Both his arms closed tight around me.

“Lamb,” he whispered, making as if to move.

But I clamped tight on him with everything I had and cried, “No!” into his skin.

“All right, my love. All right,” he soothed, settling in but doing it tightening his hold on me.

I wept into his neck for some time before the words bubbled out of me.

“It’s like she’s been gone for years, and I’ve been grieving her every second that has passed.”

“I know.”

“The last time I saw her, we were charging down the mountain. I turned my head, feeling her attention, and she grinned at me.”

This, “My love,” was guttural.

“How do I tell Dora?”

His arms grew ever tighter around me as he fell to his back, keeping us connected, but doing it letting me rest my weight into him.

“You will find a way. We will find a way,” he assured.

“I’m angry.”

“As am I.”

“I feel….my insides feel…”

I did not know how to finish.

Cass did.

“Raw.”

I started to lose him between my legs, and thus my head jerked up, and I said urgently, “You must remain hard. I need you inside me.”

With brushing strokes, he pulled the hair out of my face and continued to do it even when it was away, murmuring, “I would wish this for you, my princess, but I’m afraid my anatomy doesn’t work that way.”

“I need to be connected to you, Cass.”

“You are, Elena.”

“I need you a part of me.”

“I am, Elena.”

I closed my mouth at the deep rumble of his words.

And I stared into his eyes, understanding instantly how very much he meant them.

“I have sent birds,” he went on. “Your sister’s gnomes reported beyond what we learned from the prisoners. With that, I have a firm grasp on who stood against us this day and caused your loss. I’ve demanded every being evacuate the holds of the traitors. The dragons will fly in but two weeks and whoever is left behind will be no more. In the meantime, Mac is intent on getting Jasmine back home as soon as possible. This is a promise he made her. I will try to communicate with Sky and Star. They somehow transported Mars and True here. I will request they transport us to The Enchantments so your fallen can enter the veil there and do it without delay.”

He said much in all that, the last of it I agreed with wholeheartedly.

The first of it, I didn’t.

“You-you’re going to incinerate the holds of the traitors?”

“Tone, Jasmine and Rose are dead amongst too many bloody others. Fuck yes, I’m going to incinerate the holds of the traitors.”

I began to push up, but Cass again wound his arms about me and held me where I was.