Page 99 of The Freedom You Seek
Dion chuckled darkly and turned his attention from Rewi to me. Ignoring my halfhearted attempt to humor him into getting dressed, he stalked toward me until he was close enough to make me dizzy. Gods, this man wielded his body like his magic—with every intention to kill. He didn’t need a weapon—without his clothes he was one himself, a delirious combination that was both beautiful and lethal. I had no chance, none at all.
“With—pleasure.” His voice was a low, raspy rumble, and he leaned forward, right into my personal space, until his hand touched the shadow tendril curled around my wrist, which uncoiled lazily, brushing gently over the sensitive skin of my arm, leaving goosebumps in its wake until it finally slithered back toward its master where it dissipated. One thing was true: Dion had completely unraveled me—hook, line, and sinker. His chest was too close to my face, and my cheeks lit up like a light fire, furiously blushing as I got a good whiff of his petrichor and evergreen scent that, for once, wasn’t layered with the smell from the travels.
The hot sensation in my core reared up with a vengeance, and I totally spaced out.
“I won’t leave the room even if you start making out.” Rewi’s dry tone pulled me back to reality, and from the wicked grin on Dion’s face, I instantly knew he, indeed,was attempting to bully her into vacating the chamber by trying to embarrass her. Well, he wasn’t acquainted with Rewi, so all he managed was to make me extremely flustered instead of her.
“Insufferable Idiot.” I slid sideways out of Dion’s vicinity and got up, away from his perfectly sculpted body. “Don’t think I don’t know that you could have dissolved your magic from across the room, you…ass.” I’d wanted to use another curse, but my mind blanked as soon as I realized that the towel didn’t close all the way at the back, giving me aperfectview I wouldn’t forget for a long time.
“And where would be the fun in that, Jama? Your red face is a sight to behold.”
“Go and play with something sharp, and leave me alone.” Abashed, I grabbed my bag and stormed into the washroom, not only to clean up but also to regain my sanity after witnessingthat body.Nature wasn’t fair, wrapping someone so insufferable into such an indescribable exterior.
There was no sound coming through the closed door, and I finally shed my clothes and cleaned myself, doing my best not to think about Dion clothed in nothing but a small towel and especially not about the fact that I’d just left him alone and basically naked with another woman.Shit.
After I’d thoroughly cleaned up and cooled down in the process, I got dressed in the fresh gown Antas had brought me from his last supply trip. I brushed my hair, cleaned my dirty clothes, and scattered them throughout the washroom to dry.
When I had no reason to linger any longer, I stepped back into the bedroom, only to find Dion gone.
“Did you actually manage to get Dion to leave?” I addressed Rewani, who’d waited for me, and I stowed my bag away.
“Wasn’t that hard. Told your guard dog slash sex god we’ll smother him with his pillow during the night if he doesn’t loosen your reins. He showed me his teeth and left after making me promise to come downstairs with you when you’re done washing. A real mother hen, that one.”
Relief flooded through me as I realized this meant Dion was comfortable enough to leave me alone with Rewi. I didn’t fall for the illusion he could believe she wasn’t a threat, but it was a beginning. “Tell me about it. Either that—or ice cold.”
“There’s something mysterious about your travel companions. I mean, five men with magic who rescued you without having a clue why, all looking absolutely delicious?”
“I’d keep my distance from Thain, though. From everything I heard and saw, he’s a terrible flirt and also quite shallow.”
“Interesting.” Rewi grinned, and I chuckled back at her.
“But I know what you mean. I’ve spent quite some time with all of them. We’ve talked a lot, and I’ve gotten information, but it feels like for every answer I get, there are two more secrets they keep.”
“Well, share with me, and maybe we can unravel it together.”
I nodded. Without hesitation, I told Rewi everything, starting with my escape from Credenta, the reason the men had given me for taking me with them, to magic in general, to being hunted by Perran Feroy, the fact that all history had been altered, to the current situation with the wild rifts, and the whole existence of another world with its inhabitants, the fae. Finally, I also admitted that my involvement went even deeper—that I was an Amplifier, shared what I’d learned about the Rite of Binding, and what Larithia had told us. There was nothing I left out, apart from my frequent nightmares and the almost-kissbetween Dion and me. Finally, I ended my report with the last bit of information, “And now we’re on our way to Amalach.”
“That fae city that got destroyed to frame our former king.”
“Yes, exactly.”
“It’s kind of unfair. All my life, I was sure that there must be more than what we can see. I’d give my all to be swept away by mystery and adventure while you’ve always been the reasonable one. And nowyouare some magical support for not one, but five sexy men.”
“Dion wouldn’t allow the others to use my Potential. Don’t suggest it—except if you want him to go all feral. Possessive bastard, that one.”
“My point still stands.”
Inspecting my hands, I didn’t know what to say.
“What’s up, Naya? I can see you’re trying to avoid mentioning something.”
“I’m sorry. I’m living your dream and can’t even appreciate it. Everything is just so overwhelming.”
“Stop it, Nayana Garnet Ortha. If I can live adventure blatantly through you and maybe help in some way, then I shall be happy. Shit, I’m already blown away that I’ve been right all the time.”
We sat in comfortable silence until I felt Rewi observing me cautiously. Whatever she had to say, I was sure I wouldn’t like it.
“You know I love you, Naya. But I think you’re overly suspicious about everything and everyone trying to oppress and control you. Don’t you think this paranoia couldharm you in the long run? I mean, I know how ridiculous it sounds, but if you’re trying to save both worlds, shouldn’t you grasp at everything that benefits you?”