Page 89 of The Freedom You Seek

Fig worked his jaw as if he’d eaten something very chewy, but he finally sighed. “Antas and Dion, then.”

“I’d rather take you.” Dion leaned down to me, his purr in my ear and his breath on my skin felt like a gentle caress before he stood up straight again, examining me with stormy eyes. Being well acquainted with that particular look, I knew that he was about to demand something after that kind of thorough scrutiny, and he didn’t disappoint. After he handed me the reins of our horse and turned toward the cottage, his firm voice held the commanding undertone that never failed to grate all my nerves. “Wait here. Don’t wander off. Don’t even move an inch!”

Instead of an answer, I glared at him, and a rude hand gesture I’d learned from Ireas just a few nights ago—he was telling a funny story about a friend who sounded suspiciously like Thain—showed him exactly what I thought of his overbearing comment.

Dion chuckled, shot me a playful warning gaze, and stalked off toward the cottage with Antas in tow. Following them with my eyes, I surveyed the two men moving side by side, their movements so similar that you could see their relations just by observation.

Dragging my thoughts away from them, I stood up from my patch of greenery and loosened the chin strap of our horse’s bridle, gently removed the bit, and took the saddle off. “You deserve a real break as well,” I crooned, and the animal quickly ignored me in favor of grazing while I eyed him like a hawk so he wouldn’t devour any of the flowers instead of the grass. It’d been too long since I’d felt as peaceful as I did at the moment, and I sighed in contentment.

But my quiet serenity didn’t last for long, for Antas returned only minutes later and approached me. “Nayana, the seer wants you to join Dion instead of me.”

“Me?”

“Yes, she explicitly requested for you, or there wouldn’t be a talk.”

“Hmm, all right.” I had no idea what to make out of this declaration. How did the seer know about me? Had she seen me inside her house in a vision?

With worry in my heart and anxiety on my face, I made my way to the small cottage. Dion was waiting outside in front of the half-opened door, looking tense. His fists were balled, and he wasn’t moving, all warning signs that his temper was close to boiling over, which was quite peculiar since his mood had been far fromthatatrocious not too long ago.

I stepped next to him and shot him a worried glance before turning to the doorway, peering at a half-visible woman. From what I could see, she was stunning. Tall and with deep auburn hair, her skin was smooth and even darker than Rewi’s. The most prominent of her features, though, were her eyes. Her irises were bright turquoise, and they shone even in the semi-darkness. I’d never seen such an eye color in my whole life, and with amazement, I wondered if she wasn’t human, considering what I’d been told about fae eyes and their vibrancy. A quick glance at her ears, however, was enough to dismiss that theory. They were round and ordinary like mine, even if heavily pierced. Her expression was hard, and she scowled as if she wanted to slam the door in our faces any second.

It wasn’t as if I hadn’t collected enough experience with unfriendly people lately, so I smiled at her, trying to disarm her with kindness. “Hello, Miss Larithia. Thank you for agreeing to this talk. Lor explained you’d prefer your solitude, so we’re grateful that you allow us to meet with you.”

The seer stared at me with narrowed eyes for a good while, then nodded curtly. “Come in.” Her voice reminded me of a rich melody, almost like music.

I wanted to step inside, but Dion hurried to enter first. His move had me almost stumble in surprise. He’d been so silent, and I was stunned by how fast he’d been. When he grabbed my hand without even looking, I speculated—and not for the first time—that he had hidden eyes in the back of his head. Tension radiated from him in waves. “You’re acting as if you’re expecting an ambush, Dion. Calm down.”

Dion just glowered and pulled me with him.

The seer led us into a cozy-looking kitchen. The furniture was mismatched but well-maintained, and the entire room smelled of a plethora of aromatic spices. Larithia motioned to a table standing in the middle of the room, and deciding to deal with an awkward situation by ignoring my discomfort, I accepted her invitation to sit while keeping my features as friendly as I possibly could. Dion busied himself by moving one of the chairs around until it stood directly next to mine instead of half a meter away, and only then did he settle down as well. I frowned at him, but all he did was narrow his eyes in warning in return. He was sitting so close to me that his body heat seared through my clothes, and I didn’t even have to look down to know that the squeezing sensation around my ankle was thanks to his magic circling my joint tightly. It was obvious that he was stressed, but I couldn’t fathom why.

The seer joined us soon after, carrying a kettle of boiling water as well as two pretty cups on top of saucers. The cerulean china appeared so delicate that I feared I’d break it simply by touching it. Our host opened a small container standing on the table and filled some strong-scented herbs into the cups, then topped them up with boiling water. She nudged one cup over to me and kept the other where it was, on her side of the table.

Larithia walked toward the stove again, and I guessed she’d fetch more water and another cup, but she returned empty-handed and settled into a chair across from me. Inoticed she chose to sit as far away from Dion as possible, and all the hostility directed especially at him irritated me.

“Did you forget to offer tea to Dion, by any chance?”

“No. I’m not sharing anything with the likes of him. Accept it or leave my home.” Larithia cast a disdainful glance at Dion, matching the unfriendly tone of her words while I glared openly at her.

Before I could retort something rude, Dion’s hand came to rest on my arm, and he lightly shook his head. “Let it go, Naya.”

I shot him a look, and he set his jaw, trying to keep his temper in check.

It wouldn’t help Dion if I gave in to anger myself, so instead, I met the seer’s glowing eyes. “Do you know why we’re here?” I asked when she didn’t speak on her own—evidently, I didn’t care that much about being friendly anymore.

“Because you want information. Just like everyone else who’s seeking me out. However, I have to say, your choice of company is questionable, young Nayana.”

A low growl erupted from Dion, and I nudged him with my elbow. “It seems you aren’t the only one disapproving of being in each other’s company. And that confuses me. From what I’ve been told, you don’t know each other.”

“Naya, focus on the important questions,” Dion interrupted, and Larithia’s eyes darted from me to him and back.

“I knowaboutthe males you’re traveling with, especially of this one here, the one you consider surrendering your strength to. And that’s enough.” Larithia sent anothersharp look full of daggers toward Dion, who returned it with even more ferocity. “And he thinks he can intimidate me and that it will protect you.”

Right on cue, another growl burst from Dion, louder this time.

She turned to him again. “Think of me when your house of cards collapses, will you?”

“Shut up.”