Chapter Nine #2
I knew the process—I had lived the process. It had taken Ember multiple encounters to reach me. But Domino was right. I had continued to consider her words, never able to escape them.
“Thank you,” I breathed.
He hesitated before reaching over to give my hand an awkward pat. His fingers misted through mine, but the gesture wasn’t lost on me. “There’s still no need to thank me for doing my job,” he said, then paused. “But you are most welcome, Arden.”
Only six words, yet a strange little blip went off in my heart, as if our friendship had just deepened.
Cyrus wasn’t going to like this, but I didn’t send Domino away.
The remainder of the week passed without incident or a new message from Cyrus. Not even a visit. My teammates acted as if I no longer existed. A development that stung, I admit. But Domino came to see me often.
Every time we were together, I reconsidered Cyrus’s request. But even the thought of disassociating with Domino caused a terrible anxiety to seize me, and I never spoke the words. The high prince had to be wrong about this. Soldiers in a war shouldn’t treat their allies like enemies.
Right now, Domino sat at the edge of my bed, lost in his head, his quiet presence a welcome peace in my small cell. Though he was as insubstantial as mist, I swore I detected that incredible rain-and-soil scent, as if he’d sprung from the land itself.
I perched at my desk. “Hey, Winslet,” I called as she strode past.
She gave a half-hearted wave and hurried on.
Miller wasn’t far behind her. I called out a greeting to him too. He, at least, stopped. “You should have expected this, Roosa. You had insider information, and you denied it. If you’d just told us the truth, we would’ve heeded you.”
“I—”
“Nope, I’m not interested in a conversation.” Off he stalked.
I worked my jaw and moved to the bed to sit beside the librarian, my second reader in hand. I started to type, then worried someone might read the words even if I didn’t push send, and set the reader aside. How to ask him questions while my guards maintained their posts outside my door?
“CURED only logs what you send,” Domino assured me, understanding my hesitation.
Thank goodness. I reclaimed the reader and typed a message.
My teammates treat me as if I’m infected.
“They envy you,” Domino said. “Your star is on the rise. You have what they want, yet they can see no way to get it, so they lash out.”
Delete. Type.
That doesn’t make it hurt any less.
“True, but their approval isn’t a requirement for your happiness.
You are making a difference in the world.
You helped Mykal more than you know. She approached the Rock of her own volition yesterday and asked for Ember.
Don’t worry, we hid her from CURED’s cameras,” he added when my spine jerked ramrod straight.
“I apologize for not telling you sooner. I’ve been . . . gathering my thoughts.”
No need to apologize. I understand. And thank you. I appreciate all you’re doing. Made any headway recovering Cyrus’s missing memories?
“Not yet. The answers are in his books, but he’s having trouble decoding.” Domino stood and moved to the cell bars, halfway in, halfway out, and peered straight ahead. “Your trip to Theirland approaches.”
Yes, tomorrow I would travel to Astan’s homeland. I intended to find a way to sabotage the god’s access to Cyrus once and for all. We could have our happily ever after.
And just like that, my mind circled me back to the high prince’s confession. How he loved me. Loved, meaning felt deep affection for. Total devotion. Could I risk everything and let myself fall for him?
Despite being ghosted, I adored him, craved his nearness, and admired his strength and confidence. I believed we had a future. In fact, not too long ago, Victors had told me I would marry Cyrus. A revelation I’d never forgotten but had rarely allowed myself to consider.
The Soalian leader had proclaimed, Who wouldn’t want to speak with the much-desired wife of the high prince? Though I suppose you are merely his future much-desired wife at this point.
If I married Cyrus, we wouldn’t war with each other. Crisis averted.
I winced. Well, of course we could marry and war. Couples did it all the time.
“There’s something you should know,” Domino said, the seriousness of his tone pinging my nerves.
“Yes?” I croaked, uncaring if the guards heard a lone, random word.
“One of the signs that the gods are rising nears its completion.”
Excuse me? Signs? What signs? I tossed the reader and gripped the edge of the bed, projecting urgency. Go on.
“There are three.” He kept his back to me, his hands fisting and opening at his sides. “The first has already come to pass. A man able to contain the full brunt of Astan’s power has been born.”
Outside, I went still. Inside, apprehension flogged me. Off to a terrible start.
“Second, Astan’s horns will straighten. When they reach maximum height, they will release a blast across both realms.”
I’d known those moving horns represented something nefarious. I almost shouted, “What will happen then?”
Domino heard the unasked question. “We can discuss the third sign at a later date.”
“No,” I burst out. That was his standard response, and I wasn’t okay with it. “Now.”
This time, the guards snapped to attention, gazing my way. “Lady Roosa?”
“Just thinking out loud,” I muttered, sinking into myself. When they returned their attention straight ahead, I glared at Domino, my message clear. Tell me now.
He didn’t. “The gods search for their hosts. Astan and all his council. Some have already chosen. Others will pick from those closest to Cyrus.”
