Chapter 98 Taera
Taera
Icome to, lying on my back on cold, hard marble. A hand is over my eyes, with light shimmering through the cracks between fingers. I immediately know it’s Nikolai by the way my magic hums at his touch.
“Taera,” he murmurs, relief aching through the word.
“Nikolai.” I try to lift my head, but his hand acts as a blindfold. “Why—what happened?”
“Please close your eyes,” he murmurs.
My heart twists, but I comply. When my eyes are firmly shut, I nod, and his hand slips away.
I immediately miss the contact, but I push myself upright into a seated position.
The urge to peek is overwhelming—to sneak a glance at what Nikolai has been hiding for so long, assuming he hasn’t already changed himself and succumbed to the amulet’s power—but I force myself to hold his trust and keep my eyes closed.
“How could you?” Nikolai mutters. “How could you come after me, after everything I did?”
“Because,” I say, “I love you.
“You don’t know me.”
“Then let me know you,” I whisper. “But if you lose yourself to all the lies… I can’t be with you like that.”
“You really think you can see past the truth?”
I want to say yes, but I don’t know, and I can’t stand speaking falsely—not now. “I won’t know until you show me.”
Nikolai scoffs.
“It’s called trust,” I say.
“You fell for my illusions, not me,” he says.
I shake my head, eyes still closed. “You’re wrong.”
“You have no idea who I am, what I’ve done.”
“You never gave me the chance.”
“No.”
I exhale slowly. “No more lies?”
He’s silent.
“No more lies,” he swears.
I ask, “Did you care about more than just my magic?”
“Yes.” His voice sounds pained. “You have no idea.”
“I want to believe you.”
“I want to show you.”
“Can you?” I don’t dare look at him—I won’t betray the sacred truth of this moment.
When Nikolai doesn’t say anything, I begin to count my breaths. Each one lasts an eternity.
Five.
Ten.
Twelve…
“Open your eyes, Taera.”