Kiira’s unburdened laugh lightened my soul. She snatched the bottle back from me. “It’s a better excuse that we were taking them out for some exercise rather than drinking between lunch and dinner.” A conspiratorial glimmer shone in her vibrant expression.

“Rokath would be irritated if he knew we were out here shirking our duties.”

Kiira rolled her eyes. “Everything irritates him.”

I snorted and reclaimed the bottle. “Tell me about it.” I took another pull, smacking my lips together. “So what’s holding you back from admitting all of this to Rapp?”

She braced her hands behind her and dug her toes into the sand. “Rokath. Xannirin. After what happened, they’d lose their minds.”

I couldn’t imagine Rokath taking the news well. I’d secretly dug around in his mind after Kiira’s revelation to weigh his thoughts on it. While he wasn’t quite as violently protective of Kiira as he was me, he still dreamed of the way he’d torture Ollmund Varrir for what he did.

“So that’s why you can’t tell him. Plus, Rapp is part of our circle, and if it doesn’t work out…”

“You don’t want it to be awkward,” I finished her thought for her.

She nodded. “Or for Rokath to banish Rapp after. We’re all he has.”

“He may not bear the Vrak name, but he’s family,” I stated with conviction. Then, what I said caught up to me, and my breath caught.

I have a family again…

It was true, knitted into my bones. Rokath, Rapp, Kiira…they might not have been blood, but they all loved me. And I loved them. Rokath, obviously, because he was my mate. But Rapp and Kiira, I cared deeply for them, like I had my sister.

As if she sensed the direction of my thoughts, Kiira elbowed me in the side. “I never had siblings, only my cousins. You are part of our family, Assyria. Even if you don’t officially bear the Vrak name. Yet,” she added with a sly grin.

I shifted, dusting some errant grains of sand off my pants. “Honestly, I’m fine with just our bond,” I told her. “I don’t need a royal wedding.”

“It’s uncanny how you and Rokath are so similar and yet so opposite,” she sighed, playing with the ends of her hair again. “He wouldn’t want one either. And Xannirin will never marry.”

“Which means you and Rapp have to,” I giggled. The wine was nearly empty, and I tipped it to my lips before handing it back to her.

“We’ll see,” she said, polishing it off. The hounds returned once again, but instead of their toy, they brought a bloody fish. Grem’s red eyes danced with pride and excitement as he spit it at our feet. It flopped wildly against the sand, its mouth open and gasping.

With a startled yelp, we scrambled backward.

“I think it’s time to go before these vicious beasts steal all the fisher’s wares for the day,” I laughed. The two watched me, tongues lolling, as I rose and dusted the sand off my legs and bottom.

“Where are your ropes?” I asked them, searching the beach. Grem cocked his head, while Zeec spun in a circle. “Well go find it so we can leave.”

Zeec barked and sprinted off, kicking up sand. The moment Kiira made an attempt to rise, Grem shook out his fur, spraying us both again.

“We definitely smell like fish now,” Kiira groaned. She smacked her cloak like she could rid it of droplets, scowling at Grem the entire time.

“At least we won’t notice it so much after draining the wine,” I pointed out, my head swimming as the alcohol worked its way through my veins.

“But everyone else definitely will,” Kiira replied, wrinkling her nose and giving up at last. “Maybe we return to our rooms instead of the office.”

“I think you’re right,” I said as Zeec returned with his absolutely drenched toy. Grem seemed nonplussed about finding his, which meant on the beach it would remain.

Zeec noted the direction of our travel, an excited whine slipping through his teeth. Haunches bunched beneath him, and then he bounded ahead and raced up the tunnel. Grem followed. Because where one went, the other had to follow.

I groaned. “Guess we better hold tight to the handles on the way up.”

True to my prediction, the tunnel was soaked and slippery. The vicious beasts waited at the top, staring down at Kiira and me like we were preventing them from having even more fun. I shook my head, and the moment we touched the top, they took off at a run through the grassy hills.

“Do they ever run out of energy?” Kiira asked as I yelled at them to return to my side.

“Never.” We walked in companionable silence the remainder of the distance.

When we ducked into the academy, we tiptoed down the halls, doing our best to remain unnoticed. Thankfully, no one was around, yet whispers ghosted across the tapestries and reached my ears regardless. I grabbed Kiira’s arm and tugged her to a stop after the honorifics for Rokath and me drifted our way.

“You really need to stop by the training area when they are working together. It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen. Like, we all know they are mates, but this? This is a different level. With the Szélhámos’s power, she can be anyone, do anything! And the Halálhívó?” a feminine voice gushed.

“He’s terrifying. One of him is bad enough, but two?” a masculine voice added.

“The Angels will turn around and run when they see him in duplicate,” another male commented with a mischievous laugh.

“When do they normally train?” a second female asked.

“In the afternoons. I’ll cover your shift in the kitchen so you can go. Everyone needs to see this. Honestly, I was frightened about the prospect of battle until I saw them fighting in tandem,” the first female promised. “Now? I’m ready.”

My heart warmed and a wide smile spread across my face. I couldn’t wait to tell Rokath about this. Kiira gave me a nudge, drawing my attention. “All we needed was the myth of you two. And it’s working.”

“It is,” I replied, tears burning my eyes.

Who would have thought this was where we’d end up after our bond snapped into place and we were unwillingly thrust together?

“Let’s get going before they catch us eavesdropping. I want them to keep talking to everyone like this,” I told Kiira. She nodded, and we dipped down a different hallway, avoiding the four.

Though it was a longer route, we eventually ended up at the base of the towers at the rear. Before we parted ways, I dropped my voice and stepped in close so the sentries wouldn’t hear me. “I swear, Kiira, I won’t tell Rokath about you and Rapp or let him snoop in my mind. When you’re ready to announce your relationship, you’ll have my full support in dealing with whatever flares inside Rokath’s thick skull.”

She giggled, then threw her arms around me. “Thank you, Assyria. I’m so lucky to have a cousin like you.”

When she stepped back, I had to blink rapidly to prevent the tears pricking my eyes from falling. “See you later,” I managed to choke out before yanking open the door to the tower and sending the semi-dry hounds up the spiral stairs toward our rooms.

So many emotions.

It was a good thing my nose was stuffy from holding back tears of happiness, otherwise the smell of Grem and Zeec might have been my ruin. And the whole time I bathed them, I basked in the joy the day had brought.

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39

Apounding on the outer door dragged me from sleep. I bolted upright, the sheets slipping down my body. In two strides, I was pulling on clothes and grabbing my sword. Grem and Zeec barked as the person knocked again, more forcefully this time.

“Halálhívó!” a male called through the door, panic evident in the way he spoke my honorific.

I yanked it open, revealing a Százados I’d brought back from the front to recuperate.

He didn’t even salute me. “Halálhívó, we’re under attack.”