Page 30 of Mantle

“I believe that was what he was about to reveal to me, yes. I was requested to assist with theInhibitorresearch.” He looked at me and filled me in, “It’s believed that theInhibitorused atPolariscan be engineered to encompass and maybe even infuse Ketheron to nullify his magical ability.”

“Holy hell.”

“As we’ve agreed now, though, it would be more like a failsafe, not our first move in dealing with him.”

“Hold up,” Nyx spoke. “You declined heading off to do high-level magical research with the top magical minds in the world?That’swhat you were turning down earlier?”

He lifted a shoulder. “Ari needed us.”

“Fuck, Kai,” I breathed. “I can’t believe you did that.” Knowing how he was, how much he’d yearned for something like that all his life… for him to have even postponed it… it was unbelievable.

He’d chosen me, chosen us.

Over something that meant everything to him.

“Go now, Kai. I’m doing all right. I’ll be fine,” I urged him.

But he shook his head in so much surety. “Not tonight. I want to be with you, with all of you. You need it, we need it.” He eyed Vorzyr. “Isn’t that right?”

Vorzyr strangely dropped his gaze for a moment, before managing to utter, “Yeah, it’s right.”

What was going on there?

He caught my eye and I saw something. Something that seemed to be more than his fear for me earlier, more than what being in a combat situation did to his animal side, how it antagonized it.

But then he surprised me as he reached into the pocket of his coat, and said, “I picked this up just before we left Meforian Forest earlier.”

I sucked in a breath as he pulled something free and held it out to me.

It was a real beauty.

Layered petals of burgundy and plum that had an ethereal glow and they sparkled under the light of the room as he twirled the stem for effect.

“A Celestial Eclipse Peony.”

I took it from him and breathed it in, watching as it responded to my touch, its silver glow much more vibrant this time.

“It’s perfect,” Kai said, smiling at it.

“Definitely,” Nyx uttered.

Vorzyr slid his fingers into my hair. “You remember that it represents the balance between light and dark? The balance between control and chaos?”

“I do,” I said, beaming up at him. “It’s definitely appropriate with what just happened… what’s justrisen.”

“It’s a reminder that you have the means to deal with it, goddess, to handle any fucking thing that comes your way.”

“And we’ll be right there alongside you,” Nyx affirmed.

“I know. I know that you all will. Thank you, my boys.”

I held out my hands, beckoning them to me. “Now, come here.”

With a flick of his magic, Kai had the peony safely ensconced in a vase on my nightstand.

Vorzyr grinned out at me as he stepped between my thighs. “This is really something,” he said, his eyes glinting with humor as he fondled the arm of my fuzzy pajamas.

“Shut it with the PJ teasing.”

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