Ah, of course. Cherry blossoms were her favorites, and that attention to detail—considering he would’ve had to import the seed from the human realm and then nurture it to maturity with his magic—made my heart ache.

“You can’t blame yourself forever,” I said, keeping my tone gentle, meaning every word. “Everything that happened wasn’t your fault.”

“I know. I owe a lot to Flick. He was so patient. He got me through it all, helped me heal. Helped me realize the atrocities I’d suffered. I’m not quite there yet, but I’m more confident now that I will be.” He lifted his hand, resting it on my shoulder and giving it a firm squeeze. The pressure was nice. “And I have a feeling that now you are in my life, it will only get better from here.”

I beamed at him, my eyes stinging with unshed tears and my heart expanding in my chest. My magic trilled happily in response. I’d waited so long to have this, envisioned a paternal connection since I was a kid, and now that it was right in front of me, there was an overwhelming sense of relief in my soul. A missing puzzle piece finally slotting into place.

“I feel the same.”

Chapter Fourteen

CAIR

“I received word from Rathe this morning,” I announced, standing at the head of the room as the others gathered around me, my mate sitting on the couch beside his father. “It has become apparent that the king used my time in the human realm to rally support. They are creeping out of the shadows, boldly making themselves known as they weren’t before. The numbers have almost doubled.”

“Fuck,” Flick cursed from his position behind his lover, his arms crossed over his chest in a protective stance. He offered me a sympathetic look—a substantial development from our frosty introduction. I appreciated it.

“His intentions are clear, but…” I inhaled deeply, quelling the frustration building inside me. “I must think logically.”

“Fuck logic,” Gary piped up, and all eyes swung to where he leaned against the far wall. In all honesty, though his delivery could have used a little more tact, his advice was solid, and I wholeheartedly agreed with the sentiment.

Privately.

I dipped my head toward him. “Thank you for your input, Gary.”

The basilisk saluted me with the muffin he held between his pincered fingers before tucking back in like a hound that had been deprived of its dinner.

I caught Luca’s lips thinning with stifled amusement.