I don’t know what happens to me now that I’ll be binding myself to another man and not the Dark God. Another question no one has been able to answer. Perhaps I won’t have access to powerful magic anymore. Maybe nothing will change at all. After all, Altair isn’t an ancient god. But ever since I said the words, the oath in my veins has been singing constantly. Waiting for something. Or someone.
I shake my head, trying to clear my mind of the anxiety I feel almost constantly now. I head to the far corner of the library, where the tomes on magic and the Bloodbane witches are kept. With the cane in one hand, and two heavy texts in the other, I waddle back to the center of the room to a chair pushed up beside the window.
With a grunt, I heave the books onto an adjacent table and settle carefully into the chair. Sunshine pours through the windows, warming my chilled skin. I open the first book and flip to the first page. It’s a history of the Bloodbane witch clans. There are five in total, with many divisions within the major clans. They have a complex structure of leadership. But their Chieftess is always the strongest among them. Maaz.
I feel a tingle of fear trickle down my spine as I think of her. She’s ancient; several thousand years old. And she’s led the Bloodbane witches for most of them. I remember her cruel, blue eyes as she glowered at me during our last encounter. She was murderous and frightening. The memory of her blade burying itself in my belly after she threw it towards Altair sends my heart racing. I’m breathing too quickly, too shallowly. I clutch the arm rests beside me, digging my nails into the soft velvet.
Panic floods through me and it’s as if I’m back in that moment when I thought my life was ending. The pain in my belly flares as my blood pumps faster. I know it’s slipping through the stitches now and beginning to soak the bandage. I clench my eyes shut, forcing myself to take deep breaths.
I lurch as I feel a strong hand on my shoulder. “It’s okay, Verity, you’re safe,” Altair murmurs.
My eyes open enough to see him crouch in front of me. He presses his hands on my legs, attempting to ground me. “Altair,” I whisper fearfully.
“Shh.” His brows are furrowed. “Breathe.”
After a few moments of struggling to catch my breath, I feel my heart settle. I inhale deeply and then release the breath slowly. My muscles relax, and I can finally open my eyes completely. “I’m sorry,” I say as I stare into his hazel eyes.
His black hair is swept back, revealing the tips of his pointed ears. His full lips are pulled into a concerned smile. My eyes rake over his frame. Even crouched before me, it’s obvious that he’s tall and lean. His tunic is unlaced near the collar, just enough to reveal a slip of hair.
“You have nothing to be sorry for,” he says. I nod. Altair takes the book from my lap and inspects it. “Just a bit of light reading?”
I blanch, knowing what he thinks of me learning about the Bloodbane. “I know it’s dangerous to involve myself with Bloodbane magic, but it’s part of who I am. And since the curse was broken, I’ve felt so lost,” I say softly.
“What do you mean?” He frowns.
I bite my lip. “Whether you or I like it, I am a Bloodbane. At least, almost. But now that I’ve made my vow to you and not to Sadal Melik, I don’t know what happens next. I don’t know what happens to me and my magic.”
“It’s a little early in your life to be having an existential crisis,” he says, cocking a brow.
“Altair.” I glower at him.
He laughs softly. “I know.” His eyes grow serious and his voice lowers. “You’re Verity Chastain, you’re the Curse-Breaker. And my future wife.”
My heart beats wildly at his words. Curse-Breaker. Wife. “That’s a lot to put on a librarian’s shoulders,” I whisper. My gut is twisted and heavy.
“You’ve been cooped up in this castle for too long,” Altair quips, rising. “Let me take you to see Desmarais, the City of Glass.”
I furrow my brows and sink back into the chair. “Is it safe?”
“You don’t have to worry, Verity,” Altair says gently. “Maaz and her witches are far from Desmarais.”
“I can hardly walk.” I tilt my chin towards the cane next to me. “I barely made it from the healer’s tower to the library.”
“Not to worry; I’ll take you on a grand tour in my carriage,” Altair says.
I purse my lips but rise shakily to my feet. I am eager to get out of the palace and the palace grounds. The palace is all I’ve seen of Altair’s kingdom, except the wilderness from my last abduction. I reach for my cane, grimacing in pain, but excitement tugs at my heart. I feel lighter already.
“Is it really that terrible?” He asks, cocking a brow.
“I feel like an old woman,” I sigh.
Suddenly, Altair’s strong arms sweep me off my feet. He lifts me into the air easily and holds me against his chest. My eyes widen and I gasp softly at the sudden move. My cane clatters to the floor, the sound echoing through the empty library. Altair’s eyes rove over me, a smile playing at his lips. An image of the two of us pressed together, lips trailing kisses over bare skin, flits through my mind. My cheeks heat at the thought, but I can’t tear my gaze away from his full lips.
“I can walk on my own,” I say, wiggling in his arms.
A soft purr rumbles from his chest. “I can’t let a woman as beautiful as you suffer.”
“Altair,” I say, my voice carrying a hint of a whine.
“Do you want
