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I stared at him. “What are you saying?”

“You were giving something away,” he said flatly. “Your energy. Your very life-force.”

I shook my head. “That’s insane. I don’t know how I’d even do that …” I trailed off as remembered something.

“What?”

“Regan,” I said flatly. “She made a Blood Vow.”

“And she broke it?” His voice was dangerously low. “I take it the vow was concerning you.”

“She had to break it,” I snapped. “She was trying to save my life.” We stared at one another.

“Well, she seems to have accomplished that.” Lysander said softly. “But she should have died the moment she broke the vow. Why didn’t she?”

“Our blood …” I thought for a moment. “From the moment she made the vow and our blood mingled, I felt … well, I’ve never felt anything like it before.” Lysander’s face was unreadable. “If I saved her, I did so unconsciously,” I told him. “I wasn’t trying to.”

“All right,” he said at last. He reached out his hand and, just for an instant, brushed it against mine. The touch was grounding. It was also a reminder that we were completely alone—he’d never have touched me like that in public. Because heirs like us didn’t get to stake claims in one another, not when it would threaten Sangratha’s precarious balance. Not when it would potentially weaken us to the threat posed by Viktor Drakharrow even more.

“You believe me?” Lysander nodded briefly, and I breathed a sigh of relief. “Good. You’d have felt it, too. When she rode me—” Lysander’s eyes narrowed. “Yes. I allowed her to ride me into Veilmar,” I said bluntly. “It was right.”

He knew what that meant. I studied his face, watching him process what I’d said. Lysander could be difficult for other people to read; he didn’t let his emotions get the better of him like most people. He was more like me in that way—well, the usual me, when I wasn’t terrified and furious.

“You chose her,” he said carefully.

I forced a laugh. “Believe me, there wasn’t much of a choice. I swear to you.”

Lysander crouched on his haunches in front of where I sat and looked me right in the eye. “The fact remains. You felt … whatever this was. Yet you didn’t tell me. And it nearly killed you. I almost lost you.” Briefly, he allowed me to see the pain in his eyes. “Lunaya is gone,” he said, his voice low. “I’m holding myself together by force of habit alone. I cannot lose you, too.”

The words hit me hard. Reminding me of all the ways we’d already been tested. Of why we’d kept this—us—hidden for so long. Because together we were targets. An Avari heir binding himself to an Orphos heir wasn’t merely a scandal, it was a threat. When dynasties combined their power, wars began. And when that happened, our families would pay the price. If we told the truth too soon, we risked weakening both our houses and causing their collapse. If we waited until we each had enough power of our own to stand on our own, we’d rise together in strength. Now, with Lysander as the head of Orphos, we were close. I could feel it.

I gripped the back of his neck with one hand, then leaned forward, ignoring the pain, and touched my forehead to his. “Death could never separate you and me. You know that. But I was wrong. Forgive me. I was trying to keep her alive. I wasn’t thinking about myself. But you understand, don’t you? Tell me you understand what she is to us, Lysander.”

His hands lifted to grasp my shoulders. I felt the power running through them, feeding into me. I felt comfort, connection. He’d always been the one who could give me that.

“I believe you. I understand.” His blue eyes were steady and cool again now, the pain quickly and ruthlessly removed. “I’m going to help you get her back. We know he wants her alive. It doesn’t take a genius to know why. He’ll keep her alive because he needs her. Have no doubt about that.” He rose to his feet. “But for now, you need to stop thinking about this. You need to rest.”

Rage surged uncontrollably through me. I pushed myself to my feet, ignoring the throb of pain in my chest—it was nothing compared to what Regan was probably feeling right now. “Rest? When that heartless bastard has her?”

“Steady, Avari,” Lysander cautioned. “You think I’ve been doing nothing while you lay in that bed? I have scouts out looking for her. Viktor has not returned to the Keep. When you last saw him, he was an Inferni?” I nodded tightly. “As a dragon you know how great a swath of territory he can cover now. They could be anywhere in Sangratha.”

“Then, we’ll go anywhere.” I was bleeding through my bandages. I hoped he wouldn’t notice, but the sour look on his face told me he had.

“I said Viktor could be anywhere—but he won’t be. He’ll be close. He won’t risk leaving the seat of his power. Not yet.” He waited until I understood. “We stay at the school. We look for signs. We heal. All of us.”

“The city …” Guilt washed over me as, for the first time, I thought of my family. “The Avari compound was rubble. My mother. My grandmother. Has there been any word?”

Lysander radiated empathy. “Neither have been found. But there’s a chance they could still be alive.”

Which meant they probably weren’t.

“The city is in chaos. The school isn’t much better.” Lysander looked pointedly at my bandaged chest. “You want to save Regan? You want to destroy Viktor once and for all? Then, maybe you should lie back down and try not to die.” He tapped me on the chest hard for emphasis, and I winced. “Not. Invincible.”

“Fine.” I grabbed his hand. “But only if you lie with me. Just for a little while.”

His lips quirked in a half smile. “Thought you’d never ask.”

I touched his cheek. “Lysander, I feel—” My throat tightened.