Chapter 4 #2
“Should I take you back to the healer?” he asked, his chest rising slightly as he spoke.
I stepped back.
“No,” I said, tilting my head up to meet his glowing eyes.
Still strange.
Still unreal.
Like I’d stepped into a story that wasn’t meant for me.
“That happens sometimes when I get nervous,” I brushed it off and tried to move past him—
but he didn’t budge.
Not an inch.
I looked up again, frowning.
“What now?”
“I’m curious what made you nervous.”
Then he stepped closer.
Too close.
His scent—
sharp and intoxicating—
brushed against my face.
His breath followed.
Dangerous proximity.
Not just physically—
but deeper than that.
Especially for someone like me—
someone who had learned to avoid getting close.
At least after the last time it had all gone wrong.
I closed my eyes and inhaled.
Get it together. Now.
When I opened them again, I shoved the flicker of desire aside—
and replaced it with something far more reliable.
Its closest ally.
Aggression.
I hated it.
But I needed it.
For protection.
Because the best defense—
was attack.
“Are you serious?” I shot him a murderous look.
“What made me nervous?”
My fists clenched on their own.
“Oh, I don’t know. Maybe the fact that I keep almost burning myself alive and trapping myself in a cage of fire?”
I took a small step toward him.
“Or that I suddenly ended up in a place I don’t know, where I’m being told there are multiple worlds—and a possible war?”
I felt a lump rising in my throat, but I kept going.
“Or that every damn day I’m surrounded by people I don’t know, trying to figure out who I can trust—and how quickly they could hurt me?”
The knot in my throat burned.
I barely managed to hold back the tears gathering in my eyes.
I had to look away before I lost it.
It hit me all at once—
I was completely alone here.
No one I knew.
No one I trusted.
The people I was used to having in my life—
didn’t even know where I was.
And I wouldn’t be able to reach them for three more days.
I swallowed.
“As long as you don’t become a threat, no one’s going to touch you.”
Airis’s voice wasn’t harsh this time.
Not at all.
He turned and walked back into the room.
I followed, trailing behind him, overwhelmed with shame and cursing myself for not being able to control my emotions.
I was used to anger.
To aggression.
They were my armor.
Protecting something painfully soft and fragile inside me.
Sometimes I wished—
there was nothing underneath that armor to protect.
Because then there would be no weakness.
******
We were back where we started.
I sat across from Airis again, a plate of untouched pastries in front of me.
He was trying to hide his irritation over my stubborn refusal to eat—
but his eyes kept flicking toward the plate, and his brows tightened every time they did.
Aars had made himself comfortable on the large canopy bed, resting his head on one paw.
I gathered my thoughts and spoke:
“You were talking about the fire world.”
I tried to sound calm.
I wasn’t.
Airis nodded.
His gaze on me felt... off.
Different.
I couldn’t quite place it.
But when he didn’t continue, I took control of the conversation again.
“Is there a chance my real parents are from there?” I asked.
“Or that I was born in the fire world?”
“A mage’s power depends solely on genetics,” he answered shortly.
I nodded.
The urge to talk to the people I’d once called my parents grew stronger by the second.
Airis rolled his shoulders slightly, then leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table.
“Still not planning on eating?”
“What? Still can’t believe I didn’t fall for your poison?” I arched a brow.
I didn’t believe in this sudden kindness.
Or his sudden concern.
Maybe I resembled them because of my power—
but even here, I was still an anomaly.
Especially with my ability to speak to the dead.
At the thought, I exhaled quietly.
Annoyed.
I never wanted to stand out.
But I did.
In the human world.
And now in the magical one too.
Would I always have to hide something?
Without a word, Airis picked up one of the pastries and broke it in half.
He slid one piece toward me.
Inside was some kind of white cream mixed with herbs.
“Let’s share. Maybe then you’ll finally trust me enough to eat.”
He waited for me to take it, watching me closely.
I didn’t move.
“What’s inside?” I asked.
“Curd butter and herbs grown in Istarus,” he answered patiently.
“Then you go first,” I nodded toward his half.
“And I’ll ask again—how do I know you didn’t take an antidote beforehand?”
“Girl, I’ve never seen anyone more stubborn than you,” Aars muttered.
The dragon-cat had shifted positions and was now lying on his back, his hind legs propped against the headboard.
Only then did I notice Louise and Moirz sitting beside him.
I almost flinched—
but held myself together.
“I already told you—you don’t,” Airis replied.
Then he took a bite of his piece, deliberately maintaining eye contact with me while still holding mine out.
“Illariana, they’re not going to poison you,” I heard a voice—Moirz or Louise—but I didn’t dare turn my head.
I’d already glanced toward the bed too many times.
“We overheard the conversation in Draxsan’s office. They see you as a valuable asset. It’s in their interest to... accommodate you. For future cooperation.”
I swallowed.
Future cooperation.
Was I the only one who thought that sounded terrifying?
“Or do you want me to feed you?” Airis’s lowered voice pulled me back.
I swallowed again.
But forced myself to rebuild my armor.
“Are you doing this on purpose? These emotional swings?” I asked, fighting the urge to give in.
Damn it, Ria.
“And are you falling for them on purpose?”
His lips curved slightly.
I instinctively ran my tongue over my dry lips.
This was insane.
The way I was drawn to him—
for no reason at all.
Just physically.
I’d never been the type to fall for men easily.
But somehow—
this idiot had managed to do exactly that.
In a matter of minutes.
“So, what about the rest of the worlds?” I arched a brow, trying to look indifferent.
Even though something inside me clearly wasn’t on board with that act.
In response, Airis exhaled almost silently, tossed the remaining piece of pastry into his mouth, and started chewing slowly—never taking his eyes off me.
“Before you, the most stubborn creature in history was him,” Aars muttered.
“I’m not telling you anything until you eat,” Airis said, crossing his arms and leaning back in his chair.
“Are you seriously neglecting your duties as a mentor?”
“My duties also include keeping your stubborn ass alive.”
“So you’ve had time to check out my ass too?” I raised a brow.
Silence.
But it said everything.
Our eyes kept arguing for us.
Neither of us willing to show weakness.
“They really shouldn’t have paired them together,” came a quiet voice—Moirz or Louise.
“On the contrary. Otherwise, they’d have killed each other by now,” another voice replied.
“I wonder why I even saw potential in you at the beginning,” Airis said aloud.
“That was the moment you lied to me about being dead?” I arched a brow.
“Exactly.” He nodded.
“Back then I thought you were pretending to be stupid—not actually being it.”
My fists clenched instantly.
“I could hardly imagine anything else from a little girl raised in Vuduarus.”