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CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Talon’s arm draped across my waist should have been enough to settle me.
It was heavy and warm, his breath brushing the back of my neck in slow, steady pulls. Usually that rhythm would have dragged me under within minutes.
Tonight, sleep would not come.
The moss-lit ceiling glimmered faintly above us, shadows shifting softly along the stone. I tried to follow the rise and fall of Talon’s breathing.
But every time I began to drift, those foggy, lifeless eyes surfaced again.
The silk sheets whispered against my skin when I shifted, the faint scent of cedar clinging to the air. Everything about the room was warm, safe, quiet.
Yet just beneath us, locked behind stone and iron, Xylos was still there.
Waiting.
Talon had done what he believed was necessary. He carried Umbral on his shoulders—its safety, its survival.
I knew that. I understood the choices he had to make. But understanding did nothing to quiet the tightness in my chest.
Sena Torvin had already been erased. Judged and discarded as if she had never mattered at all.
And Xylos… Xylos waited for the same fate.
Talon shifted behind me, his arm tightening slightly around my waist. I froze, holding my breath until his grip loosened again.
He had promised me it would be handled, but what if I set Xylos free?
Quietly. Just long enough for him to disappear beyond the city walls. No one would ever know. The threat would be gone, and maybe Talon would see that no harm had come of it.
Maybe he would understand.
Even as the thought formed, guilt twisted in my stomach.
I turned slowly, pressing my forehead against Talon’s shoulder. His warmth soaked into me, grounding and familiar.
For a moment I almost let it win.
Almost let myself sink back into sleep and leave the problem for morning.
But the restlessness inside me refused to fade.
I waited until his breathing deepened and his arm loosened its hold, before I slowly slid from the bed.
The cold stone floor bit into my feet, chasing away the last of my hesitation.
I pulled my coat around my shoulders and glanced back.
Talon still slept on the moss bed, turned slightly onto his side. Without the sharp focus of his waking gaze, his features softened. His lashes rested against his cheeks, and his mouth curved in the faintest pout as he breathed.
He looked younger in sleep. Peaceful.
The sight twisted something deep in my chest.
I lingered a moment longer than I should have, memorizing the quiet lines of his face.