Page 10 of A Traitor Sister (Remnants of the Fallen Kingdom #2)

10

ASTRA

M arlak closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, then leans down and rests his forehead on my shoulder. “I never meant to hurt you.”

I try to push him again, but he remains still, and keeps his arms tightly wrapped around me. “Oh. What exactly did you mean to do?”

From a distance, I hear Nelsin. “We’ll be back in the morning.”

I nod, but my focus is on Marlak, waiting for his reply.

It takes a while, but he moves his head and stares at me, a pool of sadness in those eyes. “I just wanted to keep you safe. I told you I’d do anything?—”

“No.” I manage to free an arm and wave a finger in front of his face. “No. What you did was despicable . You didn’t trust me. You made a decision and left me out, as if I wasn’t capable of making a choice with you.”

“There was no time. When I noticed Renel was near, he was probably already hearing us. I had to think fast. Maybe it was stupid.”

“Not maybe. It was. You hurt me. You could have winked, could have whispered in my ear to pretend to hate you. You could have done so many things differently, but no. You chose to stick a knife in my heart and twist it and twist it and twist it. And then you claim you didn’t want to hurt me. What did you think you were doing?”

He stares at me in silence, then says, “I feared…”

“I wouldn’t agree with you? I’d try to fight them on my own?”

He closes his eyes and nods.

“I’m not stupid, Marlak. I’m not stupid to take on a fight I can’t win.”

A small voice inside me wants to remind me that I jumped down a cliff thinking I’d face four foes to protect Marlak, but I tell it to shut up. I continue, “And you can’t simply take away my choice.”

“To protect you.”

“Protect me from harm by harming me?”

His arms still grip me tight, even if I wiggle, trying to break free.

“I…” His throat bobs and he inhales. “As long as you’re alive, there’s a way.”

I try to step away again, but it feels as if there’s an iron chain around me. “A way? What if I thought you had really fooled me? I would probably be having revenge sex with your brother right now. How would we come back from that?”

“I’d get you back.”

His grip on me is annoying. “Let me go.”

“Never.”

“You plan on spending your entire life holding me?”

“Until you forgive me.”

“How is holding me against my will going to help?”

“Better than letting you go.”

“I just want some space. Space to think, talk, pace around the kitchen. You used to be nice. I bet old Marlak would never keep me in his arms against my will. He was respectful.”

There’s a hint of a smile on his lips. “So you liked me then?”

“Ugh.” I give up on stepping away and stop fighting and fidgeting. “Words, once said, can’t come back, can’t be erased. Can’t be forgotten. All the moments we had together in that sanctuary, you ruined them. I’ll always wonder if you thought it was boring.”

He rests his forehead in the crook of my neck again and embraces me even tighter. “No. Never. I didn’t have time to think, so I was just saying the opposite of everything. Want to know how I feel? Just turn my words upside down.”

“It doesn’t work like that.” To my horror, my voice sounds softer, almost whinier. I don’t want him to think I’m forgiving him. “I’m still angry.”

“But you’re here.”

“Yes.”

He looks at me again. “And how did you realize I was pretending, back in the sanctuary?”

“I… thought it was unlike you, didn’t make sense. Then I remembered the coronation, when you said your brother couldn’t know that you cared about me.”

“Does it count for anything that it was unlike me to act like that?”

I shake my head. “What you said was hurtful, and a lot of it unnecessary.”

He sighs. “Before we ever met, I had been dreaming about you for about a year. You had the same experience, right?”

“Yes. But it doesn’t?—”

“Listen. Please. Just listen. And what did we do during most of those dreams?”

“We lied down together.”

He nods. “For me, those dreams were exhilarating, wonderful, magical. Just lying by your side, feeling you close, running my hands through your hair… It was everything. If cuddling you is so wonderful, how can anything else we do be boring? It’s impossible, Astra.”

His words soothe some of the soreness in my chest, alleviate some of the pain, but they barely touch the deep wound, stil open, underneath it all.

“You still didn’t have to say all that, didn’t have to humiliate me the way you did.”

“I can’t change the past. But I’m here.” His chest moves up and down. “What can I do for you to forgive me?”

