The Bound (Ascension #2)(105)

“I see,” Vera said.

They glanced at each other again with huge smiles on their faces.

Then, Vera nodded. “Avoca, you will appear for training with Cyrene at dawn every day henceforth.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Avoca said confidently.

“Now, off with you, Cyrene. Eat a hearty dinner. We have much work to accomplish tomorrow,” Vera said.

“And get a lot of sleep,” Matilde warned.

Cyrene nodded. She already realized how exhausting it was, working with her powers. She would need a lot of food and rest to get through all of this.

Cyrene and Avoca walked away from the docks. Cyrene was excited for food, sleep, and a change out of her wet clothes. Her hair had mostly dried, but she was sure she looked less than presentable for society.

“I didn’t want to say anything in front of them,” Avoca said when they had reached the kitchen.

“Say what?” She loaded her plate up, not caring who saw how much she was about to consume.

“I know you didn’t mention Ceis’f to them last night, but he’s missing,” Avoca told her.

“What?” Cyrene gasped, nearly dropping the plate she was juggling. “What do you mean, missing?”

“Last night, we got into a fight about Ahlvie. I finally made my choice, and now, Ceis’f is gone.”

“Ceis’f wouldn’t just abandon you,” Cyrene said logically. “He loves you. Whether or not you chose him, it’s his duty to stay with you. Do you think he’s just hiding out?”

“No, I don’t. I told him to leave, to go home.”

“You’ve been saying that since we left Eldora.”

“This time was different. I was…cruel. Beyond cruel. I used my magic to push him away from me in a vortex of water.”

Avoca looked so afraid that Cyrene was afraid for her. Avoca was normally so stoic. The thought of what could frighten her didn’t sit well with Cyrene.

“I don’t think he’s gone. He couldn’t just be gone. He’s probably just fuming, and he needs to walk it off. Do you truly think he would leave?”

“I don’t know,” Avoca said. “I’m going to go out and search for him. Rest up for tomorrow, and I’ll meet you at the docks.”

Cyrene nodded and watched her friend leave. She dug into her food, all the while thinking about everything that had changed in the last day. It felt surreal that she was finally being trained. She had so many questions left unanswered, but the fact that she had made even a tiny bit of progress made her so happy that it almost didn’t matter. She would learn everything she needed to know in time. She finally felt justified in leaving her country behind for this. She had been right all along.

By the time she finished eating, she had no energy left. She knew that all she needed now was to find the nearest bed and never leave again.

Staggering down the hallway, she didn’t even look up when she heard her name.

“Hmm?” she asked.

“Cyrene, there you are!”

Someone grabbed her shoulders, and she tipped her head to look up into the most beautiful brown eyes. At the look on Dean’s face, she smiled and felt a renewed burst of energy flow through her.

“Hey,” she whispered.

“Where have you been?” he asked desperately. “I have been waiting for you all day. Ahlvie told me that you had left with Matilde and Vera, but he didn’t exactly give specifics. I was worried about you.”

“I’m so sorry. I thought that Ahlvie would alleviate your worries. They agreed to train me,” she said, dipping her voice lower.

“Cyrene, that’s amazing!”

“This is what I’ve wanted to do since I left Byern, and now, everything is falling into place.”

“I’m so happy for you.”

Dean threaded his fingers through hers, and a shiver ran up her back. He glanced around the empty hallway and then tugged her away from the main corridors. She turned a corner, and Dean pressed her back into a darkened alcove. His mouth was only inches from hers.

Her exhaustion was wearing off from the excitement of being with him.

“I was really worried about you,” he breathed.

“You don’t have to worry about me,” she said, trapped in his gaze. She teetered on her tiptoes and nearly brushed their lips together. Her heart was racing ahead of her. This felt almost better than reaching for her magic. Definitely better than moving one drop of water at a time all day.

“You’re wrong.” Then, he softly dropped his mouth down on hers. His lips were tender and slow as they caressed hers. “I will always worry for your safety.”

Cyrene’s cheeks heated, and she sighed, leaning back against the hard stone of the alcove. “I didn’t mean to worry you.”

His hands pushed up through her hair and tilted her head back up to look at him. She closed her eyes and sighed. She was so tired, and just the feel of his fingers was lulling her to sleep.

“That feels good.”

His mouth found hers, and despite her exhaustion, she pushed back against his lips with more force. She refused to let the fact that she was tired get in the way of her time with Dean.

“Whoa,” Dean said, pulling back from her. He rested his forehead against hers, and she could tell he was breathing heavily. “As much as I want this, and I do, I want to make sure you’re okay. This didn’t scare you away?”