Page 166 of Wicked Magik

Vesper pressed her lips together.“That can be both good and bad.”

I hummed.“Would you like me to tell you what happened to Veylor and I in our previous life?”

Vesper licked her lips.“Please, just so I know. We don’t have to tell Veylor, at least not yet. I’m sure he will figure it out once he goes digging in our brains, but I want him to know I don’t look at him differently.”

My chest rumbled with her acceptance.“You will see him as innocent as I do, I promise you.”

Chapter 54

Chapter 55

Vesper

Ishifted away from Veylor's sleeping form and turned to face Oryx. Behind me, Veylor's arms found their way around my waist even in his sleep, his gentle snores vibrating against my back as Oryx completed our tangle of limbs.

"Back then, fated mates didn't exist among the high courts. Instead, we were pawns in political marriages—traded between courts for status, wealth, power. The nobility schemed constantly. Some courts waged battles while others formed tenuous alliances. It was what you call, a hot mess."

My lip quirked.

"Veylor despised the whole arrangement. I'd observed him from afar for months. Even among the naturally sullen Shadow Court fae, his brooding stood out like a thundercloud. He'd skulk in corners during gatherings. His parents couldn't even find a noble family desperate enough to consider him for their daughters."

I silently giggled and pressed my head into Oryx’s chest.

“Slowly I won him over—”

“—Because of your charm and devilish good looks?”I interrupted.

Oryx licked the side of my cheek.“Well, you saw me. I was a good specimen for a fae. We had to keep our coupling a secret however, males together were frowned upon. They could not produce heirs.

“Veylor’s sister took notice of me, I think she found out that we were an item. She was a selfish female and soon our parents paired us together to be married. That was when Veylor hatched a plan to destroy the courts. He was done with the foolery, and so was I.”

I ran my hand up his chest. “That was very brave of both of you.”

Oryx huffed.“It was dangerous. Veylor had little magik at that time that he didn’t tell anyone but me about. He could warp shadows, bend them at his will, but his strength was not as magnified as it is now. So he practiced, broke a wall within himself. He did it quickly, far too quickly, I don’t know how he did it, I was just a pretty face, he was the brains.”

I bit my lip and ran my fingers through his hair.“You are still pretty and you have two brains you are connected to now. That’s winning.”

Oryx's tail coiled possessively around my leg."Nobles from all the courts attended that day,"he said, his voice dropping to a whisper, even inside my mind. "They cleared out the servants—wouldn't let the common folk witness such a prestigious union. The room held only the elite, the powerful... the guilty.

"There I was at the altar, his sister facing me, as I readied myself to flee from Veylor's unpredictable magik. I knew better than anyone how tenuous his control remained. The moment the announcer began the ceremony, I stepped backward. Veylor rose from his seat. Then it happened. Shadows poured from his body like liquid night, while lightning danced across his skin, consuming the entire room in its terrible glow."

I stared up at Oryx in awe.

“As I backed away, someone tackled Veylor to the ground. I leaped off the platform to help him. Doors from the back of the room burst open and with it were his servants, those that he had helped in the estate.”

I covered my mouth with my hands.“Why were they there?”

"The servants had been captured and presented to my court as 'gifts.' They'd been hidden away until they managed to escape their bonds. In an act of defiance, they burst into the ceremony. Veylor, not recognizing them, believed we were under attack. The shock triggered his untamed powers—the storm he'd summoned above us roared with thunder, and lightning flooded the chamber with blinding light."

I closed my eyes, but couldn't stop the vision that invaded my mind: elegant fae in their ceremonial finery, frozen in terror as the golden chamber plunged into darkness. Then came the lightning—blinding flashes illuminating horrified faces for split seconds before thunder swallowed their screams.

"The lightning consumed them all—flesh charred black, bodies crumbling to ash. Those closest to Veylor simply... vanished, leaving nothing but scorched outlines where they once stood."

Tears ran down my cheeks.

“Seeing it through Veylor’s eyes, it’s terrifying. I don’t remember any pain, suffering. It was like I fell asleep. My hand was reached out to him, and when he stood up I was gone. My body was unrecognizable, I’m surprised he knew who I was.”

I bit my bottom lip, while I tried not to cry. “His heart knew.”