Forgive him. Of course I want to forgive him, wipe away those horrible moments, get rid of this anger running through my veins like poison. “It takes time. But… don’t do this again. Don’t try to protect me as if I were a pet, without consulting me.”

“There was no time.”

“Like I said, it could be something as simple as a wink. Let me know what you’re up to. We can pretend together. Don’t shut me out.”

“Would you have let my brother capture me? Would you have followed your master?”

“Yes. It would have been the wisest decision, considering we were outnumbered. I could try to rescue you later, under different circumstances. There was no need to… do what you did.”

“I’ll never do this again. I’ll never hurt your feelings to push you away. But please, please Astra, tell me that you’ll place your safety above heroics, that you’ll… be cautious.”

I shake my head. “You take me for a fool.”

“No. I think you’re brave and capable, and you have incredible magic. Just… sometimes we need to lose a battle to win the war. Sometimes it’s time to retreat.”

“Again, you think I’m foolish.”

“I’m sorry. I’ll trust your judgment, trust your wisdom. You’re right that I made a mistake. If it helps, I feared losing you, feared you’d hate me forever. The thought consumed me with anguish, with terror, for hours. Please consider my anguish enough punishment.”

“What about me? I didn’t realize you were pretending right away. My heart was being ripped as I wondered how I could have been such an idiot for so long, how I could have let someone deceive me… It was horrific.”

“I’ll never do anything like that again. Ever. It’s a promise, wife.”

For some reason, I chuckle. “Wife. Now I’m going to think you’re jesting.”

He squeezes me tight. “Never.”

“I can barely breathe. Can you let me go? I forgive you.”

Instead of breaking his hug, he kisses my neck. “Do you still love me?”

“Do you , Marlak?”

“Loving you is like breathing. I’ve always done it. I’m always doing it, even when I don’t think about it, even when my mind is elsewhere. It’s part of who I am. It’s what keeps me alive.”

“You can’t have always loved me.”

“Soulmates do. Their love is eternal. Unbreakable. Throughout their many lives, they’ll be connected. And you know that’s what we are.”

“I do. So imagine the pain I felt when you uttered those horrible words.”

“I had to live with the fear of losing your love, and it was awful too, even if I can’t know what your pain felt like.” He kisses my temple, then my cheek. “But I’ll make up for that.”

He’s kissing my neck now, his lips spreading shivers through my body. Silly, easily impressed body, with no sense of pride. It has completely forgiven him a long time ago.

“Marlak, you’re tired. Eat.”

He’s still kissing my neck, and mumbles against it. “Can I choose what I eat?”

“There’s soup.”

His palms press against my lower back while he kisses my collarbone. “I want you .”

A happy laughter escapes me. Isn’t that what I was just thinking? “I’m here.”

“Do you still love me?” he asks again.

This time, he manages to sound so vulnerable that I almost feel bad for him. Almost. Still, I say, “I love you. Even furious, I still loved you.”

“Is the fury gone?”

“Most of it.”

His arms loosen around me, finally, and he brings his hands to my face. “You’re here.”

The smile he gives me is fire, melting away all my remaining resentment, all my remaining anger. It’s light and life.

And love.

And then those lovely lips cover mine. Perhaps there is some remaining fury in the desperation of that kiss. A different type of fury, bringing us close instead of apart.

His hands move to my waist, gripping my skin tight. There’s nothing soft, nothing sweet about the way he kisses me, nothing gentle about the way he holds me. His fingers dig into my skin as if to make sure I’m solid, as if to make sure I’m his.

Marlak’s eyes bore into mine, his gaze intense as he lifts me onto the table. I wrap my legs around him and feel his hardness pushing against me, even with all the clothes between us.

He awakens an ember in my core as he stares at me with those dark eyes, now even darker than usual, his lovely lips parted, his breath ragged. That look would be terrifying in anyone else, a dark, dangerous look with the intensity of a smelting fire.

Our eyes meet, and the corner of his lips lifts in a wicked grin. One of his hands pulls up my dress while the other digs into my inner thigh, his rings grazing my delicate skin, his fingers caressing me in gentle yet firm strokes, my breath hitching with each touch.

