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“You lie so effortlessly; I don’t even know what to trust anymore.”

“I’m not lying about this, I swear it.”

“Why not kill him immediately instead of kidnapping me?”

He ran a hand through his wet hair in exasperation. “He is an incredibly powerful Wielder. I needed to make it believable. If he trusted me enough, I knew I could get to him. The only chance I had was to attack him when he didn’t expect it.”

“Why drag it out so long? You had him in the same room.”

“Obryn said Rakkley has to cast an interlocking spell between the two of you before he can extract the remainder of Synth. It means he cannot wield dark spells on anyone else. I just didn’t account for the fact that he seems to be unkillable. Trust me, this is not what I had planned.” He swallowed hard, closing his eyes, and it looked like he was about to be sick. “I…didn’t expect to have to restrain you…physically.”

The blood had entirely drained from his face. He looked at the ground. His plan was to simply put her in magic shackles, but he didn’t know about the shield potion.

“When did you start talking to him?”

“Shortly after the party, once you were focused on destroying the amulet and risking your life.”

He hadn’t told her a word about that.

“If you knew where he was this whole time…”

“I didn’t. We communicated via scroll. I met him only a few times, but he is smart and was very careful. He opens special gates and changes his location frequently. But I gathered valuable information.”

“So Obryn knew? This whole time?”

He winced. “I’m so sorry. I just couldn’t think of a better plan. You must believe me, it was all an act.”

“I don’t even know who you are anymore. You’ve created so many versions of yourself—the side your friends get to see, the one Obryn knows, a general to Rakkley…like a million puzzle pieces, never revealing too much, always keeping people in the dark.”

The rain cascaded down his sharp features, and he had never looked more broken. For the first time, Aidric Dawson seemed utterly helpless.

“Perhaps I guard my secrets too ardently, but I’ve shared more about myself with you than with anyone else.”

If any of what he told her was even real. Who knew anymore?

“And why’s that? Because that works into another scheme of yours?”

He took a sharp inhale but said nothing. His hands flexed before he curled them into tight fists. When it was clear he wasn’t going to answer, she stormed off and he followed her.

“It’s because I fucking love you,” he yelled with frustration.

Everything came to a stop. Her thoughts. The world around her. When she turned, he looked exasperated. Every time he revealed something about himself, it chipped away at his soul. Some bit of control he would never regain.

She stared at him, in the pouring rain, wordlessly.

He sighed, bracing his hands on his hips. For a moment he looked away before he continued.

“Even with every horror I endured during the war, I was never truly frightened until I feared for your life.”

For the second time that day, her entire world flipped. She wasn’t sure if she was still breathing.

“I always felt alone, but somehow only the absence of you taught me the true meaning of loneliness.”

She was silent. Everything around them faded into the background.

He swallowed hard, closing his eyes for a moment like every word cost him energy.

“I belong to you in a way I can’t explain.” His silver eyes found hers again, holding her gaze with determination. “With every fiber of my being, every speck of my magic, I’m yours, Mira.”