His golden eyes gleam in the glittering faelights as he slides a gentle hand along my jaw and cups my cheek. “I told you. I will always find you, little rebel.”
“Good thing we were able to restore our mate bond.”
He smiles and draws his thumb over my bottom lip. “Good thing, indeed.”
It wasn’t until the Icehearts moved us to a new location for the third time that I finally realized how Draven was planning to find me. Through our mate bond. There is always a slight tug pulling us towards each other, which means that we can feel which direction the other person is in. It’s how he found me and saved me when people were trying to kill me in the past. So if he were to just keep following that sensation this time as well, it would eventually lead him to me.
I don’t actually know if the Icehearts are aware that Draven and I are fated mates or not. They might have just been moving us frequently to stop Hana from telling us where we are. Regardless, it prevented Draven from locating me and getting there in time while we were in captivity. But he was finally able to catch up to us outside the pocket reality, since we were in there for so long.
“What happened?” Draven asks, his intense eyes scrutinizing me as if looking for signs of injury. When he sees the holes in my fighting leathers, his gaze darkens like an oncoming thunderstorm. “They hurt you?”
And suddenly, all the pain I’ve been trying to block out hits me all at once. The stab wounds. The way Jessina taunted me about killing my parents. The days I’ve endured without even a drop of that comforting feeling from my magic.
My body, which has been running on pure survival instincts for the past hour or so, threatens to start shaking again as my soul screams for that wonderful relief I’ve been denied for so long now.
Squeezing my hands into fists, I try to prevent them from trembling and force myself to keep my voice steady as I reply, “I’ll tell you everything later. First, I should go and see Haldia too.”
Draven nods, immediately going into problem-solving mode. “Of course, I’ll go with you.”
“No!” It comes out too forcefully and too quickly. Clearing my throat, I try to compose myself again. “I’ll meet you back in our room afterwards.”
There is a confused frown on his handsome face as he looks down at me. My heart pounds while panic crackles through my nerves. I shouldn’t have refused in such a hurry. I should have said it more normally. Now, he might get suspicious.
“Are you sure?” he asks, his brow still furrowed.
“Yes.” I nod. “I just… I just need a minute to myself. To process.”
Understanding washes over his features, and he strokes my cheek before leaning down to kiss my forehead. “Of course. Take all the time you need.”
My heart twists painfully. Oh Goddess, I really don’t deserve this man. And I hate lying to him. But there is just one thing I need to do. Alone.
Biting my lip, I try to stop myself from breaking down right then and there. Instead, I just nod before quickly pulling back and turning towards the door so that Draven can’t read the lies on my face.
With shame coiling in my chest, I hurry away from the throne room and my wonderful mate. But instead of heading down to the city to Haldia’s house, I run through the beautiful palace and towards the stairs to the dungeons underneath it.
When I reach the door to the stairs, I find two guards standing on either side of it.
A whimper of desperation almost escapes my lips. Goddess damn it, I need to get down there.
Walking up to the guards, I blurt out, “Look, I know this is going to sound strange, but I really need to get down into the dungeons. And I know that you?—”
The guard on the left grabs the handle and opens the door.
I blink in stunned shock.
Beyond the door, the stairs lead downwards to the dim light of the dungeons below.
Giving my head a quick shake to clear it, I look between the guards’ faces. “You’re just… going to let me in?”
“You have clearance,” replies the guard who is holding the door open.
“I do?” Frowning in utter confusion, I just stare back at him for a second. “Since when?”
“His Majesty granted you clearance a few days ago. After that night when you were locked down here as well. He said that you could enter and do as you wish, if you ever came to ask about it.”
My heart squeezes hard. Orion. He knew. He anticipated this. And he gave me a way to handle it without hurting innocents.
Then panic shoots up my spine. Oh Goddess, he knows far too much.
