Page 88 of Storm of Ink and Blood

He nodded and leaned forward, folding his big hands on the table. “What kind of magic do they have?”

“Aazheri magic, of course.”

He blew out a long breath. “Zarya, this will result in chaos.”

“I know that, but you have to see this is right.” She gestured towards the house. “You don’t keep vanshaj in your household. You know.”

His shoulders hunched as he peered up at her. “Yes. I do know. But it’s one thing to refuse to keep vanshaj against their will, but it’s another to free them from their chains.”

“Why is it any different?” she demanded. “This isn’t right.”

“You’re correct,” he said. “But the world is not so black and white.”

“I know that.”

“They’ll kill you if they catch you. Your friends. Your family. Row. Yasen. Anyone who’s important to you.”

She set her jaw and lifted her chin, her gaze challenging. “I know that, too. Which is why you must decide if you actually want to be with me.”

“Zarya, I can take care of myself.”

She shook her head. “I’m meant to do this. I was meant to join the Rising Phoenix, and I’m sure I’m on the right path.”

He paused and looked down before looking back up.

“And I should get back,” she said.

“Back?” he asked. “To Ishaan?”

“You could come with me. If you wanted.”

He blew out a breath. “I want to be wherever you are, Zarya.”

“Really? Now that you know what I am?”

He grabbed her wrist and tugged her onto his lap.

“Zarya, I meant what I said that I will go where you go. And I don’t just mean that physically.” He picked up the pendant that lay against her collarbone, rolling it between his fingers. “I will go anywhere destiny takes us.”

She studied his face. She sensed his sincerity, but a tiny part of her still hesitated to trust him completely. What if he was still keeping things from her? What if he was wrong about Abishek? He spoke of the king with such reverence that she wondered if Rabin saw the man as clearly as he should.

Was she ready to forgive him for lying to her, regardless of his intentions? Lying for good reasons was still lying, no matter how you spun it. If she examined her emotions closely, she was afraid of being made a fool of again. People already thought her naive and inexperienced about the world, and the last thing she needed was another chance to prove them all right.

What if all of this was the same act as last time? She didn’t believe it in her gut, but her logical mind was urging her to be cautious.

He said nothing as she stared at him, thinking of the story he’d told her last night. Of how Raja Abishek had rescued him from the cruelty of his own father. Then another thought occurred to her as she recalled the conversation with Vikas and his query on whether someone might know a more efficient way to break the collars.

“The Jadugara…” she said. He blinked at the abrupt shift in topic.

“What about them?”

“The books you pillaged from Ishaan—could they have belonged to them?”

He shook his head. “Very likely many of them did. Why?”

She offered him a rueful smile. “You’re sure you’re ready to go where I go?”

His hand tightened on her hip. “Absolutely.”