Page 336 of Commanding Blood And Bonds

“Eighteen months on the nose, Freya. You can’t make this shit up. It can’t be coincidence. Maybe twice—but four times? That’s deliberate. The marriage contract might’ve included fertility clauses.”

“So…she had trouble getting pregnant. Or miscarried. Or Agamemnon was an oops. Or⁠—”

“Or Adrastos fucking Balaskas was erased.”

The missing pages. The fragmented records. Goosebumps crawled up my arms.

“Why do you think that?”

He shook his head, running his fingers through his mess of hair. My own itched to do the same. “He claimed Agamemnon was his brother. ‘Lonan’ lost ‘Leo’. I swear I’ve seen his name before. But it’s not in Paladin. I’ve been looking since before we called our truce.”

“There are a lot of books, Cyrus.”

“And I’ve had insomnia for four fucking years.”

Since Charles.

Jesus.

He nodded. “It’s been itching at my brain for weeks. I can’t place it.”

Stifling a smile, I murmured, “You’re sexy when you go full nerd on me.”

“Get fucked,” he laughed, arms already opening as I tiptoed through his chaos and curled into his lap.

I plucked the pen from behind his ear with my teeth, twirling it between my fingers. “Add some reading glasses and I’d positively swoon.”

“Don’t be sweet. It’s weird. Unless you want something.” His fingers dug into my ass through my jeans.

I leaned in, lips brushing his ear. “Just you. For tonight—just you. We go home tomorrow. Then you can nerd out with your cousins and dissect every inch of Reyna’s library. But tonight…let me be selfish.”

Because tomorrow, once Calypso was marked, I’d owe him the truth.

SIXTY-TWO

THE DIVIDE

FREYA

“Watch your back,” Cyrus murmured, pressing his forehead to mine. We stood directly on the divide, unwilling to test our luck now that Reyna had returned to the helm. I nodded, fighting back the anxiety that had bloomed in my belly ever since Ally handed me that inauspicious little hourglass.

A throat cleared in the distance, and we turned to face our respective companions. Jax, Brody, and Alastair stood on the Bellaton side of the river, a grim tableau that deepened the unease already prickling beneath my skin. The last time all three of them had escorted me anywhere, it was out of Cyrus’ warehouse with chains clamped around my broken wrists.

Opposite us, on the other side of the bridge, stood Carr and Cali, their expressions equally wary.

We good for a second? I asked silently. Brody responded with a brief jut of his chin—permission granted.

“Why does this feel like a custody exchange after a nasty divorce?” Cyrus muttered, and I half-laughed, the sound catching in my throat as he laced his fingers through mine and guided me toward his family.

“Blaz helping our search now that Reyna’s back is going about as well as expected,” Calypso announced as we drew near. That, at least, explained the sour expressions. “He’s smuggled out what he can, but there’s only so many books he can swipe without her noticing.”

“The missive confirmed enough, but fuck if I don’t want a better grasp of who we’re dealing with,” Cyrus muttered.

“You’re certain he’s a Balaskas?” Carr asked as we approached.

“That’s what the signature said.”

Carr looked like he was two seconds away from throwing a punch. “Where the fuck have they been hiding?”