Chapter 505
It was nearly dawn when Jorick appeared, still covered in blood and dirt. He gave the room a quick once over. "You'll need to block the window." Then he retreated to the bathroom.
Her initial response was that she couldn't lift the furniture, but she could. In fact it was easy. When he returned, everything but the bed was in a stack. He blinked at the pile, then took his place next to her. She waited for him to say something about Malick, about his pyre. Instead he rolled over and pulled her back against his chest. He buried his face at the nape of her neck and inhaled deeply. Then he pressed a kiss to the tender skin and settled in for sleep.
"Is it really over?" she asked uncertainly.
"Yes." It was just one word but it held paragraphs worth of feeling. "Malick is ashes. He can never hurt us again."
Being free from the master's malicious shadow felt unreal, and she steeled herself for the "but". When it didn't come she asked softly, "Are you all right?"