Vérzavar Ház

Chapter 20: A Fresh Start

"I don't believe we've met," the Hind said, flexing and breaking the cards again. Her hands were deft, unfaltering. Unscarred. She wore a gold ring crowned with a square, clean-cut ruby. A subtle hint of wealth.

Ruhn forced himself to smirk. "I'm flattered I was so high on your priority list."

"You're my half sister's fiance, are you not?" A lifeless smile. The opposite of Hypaxia's warmth and wisdom. "It would be rude not to introduce myself upon arrival. I already visited your father's villa. He informed me that you were here."

-House of Sky and Breath, pg. 358

The last time Ruhn had been surrounded with so many books, he had been hunkered down in the back of Griffin Antiquities with Bryce, Hunt, and Lehabah, trying to figure out what had happened to Luna's Horn. How different his life had been back then, before his sister had killed an Archangel, and her mate had killed another. He could picture the brave little fire sprite and her fainting couch on the edge of the desk, making eyes at Athalar and earning a scolding from the wine-haired Starborn heir.

At the thought of the red settee his attention shifted to the bed to his right, where another courageous female slept peacefully. She was curled into a ball, as if trying to remain as invulnerable as possible, even in her slumber. But it didn't hide the splotches of purple and blue, already graying and yellowing over her cheeks and temples. The bruising was a near-black stain that rimmed under her eyes, but he was glad the swelling had gone down. Lidia was already healing, thanks to her Vanir blood, and the Valbaran prince was cautiously hopeful that she would never find herself imprisoned, facing the lash or the rod, ever again.

Ruhn returned his gaze to the tome before him. Jesiba and Dec had helped him gather as much information that could be found about the Avallen fae, the Starborn, psychic abilities - anything to better understand the power that had manifested when he had seen his mate suffering at the hands of Pollux Antonius. When he'd explained what had happened, Ruhn had tried to be as candid and descriptive as he could, knowing that Jesiba and his brother would need all the details they could get. He had always been able to mind-speak, but being able to infiltrate a mind and command it was another thing entirely. And it was a skill that could prove incredibly valuable if he could learn to harness it. But it was that if that had given him pause when describing the experience, unwilling to give false hope to the rebellion if he couldn't not control the gift.

Additionally they had tried to find anything that might provide hints as to how the Asteri could be defeated - the sorceress had been alone in that endeavor, as Declan did not want to trigger any alarm with any electronic searches. And then there was anything they could get their hands on about portals, Hel, and other realms.

He hadn't even read this much during school. At least, not if he could help it.

Daemati were said to possess the skill to walk into another's mind as if going from one room to the next. A very rare power on its own, some of the more powerful daemati were even said to have the ability to slip into the minds of others, taking control without their victims even realizing...

That seemed interesting, but the words blurred before him. He reminded himself to remember that particular passage, and the book it was in. But the anxiety of the day - the image of Lidia's prone body in that interrogation room - washed over him in a rush. And as his shoulders sagged and he slumped forward, his only thought was that a little sleep couldn't hurt..

When Ruhn came out of his slumber, the first thing he noticed was the soft, warm weight over his shoulders. His eyes fluttered open to find a beige cloth draped over him - a blanket - and he quickly lifted his head to survey the room. Lidia was propped up against the headboard of the small bed, her legs stretched forward, a book propped open atop her thighs. The blanket must have been her doing, and something warmed within him at the thought. The Valbaran prince took a moment to study her, appreciating the smoothness of her features and how that softness contrasted with the intense concentration in her eyes, gold churning into a gilded tempest as she read. Her bruises continued to fade, although the splotches were still angry and dark over her cheek. She had brushed her hair, he noted absently, the length falling in a thick, sunlit braid over a shoulder.