Cyprus released the breath he'd been holding since the words, "you would have". He'd looked to the future so many times, and he'd never seen Jilsenna's death, never seen an ambush, never seen the chaos and blood, only Sadihra's naked skin kissed by shadows. Had he known

He shook it away and cleared his throat, slowly absorbing the rest of her words. His voice was soft when he murmured, "You're not alone, Sadihra. I'm here. I'm always here."

She lifted her face, her ...