Page 82 of The Unseen Hour

“Not in the slightest. You’re welcome to stay right here.” He ran his hands through my hair.

“You know,” I mused, “the only thing that might improve this would be a story. I don’t suppose you’re at point of sharing that newest story yet, since you won’t bring it along?”

He laughed, and I could feel his chest moving behind me.

“It’s not finished. How about, instead, I tell you about the time I went on my last treasure hunt? My brothers convinced me there were enchanted beans in our kitchens.”

I snorted.

“You must have been very young.”

“Eleven, but I went along with it mostly because it amused them.”

He told me about the scavenger hunt his brothers had created to lead him to the supposedly magical objects, how he’d found it and pretended to cast spells, how the two of them had clapped and cheered.

Just the way he spoke about them told me how much he loved them and still missed them.

A week later, I woke in Orion’s arms, side by side on his cot and wrapped beneath a blanket. We’d kept close to the cottage.

I tried not to move, afraid of ending the moment. His embrace was reassuring and warm, and even knowing what we had to do, I longed to stay there.

Lightning struck the ground inside the cottage, not burning anything but leaving familiar white smoke.

“If I pretend to be asleep, will you stay with me, or will you worry my leg’s finally finished me off?” Orion whispered against my hair.

I laughed, twisting in his arms to face him.

“It is nice being here like this, but we should go. We made Death a promise.”

I tried to rise, but Orion kept his arms tight around me.

“I warn you, Starlight, I think you’ve utterly ruined me for spending the night alone ever again.”

“Then I’ll simply have to stay until you grow tired of me,” I teased.

He released me with a smile, and my heart lurched, watching the blue flecks in his eyes.

Everything he’d said, and everything he’d done, told me Orion was dependable. Even so, I couldn’t help feeling a small flash of doubt. He hadn’t had his own life in Emrys for a hundred years. If he got his estate back, depending on whether the rest of Emrys found out the truth about his situation, he’d be incredibly busy as the duke again. If he didn’t, then he’d be rebuilding an entire life.

There was always the possibility that he found something, found someplace, or even found someone that drew his attention. After all, in the Ether I was his only option.

“Something on your mind?” he asked as we got up.

He handed me my satchel and slung his own pack over his shoulders. I saw that he’d stuffed our blankets inside.

“Just thinking about going back to Emrys.”

“Then let’s get moving. This will take us one step closer.”

There was no point in bringing up a worry so far in the future. We had so much else to sort through first.

The canyon was mere hours from Orion’s cottage, but getting to the bottom was another matter entirely. Purple and orange lights danced above us as we stared over the edge.

“I can see some areas where we could climb down, but I’d guess it would take a full day or more for the climb, and who knows how long for the actual search. Getting up again is also another matter, although I’m hoping we’ll find whatever Death said would help with my leg. That would speed things up considerably.”

I knew he would reject it, but I wasn’t going to let him risk himself without at least offering.

“I could go down, and you could wait up here. Especially since Death said she’ll be trying to keep Charon distracted, so we’re not likely to see him, and I’ll be safe.”