He pushes up my breastband and removes it, freeing my breasts, devouring them with his eyes. My nipples feel hard like iron spikes, one of them soon covered with his warm, soft tongue igniting an intense fire throughout me.

I can see his collarbone and part of his chest in the opening of his shirt, but it’s not enough skin, not enough of him. He’s wearing too many clothes. I place my hand under the fabric and touch his rugged, scarred chest that I love so much, then push up his shirt. He finishes taking it off, then tosses it.

It’s the first time I let myself admire his body from up close like this, when there’s enough light to see him fully. His scars and tattoos form a fascinating pattern on his skin, covering a muscular chest and corded arms. On his taut abdomen, the v-shaped muscles and a trail of hair point downward, a stunning sight that turns my core into an incandescent inferno.

Marlak is perfection, absolute perfection, staring at me with a determined, focused expression, a sheer intensity in his eyes.

He’s not in a gentle mood—and neither am I. No time for nonsense. No time for talking. No time for joking.

He lifts my legs and removes my underwear as if he were removing an annoying boulder in his way.

I watch as he unlaces his trousers, his ringed fingers quick, frenetic, watch as he frees his rock-hard member, a pearlescent bead on its tip, bluish veins marking its length. I want it inside me. I want everything.

His fingers find the sensitive spot between my legs, then caress my entrance. I adore his fingers, adore the feel of his rings grazing my skin, and yet I want more.

Our gazes are locked, our souls connected. I want more , I let my eyes say.

His hand slides down my thigh, replaced by his hips, comfortably nested between my legs, the tip of his member almost where it belongs. He gives me a searching, questioning look.

We’re eye to eye level, and I move my head slightly, just enough to convey a nod, and yet not enough to break the spell between us, not enough to break the bond between us.

And then I feel it—inside me, in one swift stroke. The sound coming out of my throat is a moan, a grunt, a groan. I don’t even know. My senses are overwhelmed with a hint of pain and an overload of pleasure as I feel myself stretching around him, opening up for him to dig in even deeper, filling me so completely. I love the sensation of his throbbing member inside me, caressing deep within me, as his hands claim my body.

He moves his member back, leaving just the tip inside me—and then slams in again. And again.

My moans become yells, become screams. I don’t care if anyone hears me, don’t care about anything. I want to be held tight like that, to be fucked hard as if it was the last and only time. Hard as if we were burying all our fear and anguish.

All this time, I’m looking into the ocean of darkness in his eyes, getting lost in it. Lost in space and time. Nothing but us.

RENEL

K eeping my eyes open is a struggle after a sleepless night.

Four more moves. Four more. Time’s running out, and I’m feeling like an idiot. I should have seen Astra again. Should have… I don’t know what.

I stare out the window of my private dining room. We’re near the plains by the Golden Sea—exactly where I predicted we’d be.

Sometimes, strangely, when the castle moves, I hope it will end up in a completely unexpected location, just to prove me wrong, just so I can question whether we’re really heading to the Fiery Gorge. It hasn’t happened yet. The upside is that at least the castle always lands on a rather empty area, without any risk of crushing houses with everyone inside, since I made sure to evacuate the locations in the trajectory of the castle. Many more areas than needed are evacuated, of course, just so people don’t realize where the castle is going.

A servant brings a tray with three large bowls in it, one with a fruit salad, and two with oatmeal and almonds.

Azur walks in after the servant, takes his usual place, and serves himself, as if nothing was happening. He’s dressed like usual, wearing a leather vest and a black hat.

My stomach is turning, but I sit by him.

“It moved,” I blurt, my words unable to convey even a fraction of my horror, my agony.

Azur swallows, then says, “It was bound to do that.”

“Four more moves, Azur. Four. It’s nothing.”

He sets the spoon and stares at me, as if finally grasping the gravity of the situation. “Weren’t you sure you had found a solution?”

“ Finding a solution is not the same as using it. The girl is… I don’t know. Distant.” I felt as if there was an insurmountable wall of ice between us.

He puts some more almonds on his plate. “The castle won’t move again tomorrow. Have some patience.”

Patience when anguish is corroding my blood?

I decide to take a plate and eat. It’s not as if a hunger strike will stop the castle.

“Also,” he says between two bites, “I placed a lady-in-waiting with the human girl.”

