“And it would be my plan that you and I return to Sky Bay, with Mars, Silence, True and Farah,” he continued. “For I will have you inked into me and then I will have you wed me without any further delay, no matter what these insurgents plan. You are my queen, but I wish you to be princess of my realm, my bride, and at long last, my wife. And when I make you just that, I want our friends about us. All of them.” His face softened, “Or all of them we have left.”

I felt my own face soften as I whispered, “I vote for this plan.”

“We will return to the Bay when you feel you are ready.”

“In my stead, I’m leaving Lucinda in charge of The Enchantments. She will protect it and she will keep the sisters calm and focused. Julia will remain with her to assist. But in this time of strife across Triton, I’m keeping Melisse with me.”

“And Serena?”

“She is my top general, Lucinda was Mother’s. Thus, my sister will stay with me and Agnes will be at her side to assist.”

“Decisive,” he murmured.

“You don’t agree?”

“I think your mother chose you for many reasons, my warrior. And one of them is that you are just that. Decisive. Another is that you’re able to delegate. We all have much happening, too much. Not a one of us can take it all on. It is only the wise who understand that with a depth that they do something about it and share the load.”

I nodded and did so not hiding how his compliment made me feel.

“So, we have our plan,” he said, his tone now gentle, which was a tender reminder that we did indeed have our plan, and as such, I had other things on my agenda for that day and I needed to see to them.

“We have our plan,” I agreed.

“I felt you find some rest when your mother slipped into the veil,” he noted in the same tone.

“The veil is a part of us, all of us,” I told him. “Even you, though you are not attuned to it. But as we are, the Nadirii, those who are charmed, those who hold magic, we feel it more. She is a part of me as she made me, but when she slipped into the veil, she became a part of me in another way. So yes, Cass. It brings me peace.”

“So, it will be good we can release Jazz and Rose and give you that,” he murmured.

“Yes,” I replied, coming up to my toes to touch my mouth to his. “Now I must set about preparing my friends.”

In turn, he touched his lips to my forehead before he gave me a squeeze and let me go.