Tissaia spent the remainder of the evening cloistered away in Kaius's bedroom after they'd managed to escape the ballroom. Talarion had joined them roughly an hour later, bringing news of the Prince's sudden outburst. Azael had broken a male's jaw, but no one could figure out why he would attack the counselor. He'd left the ballroom even before Talarion had, and no one had found a trace of him ever since.

    Tissaia already suspected what might have caused it though, and one glance at Kaius told her that he was thinking the same thing. The Prince must have seen them leaving together, although why it would upset him to that point, she didn't know. Or perhaps it wasn't the sight of them that angered him.

    Perhaps that counselor had pointed it out, or said the wrong thing at the wrong time. If there was one thing she knew about her betrothed, it was that underneath his cold, rough exterior, there was a wounded heart that felt all things deeply. And she had freshly carved it open. She'd seen the look in his pale blue eyes when she told him she wished she could hate him.

    He wished it too, but of course it couldn't be that simple for them. Rather than subjecting herself to pondering his behavior all night, Tissaia had turned her focus to her brother and Kaius. She spent hours draped on a chaise, just observing them and laughing at the stories they shared.

    Kaius had plenty from his days of wandering and Talarion filled him in on many of their own antics, though she noted that he refrained from mentioning any repercussions they'd faced. Eventually though, her exhaustion caught up to her and she excused herself to her own rooms.

    It hadn't taken her long to undress and slip into more comfortable nightwear, but exactly as she suspected, there had been a large bruise developing on her forearm. With luck, it would heal before a full day had passed and she had used her own healing magic to fade the marking as much as she could, but it would still be visible to those who looked closely.

    With that taken care of, Tissaia had buried herself in her overly large bed and was lost to a dreamless sleep for several undisturbed hours.

•༻☽☾༺•

    Azael knew he was being searched for. No doubt his father had recovered his wits enough to wish to scold him, but he wasn't in the mood to hear it. He already knew he'd acted impulsively and he could guess the damage it had done to their image. His small display of remorse wouldn't be enough to truly make it right, but what was done was done.

    He couldn't take back his actions, and he wasn't sure he would even if he had the option. But at the risk of repeating his offense, this time holding Kaius's face accountable, Azael had hidden himself in a secluded library on the other side of the palace. It was near the Twin's rooms, though he hadn't seen either of them since the ball.

    He had just assumed that it would be a safe bet that one of their rooms would be unoccupied, and the other one would be devoid of company, and he didn't want to be in his own rooms knowing what could be happening just down the hall.

    His stomach clenched at the thought once more and Azael shoved the thoughts aside with a disgusted huff. Sometimes he was absolutely pathetic. Jealous, pathetic, and a complete ass. He braced his forehead between his thumb and forefinger, jaw-length hair tumbling down across his hand and curtaining him from the dark walls around him.

    This was ridiculous. He was exhausted and still furious, but rather than resting like he obviously needed to, he was hiding. Azael shoved himself to his feet and ducked into the corridor. His legs almost seemed to carry him mechanically.

    He certainly didn't recall telling them to bring him in this direction. Further away from the Twin's rooms and into a smaller adjoining hallway that led to a desolate chamber estranged from the rest of the palace. Azael paused outside the familiar set of doors and gripped the once gilded handle.

    He could see fingerprints in the dust that had gathered on the doors, proof of the servants who had been here earlier. The rooms were never disturbed otherwise. Azael steeled himself and pushed the door open. Instantly, the musty scent of dust and long forgotten flowers filled his nostrils.

    He gazed about the room with wide eyes, barely able to recall when he'd last set foot in here. Every piece of furniture was covered in white sheets. Cobwebs filled the corners of the walls and ceiling. Dead, dried rose vines still clung to the chandelier hanging above the bed.

    They had been his mother's doing. He could still remember lying on the bed beside her as a young boy, watching as she used her magic to grow the vines and make roses bloom where she wished to see them. Sometimes she had coaxed the petals to fall, and didn't stop until he was buried under a pile of them and laughing with every breath of their sweet scent.

    Azael crept across the floor, dust puffing beneath his feet, and approached his mother's vanity. Her long forgotten jewelry boxes were closed and locked, as though they had never been disturbed. His gaze caught on the small portrait propped against a portion of the mirror and he swallowed, that dry stinging once again creeping into his eyes.

    The portrait was of him alone. There wasn't a single sign of his father in this room, or in any of the adjacent ones, and there never had been. He'd never even seen his father set foot in here. Perhaps it had been part of their agreement. Their rooms were their own, and they didn't encroach on each other's space.

    Too bad his father hadn't held up the same deal with his lover, or perhaps Elwyth never would've known. If she hadn't known, she never would've left, and then she would still be here. But deep down, Azael knew he didn't truly wish that. His mother had deserved to know the truth, even if she and Mavron had never been in love.

    And in the back of his mind, the last remnant of her voice whispered, "Doesn't she deserve the same?" He left the room without answering it.

•༻☽☾༺•

    Tissaia woke with a start to find Talarion hovering over her, his hands still gripping her shoulders though he'd ceased shaking her. "What?" She gasped. "What is it?"

    "Something's wrong with Kaius." Her brother was breathless, proof he'd been running. Tissaia swung her legs off the bed and Talarion backed away, allowing her to rise.

    She followed him out the door and matched his borderline sprinting pace before seeking more information. "What exactly is wrong with him? Is he sick?"

