She fanned her face and calmed her laughter. “I’m guessing from your shock and questions, you haven’t already taken care of thatdepartment.”
“No. We haven’t.”
“You might want to do sosoon.” She nodded with conviction.
This was something I needed to know, but I realized it was also a clever way to ask me if Wolfe and I had slept together. “Okay, Arielle. And well played.”
“Hey, I’m just looking out for you.” She laughed, feigning innocence. “Wouldn’t want you to go crazy because you can’t mate with yourmate.”
“AnythingelseI should know about?”
“Nothing new, exactly. You were able to sense each other before your memory reset, that should happen again soon. But now that you’re mates…” Arielle grinned. “You may grow so close you feel what the other is feeling. And…” She let the word linger for effect.
“And what?”
“Some mates can communicate with each other intuitively, like how we use the Veythral bond.”
I gasped. “Really?”
“Yes. But it’s different for everyone. Your bond may present in other ways.” She reached across the table and took my hand. “Whatever happens I’m sure it will be beautiful.”
I smiled at her and glanced down at the soul mark on my wrist. It seemed almost brighter today, and more meaningful. “I hope so, Arielle. Mostly I just want to remember it all.”
“Then eat up, and let’s get going. Hyxian awaits.”
I smiled, eager to face the day.
Chapter 42
Elariya
“Back to Hyxian”
We left the house in a carriage drawn by Crown-Elks—magnificent creatures with bluish-gray fur and antlers branched like gilded trees. Their hooves didn't so much touch the ground as skim above it, carrying us with an ethereal grace that made my blood sing.
Then we were skipping across the sea.
I pressed my face to the carriage window, unable to contain my wonder as the Crown-Elks galloped over waves that rose to meet their feet. Water sprayed up in crystalline arcs and fractured into a thousand rainbows as we pushed forward.
Arielle enjoyed watching me take it all in.
When we reached the far shore, the countryside unfurled before us in a cascade of impossible beauty.
Rolling hills bloomed with flowers I had no names for, trees with silver bark stretched toward the cerulean sky, and in the distance, waterfalls flowed in shades of lavender and rose gold.
This was Galaythia in all its grandeur.
Every sight made my heart skip, every moment was another memory I never wanted to forget.
An hour passed and the elks slowed. Soon the fortress of Hyxian rose within our view. And even from a distance, the building commanded reverence.
I fell in love with the place from the moment we rode through the gates. Much of what I’d described in my journal was exactly as it was. But seeing it in real life was… there were no words.
When we entered the Grand Hall, I had to tilt my head back to take it all in.
The ceiling soared impossibly high above us, lost in shadows and an illusion of the night sky with twinkling stars. Constellations moved in slow, thoughtful patterns, their light casting a soft glow over everything below. Floating candles drifted through the air in organized chaos, their flames flickering between violet and silver and deep crimson.
I spun around, a smile stretching across my face. I couldn’t help myself.
