I’m sorry. It thrummed through the bond suddenly, not words, not even thoughts; like with the incubus, it was more of a feeling. And the more I concentrated on it, the more I could feel it: his sorrow, his loss, his regret—and worse, the knowledge that he deserved all of it. He hated himself, as I couldn’t, for causing the rift between us. For causing me pain and putting me in danger, and for what?

Cowardice. The idea was bitter in his mind, on his tongue. It was the worst accusation one of his rank could have made against them, either in his time or our own. A master had to be many things, but most of all, he was expected to be fearless in defense of his own. But he had been a coward—

That’s unfair, I thought, and it was. There had been extenuating circumstances; he’d wanted to save his wife, who he’d believed had suffered a terrible death, and needed my abilities to do it. He had lied to me, but not for himself. He’d done it for her—

And that makes a difference? The words appeared in my mind, as clearly as if they were my own. I feared to trust you—you, who had never deceived me—feared to lose you if you knew the truth, feared to lose her, feared to risk…

And thus I lost it all anyway, as cowards always do.

You’re not a coward.

I was when it counted. And for that, I am sorry. I am sorry for everything, Cassie.

If I’d heard it, if those words had come from his lips, I wouldn’t have believed them. Would have assumed it was manipulation, some sort of ploy to get me back on his side. Not that I’d ever left it; we had always been allies. But still… there had been a rift between us, ever since I found out the truth; I couldn’t deny that.

But this wasn’t speech, wasn’t even thought, although there was some of that mixed in. This was emotion, pure and unadulterated, and as full of pain as I had been feeling. I didn’t know if the incubus was responsible for that, if we were speaking to each other through its language instead of our own, didn’t know anything.

Except that it made all the difference.

I’d never gotten an apology from Mircea, not a real one. More of an ‘I’m sorry I got caught trying to use your power to rescue the wife I didn’t tell you about, and hid the daughter I also didn’t tell you about for worry that she would tip you off.’ Somehow, I hadn’t found that too convincing.