Arianna clenched her fists. “He protected him.”
“I would have done the same.”
Arianna’s head snapped up. “Why?”
“Because you would have wanted me to.”
Arianna’s mouth opened. Closed. “I don’t want him in here.”
“He knows.”
Arianna’s voice lowered, though she knew it would do no good in the small house. “I—how can he be my mate? After—after all he’s done?” How could she be tied to a creature like him when she was The Divine?
Raevina reappeared in the doorway, a steaming mug in one hand. “You show me a warrior without blood on their hands and I’ll show you a liar.” She strolled across the room and set the mug on the bedside table. “A gift from Talon.” Arianna peered over to find creamy molten chocolate. Her mouth watered. “He just wants to talk.”
Arianna clenched her jaw again, then finally relented. “Fine, send him in.” At least it was better than seeing the monster.
The females stood. Zylah adjusted her blanket again before following Raevina out. Part of Arianna thrashed against the idea of trusting anyone. But Zylah—she could trust Zylah. The half-breed had experienced far more tragedy. If she couldput her trust in these people, some who were once her enemies, then perhaps Arianna could do the same, at least for now.
Then again, maybe Pádraigín’s magic was at work on Zylah too, coaxing her to trust when it would be wiser not to.
Arianna looked down at her hands. She hadn’t realized she’d been clenching the sheet so hard her knuckles had turned white. Arianna released the soft fabric, letting blood flow back into her fingertips. Frost covered them, too.
Arianna let the ice come to life in her palm before melting it again. She still had her magic. That was something she could rely on, even if the rest of her world felt warped beyond reason.
A mate. Gods above, she had a mate. It was supposed to be a rare phenomenon, and somehow, conveniently, her mate was the most dangerous male to have ever walked the continent.
Arianna furrowed her brow. No, that wasn’t right. Mates weren’t rare at all. That had been one of the many lies fed to them by Vairik. Mates were common amongst those with differing magical abilities. It was a natural order meant to keep them together and thus stronger.
The ancient texts were wrong about so many things. About who her mate was supposed to be. About who The Demon was to their world. And to her.
But she’d already been told these things, even if she couldn’t quite grasp the memory of who had told her. That one, despite not being visible, wasn’t cold like the others. It was warm, inviting. She could almost melt the frost from the glass.
Connall.
The name swept through her.
Arianna recalled sitting near a cabin, talking with Sive as she and others had revealed truths that had turned their world upside down. But there were holes in the memory, parts that were just … gone. As if someone had burned a page right out of a book. Arianna tugged at the empty spaces, but searing painexploded behind her eyes. The shadows swelled again. Hate blossomed in her heart.
A soft knock at the door drew Arianna away from the past. Her heartbeat quickened when the knob turned then the door swung open to reveal Talon on the other side.
He stared at her, his honey eyes scanning her form as if he could see all the wounds Zylah had yet to heal. It made her want to scoot under the blankets and hide from those prying eyes. Hiding anything from him was impossible, even when they’d been younglings.
Arianna’s gaze fell to the tray between his hands.
“I thought you might be hungry.”
Her stomach growled in response. Talon didn’t wait for an invitation. He crossed the room and carefully placed the tray on her lap before backing away. He looked her over again and Arianna wondered what else he might be searching for.
Talon seated himself in the small armchair on the right side of her bed. She cringed at the scent that lifted from the cushions. A clear indication that The Demon had been in here while she’d been unconscious. The thought didn’t sit well with her. Who knew what such a creature might do? She hoped Talon’s scent would wash it away, maybe then her head and heart could relax.
Arianna took in Talon’s disheveled state. The wrinkled clothes. He was clean, but the way he wore his tunic too loose and untucked told her he’d either slept in it or hadn’t slept at all. Judging from the dark circles beneath his eyes, it was the latter.
She studied the honey color of his irises, refusing to back down from the intensity of his gaze. Arianna knew him the way she knew her own sister. He’d always been there for her, a constant companion throughout their childhood. A solid rock for her to lean upon.
But that rock looked uncertain now, his expression pleading.
Talon leaned forward, clasping his hands together, patiently waiting as she took him in.
