A chill went through me, colder than ice.
“Seth once mentioned, when he was very much under the influence of alcohol, that your father was in love with one born in a place where gods went to die, where magic grows too wild to be controlled. It could be the reason even Damien’s powers can’t keep the energy flowing in here in check.”
My mother…
Leanan was indeed connected to the dark, born into a family that possessed dark magic. Even her father was said to have bound himself to an ancient dragon years ago, and after the dragon died, his powers were said to have died as well. Except, what if he had found a way to steal the powers from the dragon and keep them somewhere else.
Hidden, in here.
“If the portal split them from us, and this realm is reacting to our intentions,” Sparrow said, his eyes darkening, “then it’s testing each of us differently.”
I clenched my fists. “Then we need to move. We find the next gate, and we tear it open if we have to.”
Sparrow touched the stone wall again and frowned.
“These realms can respond to emotions, Xavier, including to desire. Maybe all you need to do is to create some sort of mentalconnection to her, even when this portal is surrounded with dark magic.”
I met his gaze. “Then it will show me where she is?”
He didn’t argue.
So, I tried searching for her inside my mind. To think about all the moments, I had her in my arms, kissing her, pleasuring her.
Gwendolyn, are you in there somewhere?I asked,trying to build up a connection. It was way harder than normal, in this room drenched in dark energy, I couldn’t feel her. And normally I’ve always felt her, even when she wasn’t nearby.
Gwendolyn, my love.I thought about the first time I’d seen her, in the underground tunnels. The way her brown eyes looked at me like I was a dangerous stranger, not knowing I was going to be hers just the way she was going to be mine.
Listen to me.
Before I thought it hopeless, the floor beneath my feet started trembling faintly, and a door into the wall had opened, leading toward another sort of cave underground.
The realm must have heard us and accepted our bond, but where were we supposed to find her?
Chapter 25
Malakai and I just gazed at each other, but no one said a word. It was like nothing could express what was going inside our heads. All I knew was how tightly he adjusted his arms around me, afraid I’d disappear. The only thing he was wearing was a pair of cross-earrings, shimmering a pearly silver. Like whoever kept him hidden here didn’t think him worthy enough to wear clothes.
Seeing all of the streaks across his skin, some red, some white, made me realize that he must have been tortured for so long. I was so angry at the person who did this to him and sad that I hadn’t been able to prevent it. My fingers brushed lightly against his wings. I was afraid to overstep a boundary, but I longed to touch them as if their feathers were a way of finding a way back home.
Damien shifted into his dragon form hours ago and swam through the portal to see if I could make it in my human form.
Since then, he hadn’t come back.
There had been this fear inside me, after coming here, finding the ones who truly loved me, that it was all too good to be true.
Gwendolyn, my love.
The voice appeared out of nowhere, and all I could think about was that it was Xavier. I couldn’t respond to Xavier calling me by my name, I still had no idea how it worked with speaking mentally to him.
But I heard his voice… he was trying to speak to me. He was nearby. He’d found us.
“Are you okay?” Malakai asked, his fingers brushing over my back.
“I think Xavier is trying to talk to me, but I don’t know how to respond.”
“You bonded physically to him already, right?”
My cheeks flushed, knowing what he meant by it.
