Chapter 34 Lex
Lex
“And what were you doing that allowed this to happen?” a woman’s voice that I knew intimately hissed through my consciousness, but I found it hard to grab onto.
“I was where my Mage told me to be, Sasori.” A low grumble that sent tingles down my spine.
Ilyas. My lids fluttered but stayed shut
“Yes, well, look how well that worked.” Sasori, again.
“I cannot dictate his actions—he is my Mage and his own person. Nor would I want to tell him what he should do, unlike some people I know . . .”
Sasori scoffed, and I was finally able to pry my eyes open with a groan.
Instantly, both voices stopped speaking, and I heard the shuffle of footsteps before Ilyas’ scent wrapped around me.
“Lex?” he hedged, worry and love coating his tone. His eyebrows were drawn together, dark circles under his eyes like he hadn’t slept.
I was lying on our bed, naked as the day I was born, and struggled to push myself to a sit.
Every muscle screamed in protest with the movement until Ilyas lodged his massive hands beneath my back and pushed me the rest of the way.
In one palm, he supported my torso while maneuvering the pillows in a way that would prop me up.
Once situated, he dropped into a chair pulled to the edge of the bed.
“H—” I coughed through a dry throat, and Ilyas handed me a glass of water from the stand beside our bed. “Thank you,” I rasped before taking a long pull.
“How long was I asleep?” I handed the glass back to Ilyas, but it was Sasori who spoke.
“Roughly eight hours. It’s midmorning.”
“Ah,” I said sheepishly. I supposed that explained Ilyas’ lack of sleep.
Sasori looked as put together as always—there was nary a blemish or dark spot on her perfect porcelain skin, her raven-black hair was done into two plaits that reached her lower back.
She was dressed in her Mage blacks, ready for the day.
It was clear that I was in no shape to attend my classes today—hopefully someone else had informed the new recruits that today would be a research day. This class was abnormally small—maybe only a dozen or so Mages—and could easily be combined with the class above them if necessary.
“Your classes are handled, Lex,” Ilyas said gently as he reached out to rub my bare shoulder, like he couldn’t stand to not touch me.
After the scare last night, I’m sure he would take every opportunity to reassure himself I was alive.
My body shivered in anticipation of how I was certain he would own my body later, and I inadvertently loosened a stream of Pleasure Magic in the air.
Ilyas’ eyes grew wide, flashing briefly with mirth, before he grew serious again.
“Really, Lex? You’re turned on right now,” Sasori scoffed with a shake of her head. She was always more prudish than Ilyas and I, but I always attributed that to her Bond status or her affinity.
Maybe I’ve just been making excuses.
I almost died and was momentarily excited about reconnecting with my Bonded—shouldn’t she want to feel close to me?
I gnawed my lip at the thought.
“This is why I told you not to get involved with the General,” Sasori practically spat, her eyes flashing dangerously as she shuddered with barely controlled rage.
“It wasn’t his fault,” I immediately defended Rohak, and Sasori cackled maniacally.
“Not his fault? Not his fault? Lex, it’s only his fault!” She flung her arm wide, her voice reaching a decibel so loud I was certain the suite adjoining ours would be able to hear.
“Shh, keep your voice down, Sasori,” I pleaded, but she only glowered at me. Her hands tightened into fists at her sides as she glowered.
“I will not. You almost died, Lex. What would I do if you died, huh? A Vessel without a Mage who still has her Mage’s Bonding mark? What do you think they do to people like me, like Ilyas?” Sasori challenged, and I shook my head.
“You’d be dismissed from the army, yes. But you’d be provided an opportunity for employment elsewhere.” I’d seen it happen before, I knew exactly what would happen to Ilyas and Sasori.
“Always the optimist,” she snorted with derision.
“No, Lex. That may happen to Ilyas, but not me. I’m from Samyr, I’d be sent back there.
Back to my family to be put to whatever use they found for me.
Married off to some other minor lord, no doubt.
” Sasori shook her head again, her braids flopping against her back.
I didn’t see the issue with what she was explaining, nor did I find it particularly abhorrent.
“I must be missing something here, Sasori. I don’t understand—”
“No, you don’t! That’s the whole point, Lex!
You don’t understand! You tie yourself to the General, who is a dangerous Vesselless Mage, then step.
In. Front. Of. Him. While he’s channeling.
Without any thought as to what would happen to Ilyas and me.
How dumb—how selfish—are you?” she screeched.
“This is why we need to follow Lord d’Refan. ”
I swallowed hard, a maelstrom of emotions rising.
I’d grown more uncomfortable as her tirade went on and could practically feel Ilyas vibrating in anger next to me.
He would hold his tongue and allow Sasori and me to hash out our differences, but only to an extent.
We were balancing on a precipice, and soon, Ilyas would say something to Sasori that he wouldn’t be able to take back.
“Where were you yesterday, Sasori?” I asked, diverting the subject entirely.
Sasori blanched before scoffing loudly, crossing her arms.
“With Lord d’Refan, negotiating with Samyr for the exchange of Vessels. We need more, especially with the collapse of the mines. Samyr needs protection against the rumored rebellion in the north. Rumor has it, there is a Destruction Vessel for your precious General in the group that’s coming here.
“You need to divert your loyalty, Lex. Before it’s too late,” she said cryptically before spinning on her heel and leaving the room.
I mulled over her words, wishing for the ability to discern her truths from lies.
The realization came suddenly, the force of it stealing the breath from my lungs and causing a weight to sit heavily in my stomach: I didn’t trust my Bonded.
I didn’t trust Sasori’s motives or her allegiance; fuck, I didn’t even trust her to not remove our Bond Mark—and that was the most worrying of all.