“I have.” He chewed his food as neatly as he carved it.
Trying not to get my hopes up, I took a sip of the sweet port wine. “And?”
“And it’s also a risk,” he said. “That hasn’t changed.”
“Just because it’s a risk doesn’t mean something will happen.”
He raised one eyebrow as he looked over at me. “True, but I’ve learned to be cautious—overly so.”
I bet he had.
“But,” he continued with a deep breath, “we have no idea when Kolis will summon us. It could be tomorrow. It could be a week from now or even longer. Time isn’t a luxury.”
I nodded in agreement. “But maybe Kolis delaying the coronation is a blessing. It will give us some time to remove the embers before Kolis summons us.”
“I’ve considered that, even before this afternoon.”
I speared a carrot. “But you were beingoverly cautious?”
His glass partially hid his smile. “I talked to Nektas after returning from Court,” he continued, and I really hoped the draken hadn’t mentioned what he’d said to me. “He’s on board.”
Excitement hummed through me, but I was still cautious. “Are you on board?”
“I don’t like the idea of you being out there without the protection of the title, whether that is here or in the mortal realm.” He set his glass down while I tried not to attach any deeper meaning to what he’d said. “And it’s not because I’m trying to control you—”
“I know,” I cut in, and I did.
“I’m relieved to hear that. I’ve feared…”
“What?” I asked when he didn’t finish.
“I’ve feared that this situation we’re in could make you feel that way.” Nyktos stared at his glass. “That I’ve made you feel that way because I’ve used my authority to stop you from doing what you want, and I…” His brows furrowed as he shook his head. “I don’t like it.”
I stared at him for what felt like a small eternity, unsure what to say. He had used his authority to stop me from doing a pretty long list of things—stuff that would have likely resulted in me being injured or ending up dead. “There is a difference between someone trying to control you and someone trying to protect you. I know I may not behave like there’s a difference, but I do know there is one.”
Nyktos’s softly lit eyes lifted to mine.
“There just needs to be a balance, you know? When the need to protect what’s valuable doesn’t get in the way of what needs to be done.”
He nodded slowly. “I’m discovering that balance is not easy to find. But I’m on board. We have plans for tomorrow, it appears, and Nektas will be unavailable the day after that, but in two days, you will go to the Pools of Divanash with Nektas.”
I tried to fight the smile, but there was no stopping it from spreading across my face. There was no hiding it from him either. His eyes had lightened even more, and I wondered if he was aware of how they’d changed.
Nyktos’s gaze flickered away as he took a long drink of his wine. “Anyway,” he said, clearing his throat, “I heard Erlina brought by the clothing she made. Were you pleased?”
“They are all beautiful.”
“Hopefully, they’re less distracting.”
“They are.”
“Thank the Fates.”
I leaned back in my chair, eyeing him over the rim of my glass. In the loose, untucked black shirt he wore and with his hair free, he reminded me of how he’d been when I’d been with him beside my lake. A powerful, otherworldly being, but not one that existed outside my reach.
He is how you wish him to be.
It was hard not to see him as Ash in these quiet moments.