Page 212 of The Mercy of Dawn

He destroyed so much more than just her research, but Cyril just waved her hand vaguely and slid further down into her chair. Mikael would understand.

“And you wanted the records for…”

“Right.” Gods, the fatigue was seeping into her very bones. Mikael’s half smile was empathetic at least. “So we know the purists believe in balance and cleansing, and all that bullshit, yeah?”

Mikael nodded, and Cyril pointed a finger toward the stack of files on the left.

“The barmaid, the carpenter, Rika, and Tobias. All of mixed blood in some capacity. Sun, moon, nymph, mortal, you name it. What some purists might call filth.”

Just like that damn woman at the state dinner.

Her finger drifted to the pile on the right. “The two merchants, and that poor priestess and midwife. All moon-fae, but they were just knee-deep in filth. Business dealings, providing refuge, delivering babies, and the like.”

Visible tension pulled through Mikael’s body, his knuckles blanching as he gripped the edge of his desk, though he obviously was making some effort to conceal it in his face.

“So all these people suffered and died just because Reyna got sick? Because her people thought some imaginary fucking balance was thrown off?” The words rolled off of Mikael’s tongue like they tasted foul.

Cyril just nodded, her lips drawn into a tight line.

That was the simplest way to put it.

He pinched his brow. “I need a drink.”

“That makes two of us.” Cyril stood up and stepped into Mikael’s space. His arms were around her before she’d even settled her cheek against his chest, drawing her flush to him. “We need to make sure someone answers for all of it, however long it takes. I don’t think I’ll be leaving Reykr anytime soon, or, well…ever really.”

Mikael stilled.

“Wait. Did you…” His words were just a breath of disbelief as leaned back, but Cyril moved with him. The damn prince loved eye contact, but she just wanted him to hold her right now. “Did you accept my parents’ offer?”

“Not yet. But I will, once things have quieted down a bit.” She grinned against the soft fabric of the fitted base layers he wore beneath his uniform. “I don’t want to leave.”

Mikael. Reykr. The palace. His parents. The guards. All the staff.

She didn’t want to leave any of it, and something about the utter mayhem of the last few days had solidified that for her. Even with their newest revelation, Reykr felt like home in a way she wasn’t sure Helia ever could again.

A quiet noise left him that sounded remarkably emotional, and it tugged on her heart like all fucking hell. Tension slipped from his body, his fingers skimming her nape, and she felt his lips brush the top of her head.

“You don’t know how happy that makes me, wrath.” His voice was thick, and Cyril blinked.

“Mika, are—” She tried to ease away from him, but Mikael held her firm. “Are you crying?”

“Absolutely not.” A chuckle rumbled through him, but she heard him sniffle too. The fucking softie. “I’ve never done such a thing.”

“Yeah, yeah. Prince of Darkness. I get it.” Cyril smoothed her hand over his chest, lingering over the steady thrum of his heart—something that had become one of her favorite things in the world to feel and listen to.

Mikael let her step back from him this time, his hands settling loosely at her hips. There may, possibly, have been a hint of sheen in his glacial eyes. Some sort of relief tinged with happiness tugged at the rest of his features though, and that was a welcome distraction.

“I’m exhausted.” He reached to tuck a chunk of hair behind her ear. Sometime in the last few hours, her braid had come to pieces. His hand lingered, fingers skimming her cheek, and Cyril leaned into it. “Can we go to bed?”

She groaned, “I still have uniforms to fold.”

And gods, bed sounded like the best damn thing he’d ever suggested. Sleep had become a scarce resource these last few days, and she knew today’s developments would only make it worse.

At this rate, she was going to have to drag a blanket and some pillows down to the barracks.

“Tomorrow, wrath. Rest first.” Mikael straightened up and gave the piles of folders another glance. “You’re done with these for now?”

Regrettably, she was. There was nothing else to glean from any file or report that they didn’t already know now.