She stared at my mouth like she’d never seen such before, then, hesitantly, she gave it back.

“You are incomplete.”

Cassius’s announcement had us both looking back to the firelit ceremony.

We had heard these words, and the ones we knew were to follow, before.

Nero had said them to Cassius when he finished his ink, Cassius said them to Mac when he’d finished Mac’s, and now, her marks finished, Cassius would say them to Hera.

“Your story continues,” he went on. “These marks honor your body. Your body honors these marks. You have taken the ink never to forget this part of your tale. You have taken the ink always to remember the importance of your life’s whole story. You have taken the ink to honor what it represents. You have taken the ink vowing to hold in reverence this story of your life throughout your life, to your death, to your pyre, until you become one with the veil. Honor these marks, Hera, for they honor you.”

“I will, Cassius Laird,” Hera murmured.

“To your death, to your pyre, until you become one with the veil?” he demanded, rather belatedly if you asked me. The deed was done. But who was I to say how they should conduct a centuries-old ritual?

“To my death, to my pyre, until I become one with the veil,” Hera made her oath.

“You are incomplete,” Cassius repeated. “And Hera,” he went on. “Regardless of the sorrow that taints this ceremony, rejoice in the beauty of that.”

Rejoice in the beauty of that.

I’d first heard Nero say that to Cassius some time ago after my man’s marks were done

But I’d been so intent on the act of his marking me into his skin, I had not considered those words.

Rejoice in the beauty of that.

Rejoice in being incomplete.

Rose was complete.

Jazz was complete.

My mother was complete.

I was incomplete.

And regardless of the sorrow that had settled in my soul.

I had more story to tell.

And I rejoiced in that.

“I will, Cass,” Hera whispered.

Cassius smiled at her then set his instruments aside for someone to clean up and pushed back on his feet.

I lost track of most everything as I watched his hips swaying, his opened trousers moving with them, as he made his way to me.

Indeed, his movements mesmerized me to the point I also missed Chu joining us by dropping behind Serena and surrounding her with his body.

I vaguely noted acute attention to this act coming from all around, but only vaguely as Cass, and his opened trousers, was crouching in front of me.

I forced my eyes up to his.

“Please tell me after taking that mark where you took that mark that you’re not out of commission,” I begged.

And at my words, I received my second wolfish grin of that day from my prince.