“Why?” I never took Azur for the type who watches the castle maintenance closely, and this decision puzzles me.

“You asked me to help you. The human girl probably feels uncomfortable with enchanted servants, and an unbound fae will make her more at ease, keep her company.”

I’m still not sure I follow his logic. “Astra should seek my company. It’s bad enough that I have to keep that oaf who calls himself her master here.”

Azur raises his spoon. “Renel, a Tiurian needs love to grant someone magic. Love, not desperation due to loneliness.”

“Are magical rules that picky?”

“You want the girl to feel happy, at home, right? Details like that matter.”

He might have a point. Still, something about the idea still bothers me. “Is this fae trustworthy?”

“I trust no one. But I’m assuming you’re not going to tell her your secrets.”

I huff. “I’m thinking about Astra. If word goes anywhere that we have a Tiurian here…”

Azur pushes a strand of hair behind his ear. “Astra’s trained. Wasn’t she what they call an elite guard in her kingdom? It means she’s disciplined and won’t give away a secret like that —or she would have been unmasked a long time ago. Humans have no love for Tiurians.”

“Fair.”

Azur smiles. “You need to trust me, Renel.”

“As if I didn’t.” The food is all tasting ashy and weird and I’m not sure I should be eating, and then I feel awkward by having to ask something so personal. “Any tips? I’m going to see her today. And don’t tell me to wait. I’ll die if I have to wait right after seeing the castle move.”

Azur stares at his spoon, his bowl, then back at me. “Well, I read that you should make her laugh.”

“That can’t be right. Who wants someone ridiculous?”

“Not ridiculous. Fun, relaxing, entertaining.”

“I have no doubt that I can entertain her. The issue is getting to the point where she’ll let me.”

“Yes. A long journey. Anyway, one tip is to make her laugh.”

That makes no sense. “If that were true, comedic bards would have women falling—” I stop myself even before I finish the dumb sentence. Of course they find a lot of women. “Fair. I mean, unfair. Can’t they like gloomy and grumpy? Anxious and apprehensive? It’s no wonder nobody has ever fallen for me.”

Azur points at me with his spoon. “Princess Crisine seemed pretty smitten.”

“Yes, fascinated with the crown she doesn’t know I don’t own.”

“You should ask your dear brother.”

I’m not sure if he’s brilliant or demented. “How to seduce Astra?”

“Ask him for the crown.”

“As if he’d give it to me. And I don’t need the crown. I need magic to stop the castle. To do that, I need to make Astra fall in love with me. Can we focus?”

“Right. So… If you want to make her laugh, you could tell her jokes.”

“I don’t know a single one.”

“Learn some. There are books with lists and?—”

A bell sounds in the corner of the room. It’s the sign that Zorwal is approaching. I had to order the fae in the hallway to ring that, so that I know he’s coming. Azur sits straight and removes his hat.

I stop eating, now deeply regretting consuming the fruit that wants to escape my stomach.

A few long seconds go by until the council leader steps in, unannounced, as always. He glances at Azur, then bows to me.

“Your majesty. An emergency meeting has been called. You need to present yourself to the council chamber in five minutes.”

Five. The council members probably had a lot more time to get here, but Zorwal likes to warn me at the last moment. Still, I get up at once. “I’ll be there.”

Zorwal leaves, and I remain here wondering what exactly is happening. Emergency meetings are rare, and this one is giving me a queasy feeling.

I turn to Azur. “I’ll talk to you later.”

He gets up. “Do you want any help?”

“No. I’m fine.”

I rush to my dressing room and pull back my hair with two silver side combs, then put on a more ceremonial attire, with a silk shirt and leather trousers. In moments like this, I always like to look like a king, but never like someone who’s making an effort to appear kingly, and finding the balance is tricky.

It’s just a meeting, like many others before. Just a meeting because an emergency happened. What emergency? I suppose I’ll find out.

I arrive at the council room and find that five of the nine councilors are already in their places. Zorwal glances at me from his usual seat, while I take the biggest and highest chair.

A knight of the Royal Army stands in the middle of the room.

“You can proceed,” Zorwal says. “The other councilors couldn’t make it.”

