Chapter 43
Shadows rose from the Vessel of Immaru that I held in my hands. The silver material heated, releasing darkness in thick tendrils that crawled toward Dion and me, curling around us. I could sense the magic in the air, tugging, multiplying, warping. Binding.
For a moment, all I could see was this darkness, and it blinded me. I briefly wondered if this was a fire Rite, would I burn to a crisp? But I dropped that train of thought as fast as it came, concentrating on what was happening.
The wind billowed around me, playing with my curls, ruffling the gauzy fabric of my gown.
After an eternity, my eyes adjusted to the unnatural darkness, and through the swirling shadows, my gaze connected with Dion’s—only his eyes had changed.
Instead of the pale gray I was so used to, they were glowing in a bright amethyst shade.
The color was so striking, and I was absolutely sure I had never seen irises of such a hue before. What had happened?
I opened and closed my eyes rapidly, hoping to dispel the magical hallucinations I must be seeing in the aftermath of the binding. But when I scanned Dion’s gaze again, they remained bright, glowing purple.
I was so confused that I barely felt the shadows still wrapping gently around my neck, fusing with my skin.
Instead, I took a step toward Dion to better examine what illusions my mind created upon seeing his eyes.
Only then did it become obvious that this was far from the only feature that had changed about him.
When I’d been told about the ceremony, no one had ever mentioned changes in appearance, but looking at Dion, even a blind person could see that something was different.
The remnants of shadowy darkness in the crypt gave way to light, and my vision was fully restored as my gaze fixed on the man I thought I knew.
Dion stood before me, his amethyst eyes roaming around, landing everywhere but on me. When he finally focused on me, his jaw locked.
His skin was radiant, lightly glowing like moonlight.
His cheekbones were sharper, the shape of his eyes more prominent, and through his slightly opened lips, I caught a glimpse of his canines, which ended in delicate points.
My attention shifted to his hair, which was still loose, but the usual black was so dark that it gave the impression it absorbed every bit of light hitting it.
The strands cascaded down all the way to his waist, and it was the kind of hair any woman would have murdered for.
Closing my eyes for a moment, I concentrated on inhaling, then exhaling before repeating the process.
My heart was working overtime, pumping too much blood into my brain until it felt like my head was simply going to explode.
As soon as my pulse calmed down—not completely, but at least I didn’t feel like passing out anymore—I opened my eyes again, and my gaze drifted toward Dion’s ears.
Suspicion turned to denial as realization dawned on me, stealing my breath away once again.
Those ears, elegantly shaped, were elongated and pointed at their tip.
The conclusion was obvious, even to me, with my limited knowledge of what lay beyond my own world.
“You are—” The truth got stuck in my throat, my mind a whirlwind of cacophonous voices that all were screaming at me, yelling how I could have been so blind.
“Fae. Yes.” Carefully neutral, Dion confirmed what my perception had already told me, but my intellect still denied believing.
“The Rite reveals the true form.” I was dumbfounded, and the gears in my head turned as disbelief morphed into something else, something hot and furious that entered my blood. “You knew this would happen. Your reason for hesitating—”
“Yes. I was aware that the ceremony would force my Glamour to drop, and you’d see me for what I am.”
Rooted to the spot, I monitored how Dion returned the Dagger of Kalag to its case before gently prying the Vessel of Immaru from my fingers. I hadn’t even noticed that I was clutching the relic so tightly that my knuckles had turned pure white.
“You’ve lied to me. The whole time, you could have told me the truth, but you didn’t.”
“If you really think about it, I’ve never lied to you outright.”
“Omitting the truth is just as bad as lying!” I took a deep breath, trying to keep my anger under control—the bitter taste of failure already on my tongue.
“I didn’t know how to tell you.”
“There were so many opportunities, Dion. Countless!”
Instead of an answer, his jaw clenched, and the usual muscle ticked in his cheek.
For a second, I wondered if he had his dimples in this form as well, but I chastised myself for that stray—and definitely unwanted—thought.
Instead, I kept my face carefully neutral, showing little of the chaos going on in my mind—or the fury boiling hot and hotter in my blood.
