Chapter 22 #3
“You know what this is, don’t you?” He held the bottle up for me to see.
It was amber tinted with a blue seal on top of the cork.
“I do. My mother explained that it would bind my powers.”
“Good, so you know the importance of taking this and that you mustn’t have any association with magic.”
If I looked anything other than apprehensive, I’d give myself away. Anyone close to me knew how much magic meant to me. So, all I did was nod. There were no words I could speak that would show I understood or that I was okay with drinking something that would change who I was.
Thayden tapped the seal of the bottle once, and a tiny cloud of blue mist unraveled the cork. It came free with a little pop.
With a satisfied smile, he handed it to me. I took it, then, with a trembling hand, I tipped my head back and poured the potion down my throat.
Grandmother’s dewberry water soothed my tastebuds. I almost smiled.
I set the bottle down, my powers still very much intact.
But now I had to be careful and suppress them the way Grandmother taught me. Wolfe still hadn’t spoken to me, so I was sure Thayden undoubtedly had magical detectors on site.
Suppressing powers or using very low-level magic usually went unnoticed, but there was a big caveat.
You had to know how to do it properly. The most skilled at magic, like Grandmother and Wolfe, could do it effortlessly.
I was still growing into my powers; things like a spike in my emotions could give me away.
I wouldn’t let that happen. My mission here was far too important.
“Are you feeling well, dear?” Mattieu studied my face, his keen brown eyes piercing, as though he were trying to see into my mind.
“Yes. It didn’t hurt. I didn’t think it would, though.”
“It’s for the best.”
Before I knew their involvement with the dark forces, I would have understood the truth in that statement.
But there was more to it now. They could still use me without my powers through the ring.
Nothing could alter bloodlines. But being without my power would ensure I remained trapped and under their thumb.
I allowed my gaze to fall to the food. I didn’t look at Thayden as he stared intently at me.
Mattieu began talking about the wedding and memories from the past. If not for him, the meal would have been awkward.
When we were done, Thayden reacquainted me with the grounds of the estate. That’s where we spent the rest of the day.
After supper, we both retired to our separate rooms, giving me the chance to make my first move.
I was going to snoop.
Today’s tour of the estate gave me the full layout of the manor and the grounds. If there was any evidence of anything going on, I’d probably find it in Thayden’s study, so I was going there first.
Apart from his bedroom, there wasn’t any other room that appeared to have anything.
Wolfe had showed me how to use the Obscura in a shadow to move from one place to another unseen.
It was supposed to be simple, but I had to do it while trying to suppress my magic.
Unlike Wolfe, whose natural ability was to manipulate shadows, I could only use the Obscura for a few minutes at a time while suppressing my powers.
I just had to make sure my use of it counted where it mattered most.
As quietly as possible, I left the room, walking softly on the carpeted floor to keep my footsteps muffled.
All the candle had been put out, save the ones at the ends of the hallway and the base of the stairs.
Thayden’s study was on the second floor, on the furthest side of the house.
I made my way there, glancing over my shoulder to make sure no one was around. Or following me.
This was nerve wrecking. The moment I thought that, a warm tingle spread through my chest.
Wolfe. That was him. I’d forgotten he could sense my emotions.
Feeling that little message from him strengthened me, reminding me why I was doing this.
Gods, I missed him so much. It was hard not having an end date to this fiasco and knowing time was still against us.
A soft feminine moan yanked me out of my thoughts. I narrowed my gaze and stopped, blending with the darkness. It was so dark I didn’t need the Obscura to conceal me.
The moan sounded again. It was coming from the end of the hallway, and this time, it was filled with pleasure, leaving very little to the imagination.
I crept along the wall until I reached the end. Thayden’s study door stood ajar. The moans were accompanied by his deep rumbles of pleasure and the unmistakable echo of bodies slapping together.
I got close and peered through the door.
And there he was. Naked with Mira, my handmaiden.
She was naked, too. Thayden had her bent over his desk while he stood behind pounding hard into her.
The two groaned their pleasure, unaware of my watchful eye.
Disgust turned my stomach and I backed away, wanting to scrub my eyes with acid.
Wonderful.
That was the man I was supposed to marry, fucking the handmaiden.
If there was any question of Thayden’s decency, there was the answer.
He had none.
And sadly, I had to make my move another time.