35. Chapter Thirty-Five #2
“Hire as many terbis wielders as needed to carve out a new path here.” He pointed to one of the southern mountains and traced it directly north toward the valley.
“They’ll need to tunnel through the mountain, big enough for people and carts to comfortably move in either direction, but small enough to be safe from cave-ins.
Hakoa and I had discussed opening this pass before as a safeguard during times of war, and this was the mountain that had the best stability for a tunnel.
If our theory on the Glaev is accurate, then hopefully this new pass won’t be discovered and can remain free from threat. ”
“I’ll order a team of manipulators right away. For that amount though, it could take some time to construct,” Mavris responded before bowing at the waist and departing with a wink toward me. I didn’t miss that Ryker rolled his eyes.
Now that we were alone, I spun on him and his eyebrows raised. “You said you had the book, the one I’ve been searching for.”
“I said I know where it is. And I do, sort of.”
A non-answer. I gave him a questioning look.
“You’ll have it soon,” he assured me. Though I was eager to lay my hands on the book, the idea of resting and staying in one place for more than a few hours sang to my weary soul.
“But for the time being.” He stepped closer, my neck craned to meet his eye, and a wicked smile crossed his face. “We have some time to kill.”
“This was not what I thought you meant,” I growled at him.
Ryker had brought me to a sparring area outside the palace. It rested against the mountainside, isolated. He had given me thicker leathers, but I was still cold. Odarum joined us, wanting to be involved in me discovering my gifted abilities.
“We need to understand what you’ve received from Kleio so you can start working on trying to manifest on your shifting, as well as what you have been gifted from Odarum.” Ryker thumbed over his shoulder at the Spirit.
“I already know what I have from Kleio. Why are you removing your shirt again? Aren’t you cold?”
“I’m a fire wielder. I can heat my body when needed.” He tossed his shirt aside, and my eyes roamed his exposed skin, itching to touch him. “I’m going to need you to stop looking at me like that or neither of us will be able to focus.”
“Fine,” I grumbled. I looked at Odarum, ears perked forward, watching with interest.
“Show me what you’ve got.” Ryker crossed his arms over his chest.
I closed my eyes and reached inward for that translucent orb.
I had only done this one time with Odarum, and I wanted to kick myself for not working with it more.
Once I had a hold of it, I opened my eyes and gave Ryker a malicious grin before I tapped into that magic.
His eyes looked as if they would come out of his head, they were so wide.
I silently stepped in front of him, holding my breath so he wouldn’t hear, and grazed my fingernail down the rounded ridges of his torso.
He flinched, and his muscles twitched beneath my touch.
“Very impressive.” His eyes flicked to mine as if he knew exactly where they were. My body heated at the intensity in those silver irises. “Now, let go of that magic. Grab it and release it as many times as you can until it becomes less than a thought.”
We spent hours standing there as I came in and out of view, over and over.
And sure enough, it had become almost second nature to use that magic.
Even in the cold, I was sweating from the exertion.
I had become utterly exhausted and my vision was turning spotty, yet I was exhilarated.
Practicing in small bursts allowed me to use it longer than I had before, and my reserves were quickly growing.
My magic thrummed in my veins and I relished that electrified feeling.
“I won’t presume to know how much you can handle, but are you sure you want to keep going?” he asked carefully.
“I think,” I panted, “that’s enough for now.”
“You were incredible.” He smiled. “But you need to eat. You haven’t had anything since before you emptied your stomach this morning.”
As if on cue, my stomach gurgled. Hunger gnawed at my insides, and my throat was dry from thirst. But I was proud of all that I had accomplished today, thankful for Ryker’s directions as he helped guide me in honing my magic.
“Well done. You’re almost there.” Odarum’s voice rang through my head, and I smiled at him before he disappeared.
“Thanks.” I glanced around my surroundings, then I eyed Ryker while he walked to the other end of the training area to retrieve his shirt. “Do you trust him?”