“The others?” I asked, fighting to keep my voice steady.
“Yes. All of us. You see, there are no human Wielder, and there are no fae Amplifier.” Dion reached out and grabbed my hand.
At the same time, as if he conjured his power by simply mentioning his magic, he lost control of his shadows, and they reached for me too, slower than usual—reluctant, as if afraid to face my rejection.
My heart contracted at the thought of causing the tendrils pain, and with horror, I asked myself when it had happened that I’d developed compassion for inanimate magical constructs.
I tried to free myself from his unwanted touch, from the smooth, otherworldly skin touching mine, but my attempts to escape were in vain because Dion wouldn’t have it, the controlling bastard.
His tendrils overcame their reluctance as well, and I didn’t fight them as they coiled around my limbs and body, enveloping, vibrating, caressing.
“All of you lied to me.”
“But it doesn’t matter, does it?” The expression on his face was devastating.
Part agony, part temper, part something I couldn’t even comprehend.
His amethyst eyes shone, and despite my world crashing and burning around me, I had to admit that fae beauty couldn’t compare to even the most attractive human.
Dion was literally looking out of this world in this form—his true self.
“Of course it matters. It has something to do with trust. Something you lack.” It was absurd, standing here having a discussion with a creature whose existence I’d only learned about a few months back.
One conversation from a few weeks back returned to my mind when Antas had told me I’d instantly be able to distinguish between a fae and a human if I stood in front of one.
The joke was on me since I hadn’t been able to because they all fucking deceived me.
Dion’s features contorted as if I’d slapped him squarely across the face.
He, for sure, must be aware of how justified my anger was, how much he’d messed up.
Closing his bright purple eyes for a moment, he took a deep breath before facing me again.
I didn’t fight him this time as he tugged at my hand to pull me closer—after all, I was wrapped up by his magic anyway—then held on to me in a possessive gesture as if he wanted to make sure I wouldn’t run away.
Again, thanks to the dozen or so of his purring shadow friends aiding him, I couldn’t even take a single step, let alone attempt to escape.
Recalling Antas’s words from then, all the pieces of the puzzle connected and aligned into a comprehensive picture, as so much fell into place.
“There’s an unproven theory picturing fae as creatures who used to be like humans, but then they evolved in their own unique way.
Although both species are similar, fae have embraced their instinctual nature, possibly because Galanta is the more volatile of the two worlds.
Their emotions strongly influence their actions, making them exponentially more dangerous.
Additionally, they have a much longer natural lifespan, and both males and females begin training for battle at a young age.
Add in the detail that they are very territorial and you have the essentials. ”
It had all been right there, but everyone had refused to come out and just tell me the truth. I had to suppress the violent urge to kick myself—or Dion.
“A few months ago, you had no idea magic even existed. You never heard of Galanta or fae.” Passion crept into Dion’s voice, and I could hear him speaking without deception—for once.
“Then, when Thain had found out you could amplify, and you’d read about the Rite of Binding, you had a major breakdown and ran away. ”
I just nodded, indicating I was listening as Dion finally—hopefully—told me the truth. Everyone always claimed better late than never, but I wasn’t so sure if that was true—at least, it didn’t console me in the slightest.
Dion sighed. “It was all too much at once for you. You can’t deny that you’re carrying a lot of baggage, and the last months piled more on top of you.
I couldn’t tell how much you’d be able to take before breaking down completely, so I and the others all agreed to take it slow with more revelations.
I wanted to confess to you during Samhain when your friend interrupted us, then almost again when we received the letter from the High King ordering us back, but there was so much else happening.
” Dion stood perfectly still in his own unique way.
Surely, that was a trait of his species as well.
He watched me as if the wrong move would spook me into fleeing—as if I could, tangled as I was in tendrils—while looking so insanely otherworldly beautiful, it ached inside.
“Also—as you are aware—I’m an incredibly private person.
I’m not used to revealing things about myself at all.
And I have to admit that Antas, in particular, strongly advised me to disclose the truth to you. But I didn’t—that’s on me.”