Ash clenched her prickling fingers. Kira had been kind to her, but how the bloody hell was she supposed tosummonit?
She held out her hand, feeling like an idiot.Dagger, come to me…
Oh, this is ridiculous?—
The weapon materialized with a rush of warmth, its weight settling solidly into her palm as if it always belonged there.
“Eeep!” Ash stumbled back, the breath punched from her lungs. She stared at the blade, heart pounding. “What the bloody hell just happened? Race said only he could summon th-the dagger.” Her voice trembled. “Maybe it’s my abilities. They can go haywire. I mean, I drenched Michael’s study.”
“Don’t be scared,” Kira said softly. She held out her hand, and a similar weapon took form on her palm. “See? This one once belonged to Týr…”
Ash’s mouth fell open.
Kira smiled. “It happened to all of us women here. The obsidian daggers—Race’s, Týr’s, all the Guardians’—they were never truly theirs. The weapons were waiting. When their true mate first touches the blade, it glows…and bonds.”
“What are you saying?” Ash rasped.
“Race’s obsidian dagger belongs to you,” Kira said, her eyes shining. “It means you’re his destined mate.”
All she could think of was his careless dismissal when she told him the dagger glowed—then not so long ago, he told Dagan he didn’t want a mate. She stood there, feeling as if she were careening down the same hill she’d fallen down not so long ago with Paul.
Bile rushed up her tight throat.
He knew.
“You okay?” Kira asked, her eyes dark with worry.
Ash blinked, nodded, and forced a smile. “Yeah. That explains everything.”
What? That she wasn’t good enough. Not for the long haul.
“Oh, good. I’m so happy for you both.” Kira rubbed Ash’s arm, her relief palpable. “I’ll go get you some clothes.”
The door shut behind Kira, and Ash squeezed her eyes shut as her newfound happiness splintered.
He knew.
And he chose to stay silent.
Tears stung her eyes as she stalked the length of her room, trying to breathe, to understand. But the familiar ache of rejection ripped open old wounds. She’d been there with Paul, but this cut deeper, leaving her raw and bleeding. She wasn’t someone who rushed into anything. With Race, everything had spiraled so fast, taking her along in its gravity?—
The crash shattered her.
Her throat tightened, the prickling sensation growing and spreading through her. She couldn’t handle being in the same hurtful situation again, especially not with Race. He could have told her the truth. Hell, it wasn’t like she couldn’t take ‘no’ for an answer.
But then he promised her nothing but a good shag.
Stupid, stupid, Ash.You don’t learn, do you?
A deep, gut-wrenching pain broke free. She was the idiot who’d let her heart get involved.
Damn you, Race?—
She pounded her palms on the wall, hard.
Her powers exploded, and lightning broke free, striking the ceiling beams. The entire room shook. Lamps toppled and shattered, sconces burst with a shower of sparks. Darkness swallowed her, broken only by jagged forks of light ricocheting off the walls and stinging her skin like needles.
Too hollow, too heartsick to care, Ash slid to the floor and wrapped her arms around her knees. The tears she’d been holding back blurred the flashing light as something inside her finally broke.