“He won’t harm you. I trust that.”
“Hmm. You said we had to discuss something?”
“We do. But you require rest. This can wait for now, but not much longer.”
Ryker led me back down the path to the roof of the palace and the balcony we had entered through before.
I held on to his arm the entire way to keep my legs under me.
Too concentrated on keeping myself upright, I hadn’t paid any attention to where he was leading me until we stepped through two large double doors and into a bedchamber.
The room was prestigious and substantial in size, adorned with floor-to-ceiling windows with sheer curtains on one side.
A crystal chandelier hung in the center of the room, casting prisms of light along the floor.
Magnificent, engaging paintings were mounted on the walls, depictions of breathtaking landscapes with so many colors.
In the center of the wall of windows was an exceptionally large bed with posts at each corner, covered with a canopy.
“This is your room?” I breathed, stepping further into the space to drink it all in.
He nodded.
“You want me to share your room?”
The side of his mouth twitched into a smile, and he shrugged. “If you want. We’ve already spent the last two nights together, and I like the idea of you being close to me.”
My mouth parted and I exhaled shakily. “I…” I swallowed. “That’s very kind. But I think it would be best if I had my own room.”
“I thought you might. I’m having a room prepared for you right now. It’s just down the hall.” His eyes darkened. “But if you change your mind, I’ll have no objections.”
I bit my bottom lip and his eyes darted to my mouth. He took a step toward me and I took a step back, holding up my hand to stop him from advancing further.
“I need food. And a bath. Not necessarily in that order. Can you point me to my room?”
Without breaking his heavy stare, he jerked his head to the side. “The bathing room is through there. Yours isn’t ready yet.”
Before I second guessed myself, I darted for the bathing room, locked the door behind me and leaned my back against it. I felt a seductive caress down the bond.
“Don’t tempt me, shadow,” I mumbled. But not quietly enough that he didn’t hear because I heard him chuckle from the other side.
I pushed off the door and walked to the overly large clawfoot tub made of white porcelain in the center of the room, running the water until steam filled the air, and took a long bath. Missing my usual soaps, I made a mental note to find something that I liked to use while here.
After drying off and getting dressed in clean clothes, loose high-waisted pants and a top that cut at my midriff, I brushed out the remaining tangles from my hair and left it down to dry.
When I came out of the bathing room, Ryker was sitting on a wooden chair at a small table covered in delectable-looking foods, their wonderful scents wafting through the room and causing my stomach to grumble.
Ryker eyed me up and down, smiling, and gestured for me to sit across from him.
Outside the window, the setting sun’s final rays shone off the mountain tops, bursting with warm hues of orange and purple.
He continued to watch me while he ate, watching as I devoured the spread, taking deep gulps of the sweet red wine between bites.
Rich flavors exploded in my mouth, and I savored each new taste.
By the time we finished eating, the stars appeared in the night sky and Ryker lit the sconces with soft flames.
Sitting back in my chair, my hunger finally sated, my eyelids began to droop. The exhaustion truly settled in. My mate, having noticed my drowsiness, led me to the bedchamber down the hall.
It looked almost identical to his, but much smaller. Ryker stood in the doorway as I walked toward the bed.
“When I said I wanted you to stay with me, what I really meant was that I insist. I’d like to keep you close by. The other Worthy…they don’t like the idea of our mating,” he said.
“You mean to tell me that the palace isn’t safe?” I cocked my eyebrow.
“It is. But I can only protect you so much if you’re not next to me.”
I rolled my eyes and held out my dagger belt in front of his face, dangling it between my fingers. “I’ll be fine, Ryker.”
Gods, he’s like the Oryn version of Nik, only better looking.
As much as I enjoyed his presence, I wanted to be alone.
“Alright.” He pulled the door closed behind him.
Tugging the blankets down, I settled into the large bed, resting my weary head on the soft pillow. I wasn’t able to keep my eyes open any longer.