A knock sounded, officially derailing the moment, and with an eyebrow scrunch, my mate strolled over to see who it was. I knew it was Zadok without even glancing past my shoulder. Cerila and Gary had already departed for the Shades’ hideout, planning to regroup and await our call, and Flick rarely dropped in on us unless it was a call to dinner. It was morning, yet even without the powers of deduction, I’d have guessed our visitor’s identity regardless. The older Fae had a habit of rubbing his fingers together whenever he was nervous, excited, or deep in thought, and I could hear the motion even through the door.

“Hey,” Luca said, voice like sunshine. “We’re almost done packing.”

“Oh, I won’t disturb you for long, I only wanted⁠—”

“Don’t be silly. Come in.”

The door creaked almost shut, and two sets of footsteps—perfectly in sync with one another—advanced to the center of the room. I turned, nodding to Zadok in acknowledgment. He had his shoulder-length hair tied up, messy strands falling over his face and twining around his horns.

A cursory look down confirmed that he was indeed fidgeting.

“What d’ya need?” Luca asked, plopping himself down on the bed without a care for the shirts I had just neatly piled there, awaiting his father’s reason for being here. Not that he needed a reason, but he clearly had one.

“Last night at dinner, you mentioned your friend Alex. Teighan’s mate?” He removed an item from his pocket, a pleated leather bracelet with a rune attached to the clasp. “You said he’d like to visit, but because of the ward on the Veil, he can’t…”

Luca nodded. “Yeah, he’s dreamed of it since way before I met him. I think he went off the idea for a bit after he found out how badly the king treated Tee, but they’re still open to finding a way through, at some point. If there was a way, that is.”

“I should have taken the ward down the day I was banished,” his father said as if scolding himself, shoulders slumped. “Or the day I felt the mating bond snap, but I didn’t want to invoke more of the king’s wrath, didn’t want him harming the people I love.” He looked up from the bangle in his hands, his next words directed toward me. “If you overthrow him, and I have the guarantee that he won’t retaliate, I will remove the ward without hesitation.”

I nodded at him in appreciation.

“Until then…” He offered the trinket to Luca, who took it with a frown and a curious head tilt. “Hopefully this will be enough for your friend.”

“What is it?”