A sudden clarity gripped me, and I pressed a trembling palm to my churning belly.
Me. I would be chosen.
“I tell you this not to frighten you,” Domino said, facing me, “but to prepare you. In Theirland, the selection process escalates. Be on guard. Trust only me. Avoid Cyrus. He’ll be there, and when you see him, you’ll wish to aid him. Do not.”
I must have misheard. Avoid Cyrus—not aid him? Nope, not happening. The high prince needed me now more than ever, and I would help him, however possible. Nothing and no one would stop me, not even Domino.
“You understand that I’m privy to information you are not, yes?” he asked, tone flat.
I swiped up the reader and jabbed my fingers at the keyboard, then showed him the screen.
Cyrus told me to avoid you, but I didn’t do that, either.
Domino compressed his lips into a thin line. “I’m aware he asked you to dismiss me. He doesn’t want me to tell you what he has read in his book.”
Type, type, type.
What did he read? You can’t mention it and not share. That’s just cruel.
“That is a question for Cyrus.”
The bell announcing curfew sounded, and my cell door slammed shut, the metal bars slipping through Domino. Amid the commotion of trainees preparing for the night, he held my stare, his grim expression hitting like a punch to the gut.
“Some things you must do because you trust the one we serve, and me, not because you understand why.” The librarian’s fathomless eyes glittered with determination. “But you can know this. I will never ask you to do something meant for your harm or the harm of others.”
Between one heartbeat and the next, Domino vanished.
I threw the reader at my pillows and slammed my fist against the mattress. Jumped up and paced. Stewed. Dissected the librarian’s appeal and Cyrus’s request, and finally stretched out on the bed, energy depleted. Yet again, I tossed and turned most of the night, dozing lightly on and off.
All my life, I’d had trouble sleeping. Then Cyrus had come along and taught me the joy of being enveloped in the safety of his arms, the only place I slept well. And now, Domino expected me to give that up in Theirland, if given the chance to enjoy it. Not happening.
Whatever the librarian knew didn’t matter. I refused to be the rope in a tug-of-war between him and Cyrus. This came down to who I trusted most, and the answer was simple. Myself.
I refused to do something so potentially detrimental without a solid reason.
Besides, I could guess Domino’s motivation.
No doubt he hoped to prevent one of the gods from choosing me.
Well, too bad, so sad. I didn’t care if I was chosen or not.
I had free will; I’d say no. Not for any reason would I bail on the man who’d just admitted he loved me.
Decided, I let a wave of fatigue drag me into a turbulent sea of darkness.
I woke before the wake-up bell, beyond tired but cognizant of a strange sensation in my chest. As my brain kicked online, I sensed a presence . . .
My eyelids popped open, and I reached for the knife stored under my pillow. When strong fingers clamped around my wrist, I jolted upright and swung my free hand, intending to punch first and ask questions after. Mid-strike, I detected a familiar ambrosial scent.
Cyrus.
He caught my other wrist before the blow landed, and I gasped with surprise and pleasure.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, grinning.
Shadows couched him, giving his face a sinister sharpness. He didn’t speak but gently, insistently, urged me to lie down. Though confused, I offered no resistance. With my head on the pillow, I frowned up at him. He stared at me, somehow too harsh and too soft at once.
Hmm. His expression . . . How best to describe it? Crazed determination? Tender adoration? Mild irritation? Perhaps a tinge of all three.
“Cyrus, I hate to say it,” I muttered, “but this is kind of creepy.”
“Have you spoken with Domino?” he demanded in a quiet tone.
At the librarian’s name, I jerked my gaze behind the high prince. My guards were gone. “I have, yes.” It was the truth, though not the truth he sought. I didn’t offer any other information, and he didn’t ask.
But he did narrow his eyes. “Do you love me?”
Okay, I should’ve expected such bluntness from him.
Never mind Domino’s orders and my concerns for the future.
Here, with Cyrus, there was only this moment.
“I think I do,” I admitted, speaking just as softly.
“I must.” I felt more for him than I’d ever felt for another. “But I’m afraid to say the words.”
Far from upset, he flashed a sultry smile and caressed my cheek. “That’s okay. You’re falling. You’ll never leave me.”
Heat bloomed where his fingers brushed. I flattened my hand over his and leaned into his touch, the creepiness factor fading. “Will you leave me?”
“Not in a thousand years. Not in eternity,” he vowed. “Stay in my suite while we’re in Theirland.”
My heart skipped, and I opened my mouth to accept.
Be on guard. Trust only me. Avoid Cyrus. He’ll be there, and when you see him, you’ll wish to aid him. Do not.
I will never ask you to do something that will lead to your harm or the harm of others.
Ignoring the whisper of Domino’s words, I kissed the heel of Cyrus’s palm. “Yes. I will.”
“Good.” He cradled the back of my head, the firmness of his touch sending shivers down my spine. The air charged with anticipation as he lifted me and leaned in, rasping, “Every second I didn’t kiss you was a second wasted. I don’t plan to waste another.”