I nodded, waiting.
“You slice your hand with the dagger,” he continued. “Emily draws blood using her necklace charm, ensuring the tip is coated.” He gestured toward the dagger, his grin darkening. “Then, she inserts the bloody tip into the hilt.”
I swallowed hard.
“Once you say the ancient scriptures,” Malik finished, his emerald gaze locking onto mine, “voilà—you both time travel.”
My mouth gaped open.
“How the hell did I not know that?” I sat back, shaking my head. “I had no idea my dagger could even do this.”
Malik’s smirk was infuriatingly smug.
“There’s a lot you don’t know about your dagger,” he murmured, his voice like velvet. “It’s quite powerful.”
I narrowed my eyes.
“Don’t you think that’s something I should’ve known?” I demanded, sitting up straighter.
Malik’s gaze glinted.
“All in good time,” Malik said smoothly.
I scoffed, rolling my eyes. “Oh, please,” I muttered. “That’s the most arrogant answer I’ve ever heard.”
His smirk widened.
Beside me, Emily leaned over the dagger; her hands braced on Malik’s desk. “How does a Timebound come into existence?” she asked, curiosity lighting her features.
Malik turned his smoldering gaze back to me—because, of course, he did.
His smirk remained firmly in place as he answered, “A Timebound comes into existence when one of the parents is a Timeborne, aTimebound, or the darkness.” He flicked his eyes to Emily. “Since Alina was your mother, Emily, you automatically became a Timebound.”
Emily’s breath hitched.
“And you, Olivia,” Malik continued, voice thick with meaning, “if you were to have a child, that child would also be a Timebound.”
His words struck me like a bell’s chime.
A cascade of elation rushed through me, washing away my lingering frustration.
I turned to Emily and pulled her into a tight embrace.
“This is incredible news, Em!” I whispered fiercely.
Emily let out a shaky laugh, her eyes glistening as she eased away. “Yes, it is! We get to time travel together!”
But just as quickly, something shifted in her expression. Her smile dimmed.
I noticed.
She was worried.
Was she thinking about time traveling while pregnant?
Before I could ask?—
“There’s a catch, ladies,” Malik interjected.
