Chapter 10
A few hours must have passed because the next time I woke up, everything was dark around me, apart from a weird glowing nightlight on the bedside table. Analyzing the small orb wasn’t on top of my priority list, but at least the bauble’s glow allowed me to direct my attention to my surroundings.
The comfortable mattress I was lying on was incorporated in a massive four-poster frame carved from light wood, which was adorned with cerulean curtains.
The blanket and pillow matched in color and were easily the softest bedware I’d ever encountered.
Because the rest of the room was swallowed by the night, I couldn’t observe beyond the bed.
The only reasonable guess was that my lodgings had to be rather spacious, not only because of the size of the mattress but also because I wasn’t feeling cramped at all.
The chamber was silent apart from my own movements. Only once I concentrated could I perceive steady breathing from my left, which definitely wasn’t mine.
Stifling a groan, I turned to my side—despite the spikes of pain—and blanched.
Next to me, Dion was asleep. He wasn’t touching me, but he was angled in my direction, and his left arm was stretched out and twitched as if he was reaching for me, only to stop his approach inches away from my body.
One of his tendrils hadn’t gotten the memo about boundaries, though. Instead, the magic had wrapped itself around my ankle and calf. Agitation pulsed through the black strand, and the moment it sensed me waking, it slowly unfurled.
Once the tendril realized I wouldn’t swat it away, it slithered upward and encircled me anew, only on a much larger scale.
Its tip came to rest on my cheek, which made me smile.
I hadn’t even noticed how much I’d missed these small signs of affection, especially from Dion’s magic.
It had been the prince who’d lied to me, not his powers, and as soon as this thought hit, I knew I couldn’t deny anymore that I sometimes perceived the darkness the Wielder next to me owned as its own entity.
Resting my hand lightly on the tendril, I studied Dion’s face, how peaceful and at ease he appeared when he was deep in slumber. This wasn’t by far the first time I observed him while he slept, but this here was different.
The face he wore wasn’t his real one, although I had to admit the features weren’t that far off.
It was like he usually toned himself down to fit in with the rest of us unassuming humans—not that he was doing an exceptionally good job.
Human or fae—he simply was too beautiful to disappear in the masses. Whatever he did, he’d always stand out.
My thoughts had started to spiral again.
Since the catastrophic aftermath of the Rite of Binding in Amalach, everything had happened in a blur.
After the fact that I’d been saved had really sunken in, anxiety in my belly took over and crept through my veins.
Facing the consequences of my actions was something bound to happen, and there was no way of telling what those would entail.
My eyes rested firmly on Dion’s sleeping form, and I didn’t mind I was watching him like a creep. Maybe because his presence anchored me in reality.
Whatever the reason was, I couldn’t tear my gaze away while my mind forced me to sort through my conflicted emotions for the man—no, male—at my side.
If I were completely honest, the burning anger born from his deception had simmered down and left a torturing hurt behind, different from the one I’d endured in Perran Feroy’s dungeon.
Still, somehow, his betrayal was more painful.
The insecurity, whether Dion had intentionally misled me or if his actions had been without malicious intent, drove tears into my eyes.
Yes, he’d saved my life again, but how could I find out if his reasons had been pure?
Had he rescued me because he considered me his friend, even after I’d broken my promise, or had he searched for me because I was his Amplifier and thus a source of greater power for him?
And even if he assured me, when we’d speak about everything in the upcoming days, that coming for me had been because of our friendship, how could I trust this wasn’t another lie?
All this would have been enough to paralyze me with anxiety, but there was also the fact that Dion was responsible for the eradication of a whole city while following the orders of his insane grandfather, the fae king, and no matter how I twisted and turned my thoughts, there wasn’t a single scenario I could conjure that would justify such evil actions.
And yes, Dion’s morals were more than questionable most of the time, but as far as I’d witnessed, he had at least some restraint.
But his activities from before we’d met indicated otherwise, and maybe I’d simply kept a blind eye on how depraved he really was.
Silently, a sigh escaped my lips, and Dion tensed.
My eyes widened as I stilled, not ready to face him yet.
My tendril was stirring too, and the rest of the prince’s magic reached out to me unseen, fusing with the strange Potential I was housing in my soul.
This mingling should scare me, but it did the opposite.
Every time his powers connected with mine, there was nothing but safety and warmth accompanying the sensation.
My forehead wrinkled as I realized that something was off.
Earlier, when he’d carried me out of the dungeon cell, I’d been too stunned to see him to notice that the darkness reaching out to me was only a trickle compared to what its strength had been directly after the rite.
Was this normal? Had the energy only felt strong because of an aftereffect of the Rite of Binding, or—what if the male next to me wasn’t well? He didn’t show any sign of injury or discomfort, but given how good he was at concealing truths, I wouldn’t rule out an attempt to mislead me.
Cold sweat broke out all over my skin as I kept my gaze locked on him, and when Dion’s eyes fluttered open, he was sleep-drunk.
Still, he needed only a moment to shake away the remnants of his slumber, and his relaxed face morphed into worry.
He drew his eyebrows together as he examined my expression.
“You’re awake.”
“Yes. What’s wrong with your magic?”
It was fascinating to survey how quickly Dion’s features could transform into a scowl.
Great, he’d just woken up and was already displeased.
“Nothing. But how are you?”
“Nothing?” I raised my eyebrow. “I thought you were done lying to me?”
“Can we wait to fight until I know how you are? Please?”
Huffing, I nodded. Dion rarely asked nicely for anything, let alone used the word please, so I decided to take the high road for once.
“I’m mostly fine. There’s some pressure on my chest. Guess there was indeed something wrong with my rib?
