the backs of my hands. “Yes?”
“I hate to break this up, but we need to speak. Now.”
Fear and relief warred with each other. How long had I waited to gain an audience with the Crown of the Council? The opportunity to tell my side of things was here, and yet Wynn couldn’t contest or confirm my words. Would they believe me? Would they banish me yet again? Worse?
Gaze roaming to Noc, I intertwined my fingers with his. At least I wouldn’t be alone this time. “Of course.”
Pinning Noc with her authoritative stare, Yazmin clasped her hands together. “Your people are safe. We’ll help the wounded any way we can.” Charmers leaked from buildings, summoning beasts to put the clearing back together. Stretchers for the wounded appeared, and the brave jogged toward the fallen assassins.
Noc stood and pulled me up with him. “Do you want me to go with you?”
“Council hearings are typically closed.” I placed a gentle kiss on his lips. “I’ll be okay.”
“Actually, that won’t be an issue.” Yazmin brushed a finger against the glittering crown of gold woven into her hair. “As your anam-cara, he’s permitted to attend. Plus, we have questions for him.”
Tristan balked at her statement, muttering unintelligible words beneath his breath. Yazmin simply turned, a glimmer of mischief lifting the corner of her mouth.
Anam-cara.
The truth of that word branded my heart. There was no higher relationship for our people. To be chosen was the greatest honor, a declaration of true love. It wasn’t a term we doled out lightly, and yet hearing her say it… She couldn’t have been more right. From the moment he’d kissed me, I’d changed. Something had shifted for the better, something only he could have influenced.
Yes, I would name Noc my anam-cara. I just prayed he would accept me as his.
I caught one of his stray tears with my fingers. I wanted nothing more than to ease his pain, to fill his days with light and love. Noc looked at me, a question burning in his eyes. But with the Council eager to get started, explanations of the weight of that single word would have to wait. Now was my chance to prove I had been innocent all along. I needed to take it before they changed their minds.
I squeezed Noc’s hand, and we followed the retreating Council members to the keep.
The ceiling was open to the network of tree branches tangling above, and natural light spilled over the marble floor between pockets of leaves. Seven chairs, each a mixture of roots and stone