    Talarion shook his head. "I was about to leave when I thought I heard him say something. I looked back and found him convulsing like he was trying to throw up or choking on something. His eyes were open, but pure white and glazed. I don't think he was actually awake. I already used my magic to examine him but couldn't find anything."

    "Hel," Tissaia exclaimed. "Is he all right? Are you all right?"

    "I left him with his hands tied to the bedpost. He had started to flail around and I was afraid he'd hurt himself while I came to get you." She glanced at her brother, not mentioning the fact that he hadn't answered either of her questions.

    Talarion didn't look at her. He just quickened his pace until they were past all of the rooms they knew were occupied. Then both of them burst into a run, skipping down flights of stairs and up another set to reach the other wing of the palace. Neither of them noticed the figure partially hidden within a dark hallway as they raced by.

    They reached Kaius's rooms in record time and Talarion ushered her inside. They didn't stop in the sitting room, but headed straight for the bedroom. The moment they were inside the door, silver glowed around Talarion's hands and shimmered around the room. A protective shield so no one else could enter.

    Tissaia didn't bother closing the door completely as her brother had already reached the bed and was bending over Kaius's shuddering frame. She joined him and her lips parted in horror at the sight. Kaius was on his side, his hands still stretched over his head and bound to the bedpost.

    Talarion eyed the bindings with obvious guilt, but didn't touch them. There were already raw marks around Kaius's wrists from where he'd been fighting the tethers, and his usually clear hazel eyes were wide and unseeing, flooded with a brilliant white light she'd never witnessed before. The same light filtered from the mark on his sternum, a normally black tattoo of a moon eclipsing a blazing sun.

    "Tiss, do something," Talarion pleaded, breaking her from her stupor.

    Tissaia leveled glowing hands over Kaius's body and furrowed her brows, willing her healing magic deep within his bones, but as Talarion had said, there was nothing to heal. She shifted her focus to Kaius's head, but there was no injury there either. Whatever was happening to him, it was internal and something they couldn't stop.

    She lowered her hands and shook her head. Talarion stared at her with wide eyes, then looked back at Kaius as he let out a hoarse groan and fell limp. The glow faded from his eyes and marking, but his gaze remained vacant. Tissaia recoiled at once, her breath catching.

    Talarion crouched beside the male and smacked his cheek repeatedly. "Kai?" The male blinked and his chest rose with a haggard breath. "Come on, Kaius, look at me." His hand slid to the male's shoulder and he gave him a hard shake. Kaius winced, but slowly, his eyes rolled up to meet his. "You fucking asshole. You scared the shit out of me."

    "Mm' sorry...M'anam cor." The male's voice was hoarse, the words slurred, but he had managed to answer, and if he could recall that simple phrase in the Old Tongue, his mind wasn't lost at least. Tissaia let out a sigh of relief and stepped closer as Talarion set to work removing Kaius's bindings.

    "What happened?" She asked, taking one of his hands into her own so she could treat the raw marks on his wrist. "It was like you were having a seizure or something, but neither of us could find anything wrong with you. There was nothing to heal."

    Kaius's eyes closed and his brows pulled together, as though it pained him to try to recall what had happened. "I was dreaming." His voice was stronger now, and easier to understand. Talarion took his other wrist gently and set to work healing the marks.

    "Or...I think that's what it was. But it was somehow more than that too." When Tissaia released his hand, he lifted it to massage his temple. "Maybe it was a vision. That's what she told me, but I wasn't sure."

    "She?" Talarion prompted.

    Kaius's eyes opened and found his once more. "I saw Drenusha."

    "You saw a goddess?" Tissaia echoed, unable to mask her disbelief. "What do you mean? What did she say?"

    The male flinched as another brief spasm racked his body. "I don't know," he whispered when his shuddering eased. "I mean, I remember, but it's just glimpses. Fractured pieces. I..." Kaius broke off, sucking a harsh breath between his teeth. His palm flattened against his forehead and he dug his fingers into his hair.

    "Easy," Talarion warned, prying Kaius's fingers loose. "It's all right if you don't remember right now. Whatever happened, it clearly put your body through a lot."

    "Yes," Tissaia agreed. "You need to rest. Don't strain yourself. Maybe it will come back to you."

    "Maybe," Kaius murmured, though his eyes remained closed and his hand slackened in Talarion's grasp. Worry pinched her brother's features.

    Tissaia bit her lip, the need to do something, anything, overwhelming her every instinct, but if he wasn't hurt, there was nothing she could do. Her gaze swept over his bare torso, taking in the dozens of old scars that marked his tanned skin. Some made by blades, but many more by fanged teeth. Those were the oldest scars, she knew.

    She looked up, sensing when Talarion's gaze shifted to her. "You can go rest," he offered. "I'll stay with him and come get you if it happens again." She managed a nod and crept towards the door, but paused and looked back once. Talarion's attention had already returned to Kaius and he was nudging him cautiously. "Kai?"

    "I'm okay," came the faint reply.

    "Promise?"

    The corner of Kaius's mouth tilted up, easing something within Tissaia's gut. "Yes," he answered.

    "Then I'd like to reiterate that you're a fucking asshole, and Tissaia is definitely going to have some harsher words for you tomorrow."

    "I assumed, but I can handle her." The male's eyes opened. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I don't know what happened."

    "It doesn't matter right now," Talarion answered firmly. "We'll figure it out." Tissaia slipped out of the room.