(Isla)
One more day passed between the scent marking and the meeting. It was the quietest day we'd had since returning from Ashcrest.
Then the morning of the Caden meeting arrived.
Caius was already up when I opened my eyes.
He was standing at the window with his back to me, dressed, looking out at the territory the way he looked at things he was already thinking three steps ahead of. I lay there for a moment and watched him and felt Vaela stir inside me, alert and certain.
I sat up.
He turned when he felt me through the bond.
"How long have you been up?" I said.
"A while," he said.
I nodded and got up without asking anything else. There wasn't anything else to ask. Today was the day and we both knew what it required and neither of us needed to talk about it to be ready for it.
I