The knight turns to me and kneels, his posture too rigid, too tense. He’s nervous. “Your majesty. There was a breach at the Desert Keep.”

His words would make me tremble if I didn’t have so much self control. I don’t even flinch. Hiding my fear is something I’m an expert at. “Explain.”

The knight hesitates while I stand here wondering if Marlak’s hurt, and if they’ll find out I took a prisoner without authorization.

So many things about to go wrong. Did something happen to my brother?

ASTRA

T he soft, shallow rhythm of his breathing tells me he’s awake.

I feel a feather touch on my forehead—and open my eyes, to find Marlak, so close, staring at me with the tenderness of a thousand embraces, running a finger over my face. I’m lying on his chest, just like I’ve done so many times before, except that it’s real now. I can’t believe it; it’s real.

A bubble of joy fills my chest and spreads to my entire body, so much joy that I feel I could fly.

I trace a finger over his star, never breaking that precious eye contact, those threads of destiny pulling us closer, as morning sunlight bathes the room in a golden hue. What a wondrous reality. Fantastic, amazing reality.

He’s still caressing my face, and says, “I didn’t want to wake you.”

“Why not? This is worth waking up for.”

He kisses my cheekbone. “I’ve dreamed of mornings like this with you.” He chuckles, then frowns. “Quite… literally.”

I chuckle too. “I can’t wait to go back home.”

He pulls my hand and kisses the back of it. “It’s just a hideout.”

“It’s home.” And then I think about the Amethyst Palace, that castle calling me to it, that castle I know I need to find. And I have a million questions to ask my husband. “How did you escape?”

“Funny. I’m wondering the same thing here.”

“I asked first.”

Still caressing my hair, he tells me about a royal prison in the desert in the Shadow Lands. His description stuns me, as it’s nothing like the place I saw in Renel’s mind. The way he escaped is surprising too.

I’m glad he’s here, and still curious about all these alliances he’s made throughout the years. “So the giants also support you?”

He looks down and rolls a strand of hair on his finger. “No, but—” His hesitation is significant, I know it.

“What?”

He takes a deep breath.“They’re afraid of something, I’m not even sure what. Giants are not great communicators. I promised to help them if I could , which is an easy enough promise. And I said that one of them should come and find me when they need help. They can’t cross the river.”

“So you tricked them.”

“No.” He frowns, visibly offended. “I just agreed with what they asked. To be very honest, I wanted to stay in the Desert Keep until I knew you were free and safe. It wasn’t my idea to escape, but once they broke the wall, what was I going to do? The Shadow Lands are dangerous, even for me.” He raises a fist. “And I had dark metal cuffs dulling my magic. The Nymphs removed it.”

“I’m glad you had no choice, then.”

“And you? Did Ferer or Nelsin actually?—”

“Kind of. It was Lidiane and Tarlia who infiltrated the castle. Lidiane had these capes, and when you wear them, you’re not noticed. So I left.” Odd how it sounds so simple when I explain it.

“Magical capes?” He blinks, thoughtful. “That sounds quite useful. And where are they?”

“I have mine, but the magic is gone. They kept?—”

“I mean Lidiane and your friend. They weren’t here last night.”

“They’re in the castle. Tarlia’s pretending to be me, and Lidiane’s working her glamours on her.”

The sparkle in his eyes dims at once, replaced by a shadow of something dangerous. “In the Crystal Castle? And you aren’t worried?”

I sit up. “It’s a great opportunity to take down Renel.”

He sits as well. “No, no. Wait a minute. You mean they are going to stay there? With my enemy?”

“To bring him down.”

“So let me get this straight. The moment Renel decides to threaten me, what am I going to do? Imagine if he says, crown me king, or I’ll cut her tongue . Or worse. Should I just laugh and say, Hey, she’s not my wife, she’s my wife’s sister ! How’s that going to help me? And Lidiane? Of all people? She’s Ferer’s little sister. What am I supposed to do if he threatens her?”

“I don’t think those are your brother’s plans. I think… he wanted something from me.”

“Right. From you. And what do you think will happen the moment he realizes she’s not you? Or the moment Lidiane is caught? She’s a lower fae, Astra!”

