Page 30 of In The Dark

I can’t blame her flustered response though. His eyes immediately draw you in, being a deep, vivid shade of blue.

“Now that you bought me my ale, are you finally going to tell me why you’ve been tracking me?” I get out and force down a scowl and sip the ale, realizing it’s not the same as the previous night. Little does he know, I’m not typically a fan of ale except on rare occasions. “What do you know about my parents?”

His glass is halfway to his lips when he halts, setting it backdown with furrowed brows. He leans back and uncomfortably rubs the back of his neck—or maybe that’s just in my head, but I track the movement anyway.

“You wouldn’t believe me even if I told you,” he mutters, not quite meeting my gaze when there’s a pause, like he’s searching for the right words—or perhaps he’s just stalling. “That’s why I haven’t told you everything yet. You already… startle so easily. I don’t want to frighten you any more than you are. You’re like a little fawn.” He chuckles and crosses his arms, but I can’t tell if he’s uncomfortable or just being an ass.

Regardless, my temper flares at the comment—little fawn. Good to know this is a joke to him. After all, he should be dead. The ale in my hand suddenly meets the table with a hard thud, my patience thinning the longer I sit here.

“Are you going to tell me anything, or are you just going to keep avoiding answering my questions?” I grit my teeth.

The silence stretches as he holds my gaze, the air thick with tension, but he doesn’t look angry, almost as if my quiet outburst is expected. He sighs, hands splaying like he’s bracing himself.

“Isa,” he says quietly, but then his brows pinch as if he’s having a hard time finding the right words. “You’ve been missing for twenty years, but I haven’t seen you in fifteen. My name is not Alec… It’s Rydian.”

I bark a laugh of disbelief, the sound sharp, before taking another sip of my ale, shaking my head in annoyance at the untimely humor. Then discomfort coils deep into the pit of my stomach as the ale slides down my throat. My eyes flick up, stomach dropping to the floor when I catch his serious expression.He’s serious?

“That’s not… possible. We’ve never met. I don’t know you,” I say, the words tumbling out.

Alec—Rydian’scalm exterior falters just enough for me to catch the brief flicker of panic in his eyes before he composeshimself. He remains seated though, hands calmly resting on the table like he’s trying not to spook me.

Missing for twenty years? What does that mean, exactly? Does he think I’m from Aurelia?

My pulse rises as his words play in my head over and over. I slowly shake my head, rubbing the inside of my wrist until it aches. He’s Shadovar—he could be manipulating me, right? It’s in their nature. So hehasto be lying.

“You know me,” he says confidently.

“Twenty years?” My voice wavers, and I hate how unsteady it sounds as I process his words. “You’re lying. That’s not—that’s not me. It’s not possible. I was bornhere,in Elderheim. You’re mistaken.” But even as I say it, doubt squeezes its way in.What if he’s not?

“I found you once before when you were ten,” he says calmly. “It’s not a mistake. I knew your parents. Your father was?—”

“I would haveknown,” I growl, my mind racing with all the possibilities. Bracing my hands on the table, I stand with a deep breath, closing my eyes. Alec mimics the movement in anticipation, earning a few glances from guests nearby, I assume, given the quietness that just settled over the tavern.

And just like that, I flee from the table, away fromthis, leaving my ale and Alec—Rydian, or whoever he is—behind as I bolt for the doors.

“Isa, wait!” he calls out, but I’m already out the door, heading to where we met under the trees. A minute passes before he finally catches up, my pulse thrumming in my veins when he reaches for me.

My eyes flare when I whirl around. “How? How is it possible that I could have been missing for twenty years? It doesn’t make sense! This is myhome.”

“This is not your home!” His eyes frantically scan mine as if searching for any sort of recognition, but I come up blank.

Frustration grips me, because I know he’s wrong—he has tobe. I’ve always been an orphan, no sign of my parents or knowledge of where I came from even after searching for them.

But what if I’ve been searching in the wrong realm?Doubt pushes its way in just as he takes two large steps forward, extending a hand as if to prevent me from running. Only I step back with a glare, instantly palming my daggers.

“Isa, please,” he says calmly, his hand still outstretched. “Please don’t run. It’s much easier to show you than it is to explain it to you.”

He quickly darts forward and suddenly grabs my face with a heavy exhale. Yet for some reason, my daggers fall to the ground the moment a shudder races down my body from his touch. He’s suddenly the only thing keeping me in place as his eyes dart across my face, lips parting.

“How can you show me? I can’t leave with you,” I mutter.

“I can show you in a different way. Let me show you,” he says, and a strained exhale escapes me when I slowly and hesitantly nod “You have to say yes, Isa.” His voice is low, carefully exhaling in relief.

“Yes,” I breathe.

“You’re going to take a breath and close your eyes.” He guides my head back in his hands. “Then you’re going to feel my presence in your mind. When you do, you’re going to search for me and let me in.”

I do as he suggests, searching for him behind closed eyelids, something I’ve never done before, but I feel him.