Titus’s reaction is that of a defensive soldier. Tristen’s shadows deepen as he stands. He scans through them, then nods at Titus, telling him we are still clear and safe beyond his walls.
“Time,” I repeat as I grab Titus’s hands. “Once Sable has the book, all you need to do is wrap us in a time bubble and snatch the book from her hands. By the gods! Everett truly thought of everything! That’s why he gave you his magic. It was the only way we could get the book out of Sable’s hands.”
Chapter
Thirty-Four
Titus
Selene’s hands were spun with steel, then turned into a one-of-a-kind lace. Delicate yet strong.
I want those hands all over me. I want to claim my mate so fucking bad I can’t think straight. My breathing is now in a permanent state of labor. My thoughts are always on her, not the Vitalis, my new magic, my family, or the armies against us.
Her.
My mate.
I don’t have to close my eyes to hear her heart. I feel it press into my flesh like a loving, tender hand holding mine.
This is what love feels like… breathless, yet you inhale so deeply because you’re terrified something or someone will take it. You hold onto that breath, seal it in your lungs in hopes no one smothers it when you set it free.
My fire magic sizzles under my skin, roaring and raging to burn everything standing in our path. For the first time, Everett’s time magic dances with my flames, both agreeing and wanting to protect what is ours.
But how do I cradle the wind?
That’s what Selene is. I have to let her slip through my fingers and return to Galen. I have to let her roam free until I can drift away with her.
But… that can never truly happen. Everett has doomed us. Once I get the Vitalis, how can Selene and I be free?
Why does it feel like we were never meant to be?
Everett must have foreseen this. Surely, he has another safety net to catch us so we don’t fall to our deaths.
“Titus, did you hear me?” Selene smiles; even surrounded by Tristen’s shadows, her grin warms me like the sun. Her skin looks more golden all of a sudden, and the shades of darkness in her hair have their gloss back.The angle of her eyes is no longer dull, but sharper with hope.
“I heard you, mate,” I murmur. My smile is stained with a sorrow that can only be washed away once she is free.
Free of Blackthorn, of Galen, of all this madness. If I need runes to do that, so be it!
Tristen’s glare is a constant weight I now bench press. It’s not out of jealousy or hate; it’s out of a deep, sorrow-filled longing that I can’t be with my mate. Not yet, anyway.
I cup her cheek. Aww, yes, her blush is more coral-stained than red. Unique and precious. “It seems we have a plan,” I reply softly. “I need to learn how to activate my time magic, how to make it listen to me.”
Her smirk presses into my palm.
“You’re forgetting a huge detail,” Tristen barks.
Why does he have to spoil this moment?
“As soon as you get that book, Everetts’s time magic is gone. Poof!” Tristen’s shadows make snapping sounds to emphasize his point. “That means Sable is going to know because the time bubble will pop. Then what?”
“We use our new army,” Selene murmurs. Her green eyes darken as she plots.
“Even if we get Galen’s army to support us at the beginning,” Tristen replies, “who’s to say they will be loyal? Knives will be coming for my brother’s back as long as he has that book.”
“This old vampire, whose name you never got,” Selene arches her brow at Tristen, “take us to him. I have a feeling there is more to his story that hasn’t been revealed.”
“Is that wise?” Tristen asks. “I thought Galen would grow suspicious if you went to the library.”
