Resonant

Chapter 25

Zale

"This is good, right?" Fen asked sleepily.

"Mm?"

"That Kyra's soul mate is mer. And royal. And from a family her dad approves of."

Fen made the situation sound ideal, but my mind swam with all the ways this was actually more complicated. There was a reason her parents had tried to arrange for Kyra to marry the younger brother and not their heir. If Kyra and Castiel were to be together, one of them would have to abdicate their position. It wasn't quite as bad as my situation, where I was the only person in the direct line of ascension. Both had younger siblings who were technically qualified, but neither of them seemed particularly suited to rule. Astrea lived in horror of the notion and Benny was... well, Benny.

But it had been a long night and I really didn't want to get into all of that. "It's good," I assured him. Because it could have been so much worse. At least their countries were allies. At least he was in the same social class as her. At least he seemed like someone with a backbone, someone who could match Euripides venom for venom.

"Good," Fen sighed happily. He pressed his lips to my neck and I nuzzled my cheek against the top of his head. We were still in the theater, dressed in our formalwear and laying in the dark across one of the long, plush seats. Astrea was snoring from a few feet away and there was something precious about this moment. I was exhausted, but I wasn't ready to let it go.

"Fen?" I whispered.

"Yeah?"

"Will you stay tonight?" I asked.

His head snapped up. "What?"

"I just want to hold you. Stay with me?"

His answer was teleporting us into my bed. Damn, I loved his magic. It was tempting to sink into sleep just like this, but I'd regret it in the morning if I didn't brush my teeth or change my clothes. I reluctantly extracted myself from the tangle of his arms and pushed a hand through my hair.

"Let me get you a toothbrush and something to wear."

"I can just go brush my teeth and change at home," Fen pointed out. I snatched his arm before he could leave.

"Stay," I protested. It was stupid and I probably should have just let him go, but for some reason, I was reluctant to have him leave even for a minute.

Fen looked up and I saw his confusion, but he didn't press me. He just smiled a little and said, "Okay."

I felt self-conscious as I gathered what he would need, like I had revealed too much of myself. Or maybe it was just the way Fen's eyes followed me around the room that had me hyper-aware of my every movement. Perhaps it was that this was unfamiliar territory for us. I wasn't sure, and it didn't really matter what the reason was. What mattered was that I felt exposed and raw.

I handed Fen a stack of clothes and a toothbrush, and we took turns using the bathroom and changing. As I waited for him in bed, I thought about how different this felt from when Harlow used to stay the night. Harlow had never been here. In fact, this was the first time I'd ever had anyone stay over in the castle. It felt like a bigger step than if we were back at the school. This place was more my home than anywhere else ever had been, so maybe that shouldn't have been surprising.

Once we were back in bed, Fen tucked himself back against my side and I relaxed into him. It was getting easier all the time to let Fen into my life. Being with him was effortless when I wasn't standing in my own way.

"Zale?" Fen's voice was soft in the darkness, and I could just make out his features. His eyes glinted gently, and I wondered if they were always just a little bit lit up.