“I love you more.” I smiled. “I should go.” I began crying immediately, and Haden hugged me tightly, kissing my forehead.
“I missed the way you smell.” I smiled as I buried my face into his chest.
Haden immediately pulled his tunic off and slipped it over my dress.
“There, now you’ll have a piece of me with you.” He smiled before picking up my cloak and helping me slip back into it.
He held out his hand as he stood up and gripped mine tightly, then he slowly led me downstairs. When we opened the front door, Malamay was watching us closely, like we would tell him what we had discussed.
“Is there a way I can get her to come back—to be reborn?” Haden asked Malamay, changing the subject to throw him off.
Malamay looked confused for a moment before sighing. “I doubt it, but Avesh might know.”
I smiled because Malamay didn’t know that my magic still worked. He thought he was safe from me, but he never would be. I hugged Haden and kissed him again.
“Please let her come back again,” he said quickly. Haden turned to me. “I will bring you home to me. I love you, Storm.”
“I love you.”
Then Malamay and I were pulled back to my room in the stars.
He looked at me and sighed. “What were you discussing?” He narrowed his eyes.
“We weren’t talking,” I said suggestively. “We made the most of our five minutes.”
Malamay’s face was not amused as he left the room in an offended huff.
I sighed heavily and locked my door. Tomorrow Haden would go see Avesh, and I would finally fulfill my duty so I could live in fucking peace with Haden.
Chapter 24
Haden
Avesh was staring at me wide-eyed as Ezra, Thea, and Cassius all flanked my sides. He was gaping at me after I told him about Della. Then his eyes landed on the ring on my finger. Avesh’s eyes began darting around as if he were having an out-of-body experience. He stood up and looked me dead in the eyes wearing the expression of a lunatic.
“For fuck’s sake!” he exclaimed.
I looked at Thea and Cassius, hoping they understood why he had suddenly lost his damn mind. He was smiling, walking back and forth, muttering to himself. After a moment, he stopped and looked at me with a crazy grin on his face.
“She said you would come.” Avesh looked at me oddly.
“Who said that?” I crossed my arms over my chest.
“Ardella.”
I stiffened a little bit at this but watched calmly when he began wandering around the room looking at the shelves.
“She came to see you last night after I had already decided to visit?”
He turned to me with an odd expression. “No, do you not remember?” Avesh turned to me completely, his eyes tracing over me slowly. “You saw her that day, remember.”
“Avesh, you better start making some fucking sense in the next two seconds before I lose my fucking shit,” I warned him.
“It’s like the memory had a shield around it until this very second.” Avesh looked at us. “Ardella came to see me, 300-ish years ago. She wanted to hide something here. A book, very small, very old. When I asked her what it was, she told me that I could not read it; the text will only appear for the one it is intended for. She said you would come when you needed it, and I should give it only to you.” He looked at Thea and Cassius, then Ezra. “Stars above, she said the three of you would be here too. She is exceptionally gifted in magic.”
“Where the fuck is the book, Avesh?” Ezra demanded. I looked at him with my brows raised. He raised his hands apologetically. “Sorry, I lost my cool. But shut up and give us the damn thing.”
Cassius’ body shook with silent laughter.
