I forced my gaze downward, fingers gripping the books so tightly my joints ached.I didn’t need to look up to know who had entered.Ifelthim.
The sound of his boots against the polished floor was deliberate.Unhurried.He was a predator with no need to rush.
A robed figure walked beside him, speaking in hushed tones.I fought the urge to look—to confirm what I already knew, but I failed.Miserably.
I dared a glance through my lashes, my head still bowed, only to find Dalkhan’s piercing gaze already locked onto the book in my arms.
The one with his name embossed in gold across the spine.
Heat flooded my face in a wave, crawling up my neck and spreading across my cheeks.
His eyes dragged over me, lingering on my face and my throat, where my pulse betrayed my fear, before flicking back to the book.His expression remained unreadable, but the sound he made—a low “Hmph” that thudded low in his chest—sent fresh humiliation curling in my stomach.
He continued deeper into the library, the air bending to accommodate his passage.
Mira nudged me.I tore my eyes away from him reluctantly and headed for the doors.
As we stepped toward the exit, I caught the murmured exchange of Belshin greeting his king.The great doors creaked, slowly closing behind us as we passed through.
And yet… something I couldn’t explain made me glance back over my shoulder.
A mistake.A stupid, stupid mistake.
Dalkhan hadn’t moved.He was watching me.
An amused smile transformed his severe features into something more dangerous.His dark gaze swept over me from head to toe once more.
I startled as the doors shut with a final, heavy thud, severing the connection like a blade.
I walked on with the others, my steps quickening, ignoring the way his gaze burned into my skin long after he was gone.
Mira left as soon as we made it back to my chambers, leaving me alone with Theo and Tavrik.The instant the back of my legs brushed against the wooden chair I collapsed into it, placing the books on the side table with a loud thump.Dalkhan’s name gleamed under the torchlight, the gold lettering almost pulsing with its own heartbeat—drawing my gaze like a moth to flame.
Maybe I shouldn’t have taken it.
I traced my fingers over the lettering, his name gliding under my fingertips like a whisper.This was the man I was meant to kill—the one who would bring ruin to the mortal realm—and yet, I knew almost nothing about him.
I pinched the bridge of my nose, the gesture conjuring an image of my mother.The countless times had I watched her do this exact same thing when frustration weighed too heavily on her shoulders.That or she would rub her temples in slow, circular motions.
I missed her more and more with each passing moment.Her absence was a physical ache, a hollow space in my heart that nothing here could fill.I needed to do what Zaheera asked of me andsomehowsurvive it—not for myself, but to return to my mother, to see relief flood her face when I walked through our door once more.
“He hates me,” I muttered to Theo and Tavrik, who sat beside me on the bed.“I don’t know how I’m supposed to gain his trust.He already looks at me like he knows I’m hiding something—like he can see right through me.”
Tavrik leaned forward, resting his elbows on his thighs.“Don’t worry about him for now.”His hand settled firmly on my knee.“Let’s just focus on blending in.We’ll take it one step at a time.”
He was right.
I tried, I really did.Still, no matter how hard I pushed him from my mind, Dalkhan crept back in, lurking around the edges.
What I really needed to do was to focus on Jasila.To find a way to make her like me, or at least not hate me.
As if I’d summoned the devil herself, the door burst open and in walked Jasila.
What was wrong with everyone here?
She entered like a cat with a mouse between her claws.
“Oh,” she drawled, her eyes gleaming with mock disappointment.“You’re still alive.Pity.”
