“The security at the palace more than covered the risk,” Alex defended. “I was perfectly safe there.”
Aven’s mouth curled into a slow grin and Alex hated that, despite his inherent evilness, he was still devastatingly attractive. Apparently it was a trait that all Meyarins shared, but since he was the only one of his race she’d ever met, she had no one else to compare him with.
“The security you speak of wouldn’t have stopped me,” Aven said. “Those pitiful palace guards and their ridiculous Warden superiors would have merely been an annoyance and waste of my time. But I knew all I had to do was wait for you to come to me.”
“In case it escaped your notice, I’m not in this room by choice,” Alex told him. “You’re awfully confident for someone who happened to stumble upon me by chance.”
“Chance had nothing to do with it. Only a fool would believe you wouldn’t leave the palace to explore on your own. I just had to wait for the perfect opportunity to get you alone. Granted, your Warden friend is more talented than I gave her credit for, and she has admittedly made this day more tedious for me than I would have liked. But no matter, you’re here now.”
Alex didn’t know what he was talking about. “What Warden friend?”
“The one who has been following you and the princess all day,” Aven informed her with a smirk on his face.
Alex was shocked. If what he’d said was true, then she and D.C. were going to be in so much trouble when they got back to the palace.
… If they got back at all.
“Wait,” she said, thinking fast. “How can a Warden have known who we were? And for that matter, how did you recognise us? You shouldn’t be able to identify me through this cloak.”
She fingered the material that covered her head and Aven barked out an incredulous laugh.
“I’m Meyarin, Alexandra,” he said, as if that was an answer in itself. Maybe it was. “A touch of Shadow Essence isn’t enough to fool me. But I can’t speak for your Warden. And I don’t care to.”
Alex frowned and hoped D.C. was all right. But it was also a relief knowing that there was someone out there watching over them, despite the problems the Warden might cause for them later.
“Do you plan on telling me why we’re here, or are we just going to exchange small talk all afternoon?” Alex asked. She wanted to get out of there—preferably in one piece—and to do that, she needed to know what Aven was after.
“You still have no patience, I see,” Aven said.
She shrugged unrepentantly. “Patience is overrated.”
Aven raised his left hand and looked at his scarred palm thoughtfully. “Perhaps it is a virtue you lack, but you certainly do make up for it with your strength of will.”
Alex had to resist a shiver of apprehension when she felt her own palm tingle along the line of her identical scar. She would never forget the terror of being subjected to Aven’s commands and stripped of her freedom. If she’d been born with any gift other than her willpower, she would have been Claimed as his slave for the rest of her life.
“You haven’t answered my question,” she said, forcing the fear from her mind. “Why did you pull me in here?”
In the blink of an eye, Aven pushed off the wall and stepped directly in front of her, trapping her in his gaze. His casual attitude was gone and the dangerous look on his face caused Alex to inhale sharply.
“Why do you think you’re here?” Aven asked, his voice soft but with a harsh edge.
Alex refused to step back despite the fact that he was well and truly invading her personal space.
“If I knew the answer, I wouldn’t have asked,” she stated. “It’s not like I can help you get into the Library and to Meya from here. We’re nowhere near the academy.”
Aven laughed derisively. “If I wanted to get into the Library today, I would have waited until you were back at Akarnae. No, that isn’t why I sought you out.”
He leaned closer and she struggled to hold her position. He looked even more amused, as if he knew exactly how uncomfortable he was making her feel.
“What I want is for you to know that at any time, in any moment, I can and will appear,” he whispered into her ear. “I want you to live with the knowledge that I’m watching you and waiting for the perfect moment to strike. I want you to know that when that time comes, my plans will succeed. And I want you to know that you will be the reason for my success.”
Alex shuddered, but before she could reply, the door burst open and Aven pulled away. She whirled around to see D.C. and another cloaked figure standing in the doorway.
“Alex!” D.C. cried, running towards her.
Alex spun back to face Aven, but it was too late. He was already gone.
barri er.
Four
“I don’t want to hear your excuses,” King Aurileous said, pacing around his private meeting room. “I explicitly told you not to leave the palace today. You disobeyed my direct order, and because of that, you could’ve been hurt—or worse.”
“Father, please—”
“No, Delucia,” the king interrupted. “You need to understand how serious this is. If Warden Jeera hadn’t followed you into the city, who knows what might have happened!”
D.C. dropped her head, remaining quiet.
The king hadn’t taken the news of their visit into the city very well at all. Nor had he reacted calmly to the news of Aven’s threat. But something had to be done to tame his wrath before he decided to lock them both in the dungeons and throw away the key.
“It was my fault, Your Majesty, not Dix’s,” Alex said, attempting to defend her friend. “She knew how much I wanted to see Tryllin. We didn’t mean to cause any problems.”
King Aurileous stopped pacing and turned to face both girls.
“Your loyalty is once again commendable, Alex,” he said. “But my daughter should have known better—especially with the Meyarin on the loose.”
“I’m sorry, Father,” D.C. said quietly, looking at the floor.
The king sighed and opened his arms. “Come here, sweetheart.”
D.C. hesitated a moment, but then stepped forward into her father’s embrace.
“He almost took you from me once, my darling girl. I can’t bear the thought of it happening again,” he whispered.
Although the words weren’t meant for her, Alex had to swallow back tears at the raw emotion in his voice. Before she could decide if she should give them a moment alone, they ended their hug with watery smiles.
“We’re due to leave for the academy soon,” D.C. told her father, “but will you keep us updated about Aven?”
“My best Wardens are searching for him now,” the king said, looking at Alex thoughtfully. “I can’t believe he approached you in the middle of the day like that. And then just let you go. It’s… concerning. But I promise to let you both know if we find him or learn anything more.”
Alex thanked him, relieved that he seemed to have calmed down.