I nodded. “Yes. Or that’s how it felt, anyway.”
“Maybe he was just testing your powers, to see how much you know,” he suggested.
“Maybe,” I agreed. “But it felt… aggressive.”
“That could have been the village reacting to your magic,” he pointed out softly. “Perhaps he was actually protecting you from a bigger trap set to catch him, not you.”
I considered that angle. “The alarms were going off,” I admitted, recalling the cawing and sounds of stones shifting. “But I didn’t feel like they were trying to attack me.”
“It’s possible he deflected it away from you and onto himself.”
“Yes, that could be true.” My brow furrowed. “But I still think he meant to trap me.”
“Or see you, yes,” he murmured, reaching out to tuck a strand of my hair behind my ear. “Does he feel ominous to you? Threatening? Do you even know who he is?”
“I feel like I know him,” I whispered, glad to be talking to my mind and not to someone else. “His magic reminds me of my past, but I don’t know why.”
“You’re missing memories,” he replied. “They were stolen from you to protect you.”
“What?” I gaped at him. “How could you know that?”
“I’m in your mind, Aflora. I know many things.”
“Or you’re leading me into a false train of thought,” I tossed back, suddenly tired. “The truth is, I have no idea who he is, just that I feel as though I know him. And he doesn’t seem to want to hurt me, but he definitely wants to find me.”
He nodded. “All true.”
“I just don’t know why.”
“I think you do,” he said softly. “And if you look hard enough, you’ll see what’s right in front of you. When you’re truly ready, the truth will reveal itself. Because every detail you need is here.” He covered my heart with his palm, his touch hot against my bare skin.
“You’re not very helpful,” I accused, sighing.
His lips twitched. “On the contrary, sweet star, I’ve been extremely helpful. You’re just ignoring the obvious.”
“You mean your penchant for riddles?” I asked, mock innocence in my voice. “Yes, those are very helpful.”
He released another of those chuckles, the reverberation warming my skin as he leaned in to press his lips to my ear. “Do you like riddles, darling star?”
I swallowed, his closeness doing things to my body that I didn’t want to acknowledge. Mostly because it was wrong. “Not particularly,” I breathed, my voice raspier than I intended. Why did I have to create a male who impacted me so acutely?
“Then maybe you should ask why your mind is so fond of speaking in them,” he whispered.
I already knew why. “Quandary magic is all about solving puzzles. You take things apart just to put them back together another way. A riddle at its core.”
“Mmm, true,” he agreed, running his nose down my neck to kiss the spot where Zeph had bitten me earlier. “But why would your mind choose to operate in riddles when you claim them to be unhelpful? What if I’m not your mind’s creation at all, but something else entirely?”
“Then I would have to consider the possibility that I’m going insane.” Something I didn’t want to do.
“Or consider that I exist.” The words were a kiss against my ear, his teeth skimming my lobe. “I’ll be back again soon, sweet Aflora.” He pressed a kiss to my temple, his sinful gaze glimmering with intent as he forced my eyes to close once more.
Consider that I exist, I thought, repeating his words with a frown. But that’s impossible.
Or was it?
“There you are,” a masculine voice rumbled against my ear, followed by a kiss to my forehead. “I was beginning to worry.”
“Kols?” I whispered, slowly opening my eyes to find him lounging beside me on a bed of red silk framed by gold and black fringe.