Page 82 of Eternal Ruin

He trailed a look down her form, caught her straight, unblinking gaze. Something made him hesitate for a second before he said, “I will be escorting you.”

“You will?”

“Of course.” His face was wiped clean of any expression, though the tightness of his voice gave him away. “As your companion, I’ll counsel you on your future husband. After all, we’ll both be living with him.”

Kidan’s ears buzzed at the words “future husband.” Especially coming from Susenyos. It stunned her how casually he said it. As if it was a fact already.

Unfortunately, the Arcane Tower was far from Uxlay, and the moment Kidan stepped out the door, her emotions would cling to her like starved leeches.

31.

JUNE

How to push someone to take a life,” a light voice read over June’s shoulder.

June jerked, dropping her highlighting pen, and snapped her book shut. A hand lifted the overhanging branch and a tall figure stepped into view. He was smiling, that was the first thing June noticed. He didn’t want to scare her. It helped a little. The stranger’s skin was a pretty shade of bronze, the exact shade of autumn. And no texture or blemish graced his angular face. He did not blink for a very long time. All of which told her he was a dranaic.

But it was his headband,gold, which covered his forehead, that demanded her urgent focus.

“You,” June said in wonder.

“Have we met before?” Even his question smiled.

“Your headband.” June studied the long dancing ribbons among his locs. “You’ve been watching me.”

“Ah, I haven’t introduced myself yet,” he said. “I’m Taj Zuri.”

June recalled the name, often whispered around the Nefrasi estate. Some vampires spoke about him with a smile, recalling the silly antics he got up to. While others categorized him as a traitor along with Susenyos Sagad and Iniko Obu.

If he was here, it was for nothing good.

A familiar chorus of bones clinked in her mind. Warde was with ProfessorAndreyas for his induction lessons, but he must have sensed her anxiety, and he spoke as if he were right next to her. Directly into her mind.

Should I come?he asked.

Taj’s eyes remained open. They weren’t dark and dangerous like Kidan’s or wild like Samson’s.

No, June spoke back after a moment.It’s fine.

Be careful. Do not trust him.

I won’t.

Taj raised a curious brow as the silence extended between them. Then he invited himself to join her, stretching his long legs beside her. June shuffled aside, making him smile. He wore a too-tight shirt that revealed the outline of his stomach muscles. It made June want to fetch him a jacket and fix her gaze on his shoes.

They were under a wawri tree that smelled like mint and cloves, its sap was useful for a hunger-curbing brew. June had chosen to sit here because it still amazed her how Uxlay decorated itself in plant species that weren’t native to this country. She could visit all the gardens without tiring, taking notes in her journal. And it distracted her from Qara Umil’s face. The way it shattered when she found out she’d failed Dranacti this semester. The guilt ate away at June for so long, she considered dropping out.

But she had to stay until she figured out what to do with Kidan and the mask.

You cannot let her touch that mask.It wasn’t Warde’s voice this time. He never ordered her, never made her wish she could crawl into the ground and hide. June had two voices in her mind at all times. Luckily, she often blocked out the one that wasn’t Warde.

“So your book.” Taj’s gaze slid down to her book again. It was titledMoral of the Soul.“It’s about pushing someone to take a life? Care to explain?”

June’s whole body stiffened. Think.Think. “It’s for… Dranacti.”

At this, something in his face dimmed slightly. “Oh.”

“It’s all theoretical,” June rushed to say, large eyes wide.