Page 21

I stare at him, unable to speak. I’m shaking, and it has nothing to do with being cold.

I thought a nuclear explosion was the worst he could do with his power.

But if he’s able to affect the sun itself, then it’s not just nuclear fission he’s capable of but also nuclear fusion.

With his mind , he’s somehow able to change the burning power of a star that’s millions of miles away.

How is such a thing possible?

No wonder people think he’s the prince in the prophecy. I can’t blame them.

His power is beyond belief, beyond comprehension.

It’s absolutely terrifying.

And I am terrified… but at the same time, the vulnerability that stirs in our bond makes my chest clench with compassion.

Aruan didn’t ask for this. He’s not doing these terrible things on purpose.

I’ve gotten to know him well enough by now to be certain of that. Something must’ve set off his reaction.

Reaching out, I take his hand. “What happened?”

Finally, the mask drops. Anger contorts his features. “I know who sent you to Earth, and I think I know why you got so sick when you arrived there.”

My heart starts pounding as I stare at him. “That’s what made you so upset?”

Calculation crosses over his face. “Do not say that was because of you.”

Despite my best effort to hide my perturbation, I can’t help how breathless my reply sounds. “I wasn’t going to say that.”

He pins me with a look, cutting me open and seeing right through me. “But that’s what you’re thinking.”

I’m thinking a lot of things, starting with, surprisingly, that I care.

Aruan’s pain is like white-hot coals smoldering in my stomach.

All I want is to take it away. I don’t even know when it happened.

I only know I don’t want him to suffer. And yes, I’m thinking that it’s my fault.

If not for me, he wouldn’t lose control of his power like that.

The disasters he set off today because someone banished me send more shivers down my spine. If I stay, it’s a risk. But if I leave, it will be just as perilous, if not more so.

My ribcage constricts, squeezing the air from my lungs as the impossible situation stares me in the face.

“It’s not your fault, Elsie.” A muscle ticks in his jaw. “I’ll get a better handle on my control. It won’t happen again.”

That’s not something he can guarantee, and I don’t want him to make promises he may break, but we’re getting sidetracked. “Was it your mother? Is that what she wanted to talk to you about?”

The set of his mouth hardens. “She wanted to talk about your power, which poses a risk if you don’t use it responsibly, but I wanted answers.”

“She admitted it,” I say with a tremulous exhale.

He rubs his thumb over my knuckles. “She thinks your body was put back together wrongly when she sent you through the portal, seeing that you were only a baby.”

“ That’s why I was dying?”

His eyebrows snap together, drawing deep lines over his forehead. “We believe so. Coming back to Zerra reversed the process.”

I look down at my body. “Which explains why my old scars are gone and why my heart isn’t failing any longer.”

As incredible as it sounds, it does make sense.

My mind starts working a mile a minute, digesting what this means about these parallel worlds.

If that’s the case, it would explain how traveling through a portal is possible.

The atoms making up our bodies are deconstructed on one side and reassembled on the other side of the time and space that’ve been bent.

This is incredible.

I’m so caught up in the mind-boggling discovery that I almost forget why we’re having this conversation. The dark expression with which Aruan continues to stare at me gives me pause.

“I’m not dying, am I?” I ask quickly.

He lets go of my hand and cups my cheek. “No, Elsie. You’re not dying. If anything, you’re getting stronger. What you did with your power today was proof alone.”

“Then why are you still upset?”

“I’m angry about the time that’s been stolen from us. I’m furious with my mother for taking you from me. My own family betrayed me.”

I search his eyes. “Why did she do it? Was it because of the prophecy?”

“Yes,” he says with gritted teeth. “And for that, I’ll never forgive her. I vowed the guilty party would pay, and I never break an oath.”

“What are you going to do?” I pull away. “She’s your mother, Aruan.”

He drops his arms to his sides. “She claimed to have banished you out of love for me and to save your life, but what she did was cruel and inexcusable.”

Empathy compels me to say, “I’m not happy about the situation I find myself in either, but I’m sure she loves you. Parents sometimes make the wrong decisions when they try to protect us, doing things they think are in our best interest even though we disagree.”

He studies me with a perceptive gaze. “You’re speaking from experience.”

I shrug. “My parents didn’t want me to study. They thought I was just wasting the little time I had left. They didn’t understand why it was important to me.”

“Then why do you still want to see them?”

“Because I love them, and that will never change.”

He considers my statement for a moment. “You’re not angry with them.”

“They sometimes annoy me like all parents irritate their kids at times, but they do what they do because they care about me.”

He narrows his gaze. “Are you saying my mother shouldn’t be held accountable for her actions?”

“I’m saying that there are always two sides to a story and that you shouldn’t judge her too harshly for acting in what she believed was your best interest.”

His eyes flare. “You’re defending her.”

Again, there’s a painful tug in my chest when I think about my own parents and how much I miss them, knowing that I may never see them again. “I’m just saying things aren’t always black and white.”

The silver of his irises darkens to the color of molten steel. “Intelligent and strong, as well as kind and fair. You’ll make a great queen.”

I laugh uncomfortably. “You’ll give me a big head.”

The heat in his eyes morphs into an intention I recognize only too well.

“Aruan—”

His name has barely left my lips before my mud-stained shoes and dress vanish, and I stand in front of him naked, wearing only the necklace he gave me.

“That’s better,” he growls with satisfaction, already reaching for me before I have time to gasp.

His own clothes evaporate before he yanks me against him in a crushing embrace.

My body agrees. It wants this. But my mind is still lucid enough to recognize our work is far from over.

I strain in his grasp. “I need to check on the humans.”

He presses a kiss on my neck. “They can wait.”

“No.” I use all my strength to push him away while I still have some self-control left. “It’s late. They’ll be worried, not knowing what’s going on.”

He spears his hands through my hair. “A little worry has never killed anyone.”

“It wouldn’t be fair to them.”

His voice drips with dark seduction. “You know what wouldn’t be fair?” Taking my hand, he cups it over his hard-on. “Leaving me like this.” His warm breath fans over my lips. “You did this. Now, fix it.”

Damn.

He feels good.

And just like that, all my noble intentions vanish and my resistance crumbles. When I lean against him, a wicked smile curves his lips. He lifts me up, waiting until I’ve hooked my legs around his hips before he carries me to the bed.

I lock my arms around his neck, staring into those mercury-colored eyes. “I want to take Karl and the women outside. They need fresh air.”

He’s all flexing muscles and virility, his large body engulfing mine. “You can take them to an inner courtyard.”

“The Sky Bridge.”

His powerful steps jostle me in his arms. “Ten minutes.”

I’ll take that. “And I want to see the scrolls again.”

“Next week.”

My smile is challenging. “Tomorrow.”

His eyes turn into slits. “Are you using sex for bargaining with me again, mate?”

I fake innocence. “You know what? Actually, I’m exhausted. Maybe we should wait?—”

“Fine,” he growls impatiently. “Tomorrow.”

I’m about to gloat about that victory and rub it in his face, but everything I wanted to say is forgotten when he splays his fingers over the back of my head before closing them in a fist in my hair. With a gentle but decisive tug, he tilts my face back, exposing my mouth for his taking.

Whatever I was thinking turns to ashes in the wake of the flames that blaze between us.

Before my back hits the bed, he’s already kissing me like there is no tomorrow.