I huff, annoyed that he’s thinking I’m callous or something. “First, it wasn’t my idea—or my orders. Second, I don’t understand why you’re worried about them. Didn’t you break my heart, stick a dagger in it, and twist and twist it? All so your brother would think you don’t care about me? Well then, great! You don’t care about them, so they’ll be safe, right? Isn’t that the whole point? Or did you hurt my feelings for fun?”

He rolls his eyes and shakes his head. “It was a last resort attempt to save you, and I wasn’t even sure if it would work.”

“Marlak, if you truly think your stupid lies wouldn’t save me, then there was no point in what you did to hurt me.”

“Astra, I already apologized! I know I was wrong. At the moment, all I thought was that the pretense would keep you alive—for some time. I wasn’t sure for how long.”

“Consider then that you barely know Tarlia, and there’s no reason for them to think you know Lidiane. And if you think their being there is that much of an issue, no problem! I can return and replace them.” He glares at me, but I continue. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime chance. Didn’t you say you wanted to defeat your brother? Lidiane wants to defeat Renel. Nelsin, Ferer, we all want a better kingdom. You have no right to complain that Lidiane and Tarlia are trying.”

He fiddles with his rings, then stares at me and huffs. “What does Tarlia want? Why should she care?”

“She was attacked on the way back. Someone was trying to kill Ziven. He’s the true Krastel heir, you know? So now, with Otavio in the Crystal Castle, Ziven here, what is she going to do? I know what it’s like, Marlak, to wait for that moment, that opportunity when you can…” I sigh. “ Achieve something. Prove your worth.”

“You have nothing to prove!”

“I know. But I understand wanting to matter, wanting to do something. She can’t hope to go back and do anything for Krastel. What’s she going to return to? Here, she can make a difference. Why wouldn’t she seize the opportunity?”

Marlak rubs a hand on his face. “You’re assuming she thinks like you.”

“We had the same upbringing. Of course she thinks like me.”

He stares at me, some deep pain in his eyes. “I don’t like it, Astra. I don’t like Lidiane there. Or your sister. Renel obviously doesn’t seem evil. I bet he was really nice. That’s the whole point. It’s what he does; he gets you to trust him, then stabs you.”

I realize he’s no longer talking about Tarlia or Lidiane, but about himself. “Are you ever going to be able to tell me what happened?”

“Slowly, yes.”

He looks up and up until his eyes go white. The only reason I don’t worry is that he’s being casual about it. He reaches out his hand, and a ball that looks like a dark storm cloud appears on his palm. It vanishes suddenly, leaving in its place the dagger he showed me in the sanctuary. I realize this is how he accesses the relics.

He points to the object that just appeared in his hand. “With this, I can break some of my promises, some of my deals with my brother. But I’ll need all the help I can get, so I’ll want to tell Ferer too. It’s easier to tell you both at once.” He raises the dagger. “And not overuse it.”

The fact that he’ll need help for whatever plans he has doesn’t put me at ease. “There’s something worrying you.”

He pulls me close and kisses my forehead. “Always. But at least you are safe. No words can convey how much it matters to me.”

I’m anxious to hear what he has to say, but at the same time, I don’t want him complaining that Tarlia and Lidiane are in the castle. “I’m safe. I’m here. I trust Tarlia, she’s… my sister. Let her do her job. Let her find honor in defeating a tyrant.”

“It’s not like I can rescue them, wife. I’m just… Maybe you’re right, and it will be fine.”

“Lidiane is great with glamours. They can escape easily with her capes. I trust them.”

“All I can do is let the threads of destiny do their work, and hope they won’t lead them to their doom.”

“Ferer mentioned something similar. I didn’t know fae believed in threads of destiny.”

He smirks. “I didn’t know humans did. Well, it’s the same land after all, and we were not always apart.” He runs a finger through my hair. “Let’s get dressed. Nelsin should be back soon, and it’s his house, after all. Unless you have any more secrets you want to tell me.”

His words remind me of what I saw in Renel’s mind. “Not a secret, but… I had lunch with your brother, and he shook my hand. At that moment, I saw something horrific; fire consuming the room where I was, swallowing the entire castle. But it didn’t seem to be a memory.”

