If I were honest, I also understood him. Which was why I’d sided with him in previous versions of our history. And also why I allowed a tiny flare of hope to touch my senses now.
Maybe this time we would get it right.
Or maybe… maybe this was the final version that would end us all.
ZAKKAI DIDN’T WANT to give me clothes? Fine. I’d make my own with the wand he’d l
eft on the nightstand.
My wand, I thought, my lips curling. I could feel the power whirling through me, recognizing my inner magic. Maybe at one point it had belonged to him, but it was mine now.
“Now, what to wear?” I mused, tapping my lip.
I muttered an incantation and waved the conduit around while studying myself in the mirror. Pants and a shirt were too plain. Hmm, a dress was too formal. No, I needed something rebellious and badass.
Knee-high boots—yes.
I paired it with a skirt.
“Hmm.” I uttered another spell, changing the fabric to a checkered pattern with dark green as the primary color. I added a white blouse, then magicked a cloak with a three-headed-snake charm as the clasp.
Zeph would be so proud. I resembled a Warrior Blood.
I tapped my chin. What else? I added a choker to the mix with gleams of red silk woven between black strands. Kols would appreciate the Elite Blood touch.
And lastly, I created a band for my wrist with violet threads to resemble Shade. I wasn’t happy with him, but he’d never hidden his devious intentions from me. He’d even warned that I would hate him, which I’d sensed hurt him deeply. So whatever he was up to held a deeper purpose; I just didn’t know what it was yet.
The only missing embellishment was a cerulean flair. Nope. Not adding that. If Zakkai wanted me to wear his colors, he could provide me with more than a robe.
I ran my fingers through my blue-black hair, gave myself a once-over in the mirror, and tucked my wand into the pocket of my cloak.
Where are you? I asked my Quandary Blood mate.
Find me was his coy reply.
I narrowed my gaze. You really want me to hurt you, don’t you?
His responding chuckle did nothing to alleviate my ire. If anything, it only stoked the flames. I didn’t appreciate his little mental mind game or the memories he’d implanted in my head. They weren’t real. They couldn’t be. Yet, I couldn’t find any trace of magic surrounding their existence. It felt as though he’d unlocked them, not placed them there, and that was even more unnerving.
What else existed in my memories that I didn’t know about?
I shivered and focused on finding Zakkai instead.
It wasn’t hard. He’d practically left me a path of cerulean magic to follow. I couldn’t see it so much as feel it, the energy signature familiar and palpable to my senses.
I wound through the stone corridor, noted the fire lamps flickering with magic along the rocky interior, and passed several closed doors.
Two Midnight Fae stood sentry at the end of my path, one of them opening the final doorway for me and revealing yet another hallway, this one lined with glass windows on one side. I peered out of them and noted the array of wildlife and trees below. We were about three stories up, in some sort of castle. The sun rose over a set of mountains in the distance, making me frown.
This landscape wasn’t anything like the burning thwomps on the Academy grounds. No charcoal blades, raven-like stones, or fire gnats. Just a meadow of pretty flowers, healthy trees, and a mountain of green.
It’s not time for gardening, Aflora, Zakkai taunted in my thoughts, reminding me of the memory he’d skewed.
Stay out of my head.
Afraid I can’t do that, sweet star. You’re my mate, after all.
For now, I retorted. We’re going to break the bond, at least according to the fake event in my head.