Page 138 of The Freedom You Seek
“Did you knowthatas well?” A fresh wave of anger coursed through me. Another thing he hadn’t told me.
Dion nodded, and his throat bobbed. “The humans based their wedding jewelry customs around the binding marks. Those are normally hidden under jewelry as well. It’s very…intimate to display the actual marks to outsiders. Thus, they’re covered up by a neck cuff and a bracelet. I…brought some. Not the one you’ve worn before, but…some I retrieved yesterday. I mean, only if you want to wear the piece I got you.”
“So you conveniently forgot to inform me about that too? And just expect me to accept all of it? Shit, Dion, what else? What will you pile on top of that heap of garbage next? You know what? Keep your jewels. I definitely don’t want them.”
“You were told the magic would mark us with a visible sign.”
“But not around my neck!” It was getting harder and harder to swallow my anger. Sensing that we hadn’t reached an end of the godsdamned revelations yet,the fury inside of me burned bright and hot. After all this, he was still keeping secrets.
Dion scowled. “I fucked up, all right?”
“You knew the moment we’d agreed to this. You knew everything and still kept me in the dark. Because you wanted that power, isn’t it right?”
The bastard had the audacity to stare at me in an offended manner. “You think this is about power?”
“That thought isn’t that far-fetched, is it?”
“You know what? This is going nowhere. We should head to the library instead.”
Ah, he built up his icy walls again. He let go of my hand, and once more, it was his magic that released me much later and far more reluctantly. I folded my arms, trying to ignore the painful pangs in my insides and the bitter taste in my mouth. But even now, while his eyes were so distant and cold, he was full of beauty. Were all faesogorgeous?
“Fine.” I turned toward the stairs when Dion’s voice reached me again.
“Twenty-four hours, Nayana. I’ll give you twenty-four hours. Then we’ll have the talk you agreed on.”
I let out a sound between a laugh and a snort. “There won’t be any talk as long as you still withhold things from me. Don’t even deny that you do.”
“Twenty-four hours. Iwillcollect.”
Now, it was me who deflected. “The library. Now.”
For the last time, I let my gaze roam the beautiful crypt, casting a last look at the altar and noticed the wooden box still standing on it. Dion really must have been out of himself to leave the relics behind. Out of instinct, I rushedto it and picked up the case and the satchel Dion had used to transport it. No matter what had happened, one thing was clear—I wouldn’t leave priceless relics behind.
The distance to the Mystic Library of Amalach was short, and Dion walked next to me, but lucky for him, he kept a healthy distance. All his lies felt like a never-ending betrayal, and the hurt deep within me almost tore me in two. I had to harden myself because the circumstances were bigger than me and my breaking heart. Another ugly thought surfaced.
“But is it true the worlds are in peril?”
“Yes.”
I could see the muscle in Dion’s jaw tick at my question. He was angry that I doubted everything—his problem. My trust had been shaken. And yet I felt his magic constantly mingling with my Potential on a non-physical level. It was automatic, most likely a side effect of the binding,and I wondered if it would always be like this. Still, I’d rather swallow my tongue than ask him.
Stopping in front of a faintly glowing door, my curiosity won over my anger for a moment because this must have been the Mystic Library of Amalach.
I reached for the handle, but Dion yanked me away. “Don’t.”
My temper flared at his one-word order, which would have annoyed me on the best of days, and I narrowed my eyes. “Dion!” I was about to lash out at him, but was distracted by a sensation that was familiar and yet so new. Dion was pulling from my Potential, mixing it with his magic, leaving a warmth spreading through my body, promising me with every beat of my heart that I was safe. Coveted. Protected. Cherished—great, now even the magic lied to me.
Shadows crept toward the glowing door, and after some moments, it swung open.
The bastard next to me grabbed my hand while I was still drowning in the sensations clouding my senses, and he pulled me through the door. Once inside, I yanked my hand back and glowered at him before turning my attention to the place we’d entered.
The building had looked fairly large from the outside, but the room we were standing in was small, with just a handful of bookshelves to the left and right. The walls were glowing, there was only a single tiny armchair available in a corner, and the whole place felt powerful yet strangely cozy.
“This place is as much a library as it is a librarian. While the knowledge of the library as a whole is vast, this room contains all the information that could be useful to us while filtering out the unnecessary.”
Nodding and appreciating the convenience, I couldn’t even begin to understand how it all worked.
“I’ll take the left,” I said and disappeared between two shelves. Being alone for a while was what I needed. I had to sort through all that had happened without seeing Dion’s stupid pointed ears all the time—they kept me from trying to think rationally.