Page 71 of Secrets and Starlight

Confident she had the situation under control, I spared a glance for the clifftop palace, searching for any changes, and finding that aside from being cast in a morning glow, the palace remained the same.

Wewere what had changed.

Every inch of me that Ayla had touched was still warm, and when her scent caught on the wind, it almost brought me to my knees.

I’d had her. She’d taken me.

And by Teyr, I’d be ruined forever.

When the guard handed the paperwork back to her with a flirty smile on his face, it took all my control not to smack his grin right off.

Promptly, the gate opened, and Vanessa steered theUmbral Starinto the port. As we entered the still, silent waters, I stepped to Ayla’s side, shadows coming between us.

This illusion, this false role ofAida,would break me.

Ayla didn’t look at me, but with a tilt to her hips, she leaned closer. Our bond was calm and focused, her presence sharper than before. Now the tether hinted at something more than her emotions, an intangible I was eager to explore.

To think, when we’d first arrived at Mer, she had been unable to even acknowledge our connection.

And, try as I might to ignore it, we weren’t the only thing that had shifted. So had my magic, the lens of death brighter than before, the remaining shards glowing a deathly purple hue only I could see.

Soon, we’d have them all. We would escape these walls.

It couldn’t happen quickly enough.

As if sensing my mood, she leaned against the railing. “We’ll be out of here tonight.”

“Easily,” I agreed, widening my shadows enough so she could hear.

Her gaze flitted to the palace. “I’m still planning to accept the lesson.”

“I know,” I whispered. She wanted control—Dusk had asked it of her. Moreover, she had every right to choose, and I wouldn’t deny her this. “But we’ll be cautious.”

“Agreed.”

Through the shadows, I reached for her hand. In response, she held me tight, our palms flushed against each other in a tightsqueeze. The warmth of her skin tempted me to wrap her in my shadows for one last kiss.

The boat reached the dock before I dared.

With a final clasp, Ayla released my hand, shouldered her bag, and faced the palace. This early, the nearby beach was mostly empty, primarily used by mer for a morning swim. We journeyed on. The watery routes were emptier than before, and we easily secured a gondola. Looking about, the market was hardly open, but as we flowed up the hill, the city stirred in our wake.

Soon, Ayla faced our suite’s door. At her side, I glanced to the corner apartment where the three diamond shards beckoned to me. My cloak shifted, the pocket with the shards drawn to the side as if drawn in that direction.

After a deep breath, she knocked, announced “Rhett, it’s Aida,” and pushed the door open.

Not only Rhett, but Iona too, lounged on the living room couch beyond. They had been cuddling, with her wrapped under his arms, their hands held, and while both stiffened when we entered, neither loosened their grip on the other.

Ayla glanced at them with a smirk. “I should’ve known.”

In Iona’s presence, I stayed to the shadows as I entered the room. Ayla closed the door just as Rimu raced forward.

The big black dog sniffed about, searching with increased desperation until he looked up at Ayla and whimpered.

Rhett frowned. “Where’s Ninti?”

Ayla knelt to scratch the big dog. “Ninti’s staying with my friend, the one I visited,” she lied, pretending for Iona’s sake, making my chest ache as her grief trekked through the tether.

Rhett frowned, clearly not fooled, but he didn’t ask anything further. Instead, he glanced at Iona, squeezing her hand reassuringly. “There’s been a development here.”

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