“Dax, you need to calm down. I’m going to tell you this against my better judgement, but yelling isn’t going to solve anything here.”
Dax’s shoulders slumped. “Sorry. I’ve just been feeling so torn over all this. But if there’s an inkling of hope here, I need to know.”
“There is a way, but it’s a dangerous gamble and truly more than you should ask of Everett.” He crossed his arms. “It’s also not a guarantee.”
“What is it?”
“If one of his ancestors was a preternatural, then it’s possible I can open his eyes to see the truth.”
Dax held his breath. “That’s it, then. Let’s do that.”
“It could be too dangerous for Everett, Dax. But…I’m also worried that this could also further break your heart.”
Dax’s shoulders slumped. He glanced back to find Everett staring at him through the glass. “I love him, Xavier.”
“This would be Everett’s decision to make, but he needs to understand it could be a risk to his sanity. Maybe even his life. Because trust me, that could happen. If he opens his eyes to the world of magic, that will change him forever. And if he’s not your soulmate, what happens to him? He hasn’t spent his life hiding his reactions—he could respond badly to the wrong preternatural and lose his life.”
He closed his eyes. “I hadn’t thought of that. Any of that.” Even if they weren’t soulmates, he planned to be with Everett. It was just heknewthey were. When he looked at Xavier again, thesorcerer’s expression had softened with compassion. “I’ve loved before, Xavier, but it wasn’t like this.”
“Have you shown him yourself without the glamour?”
Dax shook his head, then snorted. “I’ve never been a coward quite like I am about this.”
“Maybe you should do that first. Then talk to him. Give him the option, if that’s what he wants. But Dax, we could open his eyes, and it could still turn out that he isn’t your soulmate.”
“I don’t see how I could feel this strongly about him if he isn’t.” He squared his shoulders. “But even if he’s not, I want to be with him. For however long that will be.”
“Talk to him. Think about it longer before he decides anything.” He straightened and walked around to pick up the journal he’d been studying. “I haven’t managed to crack the code in this book, but I believe I’m close. The problem is, I’ve been researching, and I believe I know what’s housed in that nephrite.”
“What?”
“A draugr.”
Utter shock ripped through Dax. “That’s…not good.”
“No, it’s not. I’ve dealt with them in the past. They’re nasty creatures with only one objective.”
“To guard treasure.” Dax had faced against a draugr in the past, one that had been relentless in that one objective.
“Yes. And if this one was doing so at the time of its incarceration, it will kill anything in its way to get back to it. But Dax, when Everett bled on the nephrite, he triggered the spell and is now tied to it.”
“Is there a way to unbind him to it?”
“I think that answer is in this journal. Give me a few more days.”
Dax nearly choked on the heavy lump of utter frustration in his throat. “We need to figure this out.”
Xavier, who hardly ever showed anger, narrowed his eyes and pinned Dax with a hard look. “You are going to have to be patient.”
His shoulders slumped again, and he ran his hand over his scalp. “I’m sorry, Xavier. It’s just this whole situation is tearing me apart.” He looked back at Everett, who was now watching through the glass with obvious concern. “Yes, we can be together without the soulmate connection and I’d cherish that, but I just know it’s more. That we could both experience that bond. And I want that for him as much as I want it for myself.”
Chapter Twenty
Everett
When Everett woke that night, it was to find Dax no longer in the bed with him. Something was up with the ogre and had been since he’d had that conversation with his boss in the office. Everett quickly threw on some clothes and went to seek him out.
Everett found Dax in the family room on the couch, leaning forward with his head buried in his hands. There was such an air of defeat about him, it broke Everett’s heart.
