His eyes shadowed, and his hand went up and scrubbed the back of his neck. “Why did you not tell me of these feelings? It’s not like we haven’t been spending time together.” His half-smile was wry.
“I honestly don’t know.” I paced to my bed where I’d laid out all the clothing I’d collected. “I know I have this duty. Not to mention all the Fae are counting on me.” My shoulders slumped, and I stacked my neatly folded pile and started organizing it into a backpack. “I just want to repay the debt of Luz saving my life.” I swallowed hard. “But, is there any way I can transfer this essence to someone else once I manage to free magic?”
I clenched the t-shirt in my hands tightly—anxiety heightening when he didn’t speak.
“That won’t be possible.” With those simple words, my heart sank. The hope I’d been harboring for months puttered out. Just as quickly, anger tightened my chest.
I whirled, tossing my shirt on my unzipped bag. “It wouldn’t be until after I’ve fulfilled my promise to Luz—”
“It is literally not possible to transfer the essence unless the holder dies,” he interrupted me. “You can’t leave once magic is unbound. You will have unlimited power. You won’t even know how to control it. You would be a danger in the human world. It would take you years to learn every facet of your power.”
I stepped back, shaking my head in denial. I couldn’t wrap my head around what he was saying. Never go back? How was I just now finding this out? I’d let my fear rule me and held onto this pointless hope. How had I not connected the dots after Luz died.
“I will be here, Rae.” His eyes clashed with mine, and it was like lifting a veil. The desire I had seen during our training sessions and when we were intimate reflected in his expression, intermingled with a deeper emotion I refused to name. Shit.
“I could show you so much.” He stepped forward and grazed my cheek with his hand. I jumped, and he pulled it back. “I know you like it when I touch you. Let us try for more.”
I squeezed my eyes shut. How I wished I could reciprocate that desire. Wished he’d been the one I’d attached myself to emotionally. My eyes opened, and I let myself take him in. He was exquisite, but I craved a scar curving down the side of his face, marking a permanent scowl down one side of his lips.
Damn Roark. Why couldn’t he leave my head? I needed to get out of here. Guilt nibbled at my stomach. Here Ty was, asking for more, and all I could think about was Roark. I needed to tell him the truth—all of it.
I let out a shuddered breath. “I have to get out of here, Ty. I know you think Roark tricked me and hurt me. But there’s more to it than that.” Rip the bandage off. “He’s my mate.”
Ty’s head jerked back. His expression indicated he wasn’t comprehending the gravity of my words. “Impossible. Even if you were, it would be impossible to know with magic bound.”
My lips remained sealed. He visibly struggled until I couldn’t take it anymore. “We are. And they used my blood to force a melding between Sabine and Roark with darkling magic.” My words were choked, and the tears flooded my eyes.
He cupped my face, and I blinked to remove the moisture. Ty’s softened expression became clearer as he leaned down.
I dropped my shoulders and reached up to stop his progress. “I just can’t, okay?”
“Do you want to be with Roark?” he asked, and I shook my head. “Give me a chance to win your affection after you get the information you need. As for the deal with Jedrick, I’ll think on a plan to sway him and null the agreement.” It was a repeat of what he’d vowed earlier and the same as earlier, the tension living in my shoulders that had to do with that did not subside. Just another issue I wanted to bury dead.
“I—I’ll think about it, okay, but don’t hold out hope.” The relief in his eyes was evident. I placed my hand on my churning stomach.
“Be safe, Rae, and return.” Before I could blink, he was gone, the door swishing shut behind him.
As soon as it closed, it opened again. Rian walked in with Cora behind him. They gave me a look that said they knew what had just happened.
“That was an awkward rejection, dear,” Cora said not unkindly.
I huffed and looked up at the glass ceiling, wondering if something could smite me. Thin arms wrapped around me as Cora crushed me to her body.
“I will miss you, please be safe, and I agree, come back soon.” Her eyes filled as she stepped back, grasping my arms, and with a squeeze, she let me go and left sniffling.
Rolling my shoulders, I looked up at Rian. “Ready to go?” I said, pulling my bag over my shoulders.
“Yes, everything should be handled here. We will exit the way you were brought in.”
That was such a long time ago. So much and so little had happened since then.
“Follow,” I intoned a tad sarcastic. There was a snort from behind me. I whirled to look, but if there had been a smile, it had already disappeared.
The heaviness in my chest lightened. I would see Annie soon. On top of that, I was putting distance between Roark and me.
The hallways were dead empty, and we quickly arrived at the entry leading to the hidden stairway that led to the ground floor and then outside. The non-descript door creaked when he pulled it open. The dimly lit, narrow hallway sent a shiver up my spine. It was neat how it practically blended with the wall on this side, but at the other end, it was a beautifully intricate door.
I shook off the creepy-crawly feelings