Marlak raises his eyebrows. “What did you think it was?”

I’m not even sure. “A… fear? An intention?” The thought chills me. “A vision? Or else… a distorted memory.”

“Most likely some kind of memory. I’m shocked that he would even care.”

Of course Renel would care at least a little. He saw his mother dying in a fire. Even then—that vision… I can still recall the horror I felt, but this is not the time to poke Marlak’s painful memories.

“There’s more,” I add. “Something… odd. I’m not even sure if it’s important. I had some residue of your magic when I met your brother.”

“My magic…” His forehead crinkles.

“Yes. I didn’t know it at first, but then I froze a glass of water—after seeing that horrible vision. I have used some of your magic before, that day after we ran away from the Misty Court, on that island, after tasting your blood.”

He blinks. “Is that what you did?”

“Didn’t you notice I licked your palm?”

“Yes, but I thought you were sorry you had cut me. And if you wanted to lick me, I wasn’t going to complain, you know? I even held myself back, didn’t ask you to keep going.”

I punch his shoulder lightly. “Crass. You’re so crass.”

“Really? You’ve seen nothing.”

“I’ve seen enough. In case you’re wondering, I do want to lick you in more interesting places . With no blood.” His lips relax in an adorable smile. “But I was telling you something that might be important, might not.”

“I’m just trying to understand. You’re saying that if you taste someone’s blood, you get their magic?”

My body tenses, somehow finding it strange to hear it out loud like that, said so matter-of-factly. “Yes, but I had never tried it. Never even knew I could do it, until that day, when… I was angry, out of control. I don’t know what happened. Where did you think my magic came from?”

He contracts his shoulders. “At the time, I didn’t know. Didn’t really understand it. I thought perhaps you were part fae—or fully fae, like me. I mean, you’re an orphan, right? It could be. I knew you were afraid of your magic. That much I understood, but I didn’t consider what it could be.” He bites his lip, then stares at me. “That’s an incredible skill.”

“Well, I don’t know how to use it, and I’m not going to go around drinking people’s blood. But yesterday morning, I still had a trace of your magic. I guess not from blood, but… your seed. It turns out that it doesn’t need to be taken orally.”

He reaches out and strokes my hair. “Maybe you should try both methods and compare.”

“I will. Later. Just don’t call it that other milk because it’s the most asinine description I’ve ever heard. And I want to finish telling you what I was trying to.”

His eyes darken. “Do you have any idea how crazy that dream drove me? You were so beautiful with your lips around my cock. Do you mind if I call it cock? You’re all into…” He waves a hand in the air. “Polite words.”

“I was under the table, you couldn’t possibly have seen?—”

A gust of air reaches me and lifts me from the bed for a second.

He raises an eyebrow. “Couldn’t I? I recall removing that silly, pesky table. And you didn’t answer my question.”

“I don’t have any problem with words. I’ll suck your cock until you fill my throat with come. Is that what you want to hear? But I’m trying to tell you something.”

He grimaces. “And you expect me to pay attention?”

I roll my eyes. “Whatever. Anyway. You told me that you could extract a thought if you touched someone with that intention, and that’s what I did. I put a hand on Renel’s arm, trying to find out where he was keeping you, and I had a series of clear visions, except that they were obviously wrong, since I didn’t see any desert or desert keep. I saw a strange place; an island with a tower, then a raven, a symbol…”

He straightens and his tone shifts immediately. “Tower? What exactly did you see?”

Tower… Right. Perhaps like the one he was searching in his dreams.

The images of the vision are still ingrained in my mind. “A tower, a raven, a bridge, a gate, a lake with an island in it, ice, a plaque with the drawing of a heart, an eye, and a teardrop. But it was wrong.”

“Astra.” His voice is shaky, his eyes wide, and he reaches a hand to me. “Can you let me see it?”

“Sure.”

As soon as his hand wraps around my wrist, those images flash through my mind in succession, even clearer than in my memory. A dark tower stands on an island, with lush, green vegetation, in the middle of a lake with steamy water. A covered bridge leads to it, with a gate and a plaque with a drawing of a heart, an eye, and a teardrop

His eyes are even wider when he pulls his hand and stares at me. “You… Found it.”