Apart from that, I’m somewhat sore, but the pain is dull and manageable. ”
“I’m going to kill that vile merchant.”
“Impressive. Not even five minutes awake, and you already issued your first death threat of the day, princeling.” Sometimes, all I could do was try to defuse him with humor.
Maybe that had been my mistake—I’d overlooked his depravity because I hadn’t taken him seriously enough.
However, there had been an interesting piece of information in his dark warning—Feroy was still alive, and I sensed how much Dion hated this.
Knowing him and his barely existent restraint, I wondered what had stopped him from unleashing his murderous tendencies on the man he’d deemed unworthy of life, even long before the merchant had kidnapped me.
“I’m serious.”
“What’s wrong with your magic?”
“Why do you think there’s a problem?”
“No matter how loud you growl, you can’t hide that your power is reaching out to me, but the energy appears to be dimmed.”
Dion glowered as if he felt betrayed by his magic, and I had to stifle a giggle at his expression.
There was a time for laughter, but this wasn’t the right one.
“After you…left the library in Amalach, I shoved the book I’d been reading into my bag and followed you.
Taking items from the building to the outside without authorization triggered a defense system, and three Library Guardians appeared.
Think about something akin to mystical dragons, but uglier.
They can sap magic, are strong, immune to pain, and so I almost burned out as I fought for survival.
I got hurt, and afterward, my power didn’t replenish properly.
Antas’ guess is that there was a residue of divine magic in my system, which battled my own powers because we separated so early after the ceremony.
Now that we’re close together again, I’m constantly improving.
So yes, that’s what happened, and maybe you understand why I didn’t want to mention any of this shit so soon. ”
“Gods.” Basically, Dion had been hurt—still was—and he’d been out of magic for weeks. Because of me, he’d almost burned out, which would have equated to a death sentence. Regret cut like a knife, slicing deep into me as the consequences of my stupid actions continued to pile up. “I’m sorry.”
“I’d ask you to promise never to do something that brainless again, but I have serious trust issues, and my best guess is that they’re mutual.”
I sighed and closed my eyes for a moment, then nodded.
“I deserve that. A wrong never corrects another wrong. We both messed up. But would you believe me when I assured you that I came to reason all on my own? Outside Amalach, as I calmed down, I regretted my impulsive actions and that I’d broken my promise.
I was so angry at myself for acting rashly. ”
“Oh, really?”
“Yes. But after I’d changed my mind and started to walk back to Amalach, Perran Feroy appeared.
He had a lot of his men with him. I never stood a chance, although I tried my best to resist capture.
” I winced at the memory of how I'd attempted to outsmart the merchant and how, in the end, he’d used my shortcomings against me.
“We have much to unravel, Nayana. But for now, we should let the past rest. You have to get better first.”
My mouth opened, but Dion lifted his hand and glared at me, his lips a thin, pale line.
“We can’t stay here forever. We’re still on an ultimatum timeline, especially since my grandfather sent another charming letter during your absence.
If he decides to dispatch his soldiers to this place, the fallout would be a complete disaster. ”
“Where precisely are we, then?”
“We’re in Ivreiana.”
“Really? And you picked the biggest, most ostentatious inn?”
“This isn’t exactly an inn.”
“But?”
“The royal castle. We’re guests of Her Royal Majesty Queen Anneria.”
“Is this a joke?”
“No, not at all.”
“How?”
“Would you believe me that while I was about to blackmail King Pritatus into helping us, Queen Anneria found a liking to me and overruled his reluctance?”
“Princeling. Did you flirt with the queen in front of her husband? If that’s true, you’re worse than Thain.”
Oh, he didn’t appreciate that comment at all, and my big mouth earned me a low growl. “I didn’t. She must have had her reasons, and I can assume her intentions behind her aid, but if you want to know for certain, you have to ask her yourself.”
“Me. Talking to the queen.”
“At one point before we depart, yes. She expressed the wish to meet you.”
“Don’t you realize that she or the king will throw me into their dungeons when they learn I’m wanted for murder?
” Apprehension spread through my limbs. The tendril that had been resting lazily on and around my body so far mirrored my turmoil and vibrated more heavily, and the need to hide became almost unbearable.
What did Dion think, bringing me to the royal residence, of all places? I had to leave, to run, to flee—
“They’re aware of your crimes. To soothe your panicked mind—you’ve been pardoned. But more about that later, Nayana. When you’ve recovered. Calm down, and let’s both regenerate.”
My chest rose and sank as I took a few deep breaths before dipping my chin. Exhaustion crept all over me, only from our brief conversation and all the emotions that had bubbled up. “Fine.”
Closing my eyes, I concentrated on calming down.
“Dion?”
“Yes?”
“Is there anything I can do to help speed up your recovery?”
“Would you want to?”
“Of course.”
The mattress shifted, and moments later, Dion’s arms engulfed me while my tendril relocated back around my ankle.
The prince was cautious about keeping our contact soft so as not to heighten my pain.
He brought a comfortable warmth with him as well as a cloud of his signature petrichor and evergreen scent—I couldn’t suppress a contented sigh.
Yes, I was still cross with him, but during these moments, I allowed my friend to comfort me. “Does this help?”
“Yes. Closeness settles the binding, according to my uncle. Normally, that’s not needed, but since we’d been so far apart for over a fortnight, this should work out best.”
Nodding lightly against his shoulder, I nestled deeper into his arms. “Then let me tend to you.”
I could feel Dion smile as he tucked me even closer into his chest.
Soon, my heavy eyelids won the fight against the wish to enjoy the security of his embrace a few moments longer.
I was out in seconds.