His gaze narrowed ever so slightly, growing a sharp edge. “That was before I fully understood what you are.”
“What am I?” I pressed. This entire conversation had taken a turn.
“Remarkable.” The word was a compliment and said with such certainty. “You are who you have always been.”
My cheeks warmed with the discomfort of how forward he seemed, yet not forward at all. “That isn’t an answer. You are dancing around all of my questions.”
Clause leaned back in his chair, taking with him a sliver of the pressure surrounding me. He viewed me a moment before finally offering an answer. “When you first came here, and I touched you. I influenced your feelings through your conjuring, and you took back control from me. That does not happen.”
“Never?” My mouth grew dry. What did that mean?
He slowly moved his head from side to side, not a single silvery white hair out of place. It was brushed back, as if to harshen the brutal angles of his face. He was the embodiment of a disciplined control.“Only with you. Amazingly, I found thisgirl who has gone unnoticed and who has the power to withstand and challenge my sway. She knows herself enough to do so. You are exquisite, Ariana.”
“Yet my mist cannot touch you,” I stated, for I was not truly immune to him.
“Not unless I desire it to.”
My pulse raced at the thought that he somehow considered me powerful just for knowing my mind. Then it spiked even further as another thought entered.“If I actually wanted to leave, would you allow it?” I asked.
His gaze narrowed, and my heart skipped a beat.
I found myself speaking again before he even answered. “If no one has ever withstood whatever you did before, am I viewed as a threat?”
“If you are a threat, then I would like the opportunity to have you understand,” he simply said.
“Understand what?”
“Me.”
I shook my head, not knowing where this was going. He wanted for me to understand him? Perhaps I would have tried to, if there was an ounce of compassion in his icy heart. Instead, he took life without a second thought, and played games with those who still lived. Understanding was not something he sought. Absolute control was the only thing he accepted.
“I am finished answering questions for this morning,” he said, placing his napkin on the table.
My heart was in my throat and I didn’t know whether I should back down or push forward. Neither decision was great. Ultimately, the tension inside my mind won. “I only have one more. Where is Iona?”
“She is busy.” His jaw tensed for just a moment before his eyes softened.
“Doing what?”
“You are so inquisitive. So curious about things, it’s refreshing.” His gaze moved over my face. “Your servant friends cleaned out the small room in their compound for you. Seems that they welcome your presence there.”
“They did?” I looked at him in surprise. It was very clear that he shifted the conversation, and he did it well, for my interest was stolen. However, the other questions, those he did his best to avoid truly answering were not going to be forgotten. I would find the truth.
He nodded. “Soren got some supplies, healing herbs and such, and is probably there now unpacking and trying to figure out where you want things.”
“Is breakfast over?” I asked, placing my napkin on the table. A strong desire to go there and see what was being done came over me.
“It is if you want it to be,” he answered and I stood at once, the chair scraping across the floor.
“Do you wish for me to take you there?” He joined me in standing.
I shook my head no. “I know the way.” I also needed a break from the stagnant air that surrounded him.
Clause smiled just before I turned away and finally left him, determined to someday soon find the answers to my questions.
14
ERIK
