“Later, Ajax,” I murmured, staring at my reflection for a moment. I’m sorry, I mouthed, not able to say the words out loud, but feeling them nonetheless.
Everyone had their part to play.
This was mine.
I palmed the back of my neck and blew out a breath, exhausted and yet eager to see my mate. I don’t hate you, Shade, she’d said. She had no idea what those words meant to me. I’d replayed them over and over again in my head for the last week, using them to calm myself when fear and resignation threatened to consume me.
We had three more days until the Blood Gala.
Three days before I found out if all this had been for nothing. Again.
I swallowed and closed my eyes, then blew out another breath. Pull it together. You can do this. Two phrases I was so tired of hearing myself say. But there was no alternative.
I’m on my way, little rose, I finally said, my nerves under control once more. See you soon.
“I’M TRUSTING YOU,” Zakkai said, holding out his hand for mine. “Don’t take that for granted.”
It was what he said before every dream. I usually returned the sentiment, but this time, it was truly about him trusting me and not the other way around.
Because he was letting me leave the paradigm with him.
I nodded, demonstrating that I accepted his terms again.
No running.
No portal-jumping.
No cloaking.
No trouble.
I wouldn’t jeopardize my chance to see Shade, so I’d agreed to all Zakkai’s rules. He slid his hand into my cloak to pull out my wand and tucked it into his leather jacket.
I arched a brow. “Really?”
“My trust only goes so far,” he replied. “But I also might need it.”
“What if I need it?”
“Then call for it,” he murmured. “It seems to be more in tune with your desires than mine, so it should listen.”
It wasn’t an argument worth having, so I merely nodded again.
His lips twitched. “I didn’t realize seeing Shade could make you so agreeable, Aflora. I should have offered this days ago.”
I rolled my eyes. “Seeing any of my mates makes me agreeable.”
“Any of your mates who aren’t me,” he corrected.
“Obviously.”
He huffed a laugh and shook his head. “Let’s go, little star.” He reached down for my hand, and I gave it to him, just like I had when he’d led me outside earlier. It felt natural to accept, like my palm belonged against his. A fact I refused to evaluate and instead saw as a necessity.
We wandered through the hallways again, but in a different direction from before. This time he led me closer to the main dining hall but veered down a new hallway—one that appeared before him like the stairway and door had earlier—only for us to stop short as Dakota stepped into view. She frowned at our joined hands, then took in my cloak and Zakkai’s jacket.
“Are you heading out for another lesson?” she asked, glancing out the windows to the left. “I can’t tell what time it is, but I think it’s late.”
“I didn’t realize we had a curfew,” Zakkai drawled, stepping around her and yanking me along with him.