“I do not want your help.” He enunciated each world—clear and sharp and cold—making sure she heard it. This woman was the reason for every bad thing that had ever happened to him. She was the bane of his entire existence.
“Please—”
“Let’s take a break, okay?” Autumn said, pulling him close. “Emotions are high. Let’s take some time to decompress, and you two can try again once you’ve had a bit to process, okay?”
David glared at her.
“She is your mother,” Autumn whispered. “You may not think so right now, but she deserves a chance.”
When he looked at Elenya once more, her mouth was set in a resigned line. “Give me five minutes, and then I will leave you be until you are ready.”
A muscle in David’s cheek ticked.
When he didn’t turn and leave, she drifted toward a hallway at the opposite side. After a glance at Autumn and a slight push from her, David followed.
The hall was dark, the overgrown vines along the walls lending an ancient and untouched vibe to the space. Elenya extracted a brass key from the folds of her creamy dress and inserted it into a half-hidden door a ways down the hall.
“What is this place?” he couldn’t help but ask.
“Galadaine’s study.”
Ah.
Likely why it had been abandoned and left to its own devices. The door swung open to reveal a small room that immediately curled into the most coveted reaches of David’s chest. Unlike the hallway, this space was kept tidy. Deep green armchairs inhabited one corner while a workspace dominated the area beneath the windows opposite, covered in neat stacks of books and papers. Pots of ink and glass dip pens in a rainbow of shades formed a perfect bouquet right in thecenter. Every wall was a bookshelf, and each book was clearly cared for—dust-free and conscientiously spaced.
The room was the answer to a question deep in David’s soul. It was a place he could happily die in.
Books and solitude.
What else did one need?
But at the same time, he didn’t like this proof of his similarity to Galadaine. He didn’t want to look at Galadaine’s things and thinkMine.
Elenya walked through an archway, and he followed her through to an intimate sitting room, populated only by a handful of seating options. The windows of this room were stained glass, dying the space in deep blues and neon yellows. Light from the crystals above wavered over every surface, and Luster sparkled in the ripples. He found himself sinking into a chair without having made any decision to do so.
He never wanted to leave this space.
His mother perched in another chair, her back straight, and jumped right to the heart of the matter.
“I fear for your safety.”
Right. The whole reason she’d abandoned him in the first place.
“I’m aware.”
“I don’t think you understand the direness of the situation, David.”
His muscles tensed, poised to spring. “I understand that I was lied to my entire life. I understand I was abandoned by my family. I understand that my own mother placed me in the hands of a psychopath.”
Her green eyes shimmered with sudden tears. Her mouth opened, but no sound emerged.
On edge, he stood, ready to flee.
“There are things you don’t know!” she said just as he reached the door.
He paused.
“There are players hiding in the shadows, David. You and Caden Sidera exist at the very center of a centuries-long unrest.”
