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"You will have to excuse me," he stands, and I hop to my feet. "I am afraid I have an emergency council meeting. I look forward to seeing you in a few weeks at my sister's house."
I bow my head in respect. "Of course, I look forward to it."
With one last warm smile, King Soren stomps toward the door but when his boots stop, I turn to look at him. "If I may offer you unsolicited advice, Shaye, be careful who you attach yourself to in matrimony. The right partner will elevate you. The wrong one will derail you."
"And how do I know which partner is the right one?"
"The one who challenges you and keeps you honest is the one who will never abandon you through life's highs and lows." He smirks, tilting his head slightly to the left. "But I suspect you already know that, my dear."
And with that, he's off, leaving me with my thoughts.
Nineteen
Shaye
We're late.
I made the mistake of asking Professor Riggs one last question and his answer was more in-depth than I needed or expected. So, even though Nyx and I hustle upstairs, the bell tolled minutes ago and I'm sure Atlas is going to be his typical self and give me shit about my tardiness.
The moment we enter Atlas' classroom, Nyx beelines for the bleachers and takes his seat, clearly gearing up for another explosive session. Atlas, however, isn't at his desk passive aggressively scribbling away on some piece of paper pretending to be busy but is laying on the floor in the center of the room. His legs are stretched out in front of him, crossed at his ankles, and he is reclining on his elbows, allowing the sunlight pouring through the dome glass ceiling to beam down on him. He reminds me of a lazy, lounging cat and I can't help but tease him for it.
"Don't let me interrupt your sunbathing, Professor." I fold my arms over my chest, popping my hip to the side.
"I was considering whether or not I should take a nap, since you're so late."
Rolling my eyes, I scoff, "By a few minutes. Calm down."
He pops his head to look at me and after scanning me head to toe, he moves to stand to his feet. "Well, now that you're here, I've got – "
"What do you know about Oryn and Naya?" I've avoided broaching this topic with him for weeks, but I can't hold my tongue any longer. There's a possibility as the other half of this Tethering situation, he might actually have information or insight I need to figure out what's going on between us.
If he's taken aback, he doesn't hint at it. He just smirks and shakes his head as he stands to his full height, towering over me. "What you really want to ask is what do I know about Tethering?"
I quirk an eyebrow, my interest piqued. "What do you know about Tethering?"
He plants his hands on his hips. "I know that Professor Riggs has been obsessed with the possibility of seeing it happen in his lifetime from the moment he learned of my shadow magic."
"Because of Naya's shadow magic."
He shrugs, completely disinterested in the topic. "I may not care for school, but it's not lost on me that I'm the first shadow wielder in several hundred years."
"A thousand years, actually."
"Even more astounding." His voice is dripping in sarcasm as he heads for the man-sized wooden target and drags it toward the farthest ring.
"You aren't scared by it?" I follow him, continuing to fire questions at him before he shuts me out.
"My magic?"
"No," I hop in front of him, forcing him to meet my gaze. "Tethering."
He perches his elbow on the wooden figure's shoulder and asks, "Why should I be scared? Because a thousand years ago a Celestial's light magic and a human's dark magic were drawn to one other?"
"They were lovers." My cheeks heat when his eyes scan me head-to-toe.
"Oh," he chuckles darkly, "is that what's got you all worked up? Don't be. Tethering has to do with a magical connection and isn't dependent on romance. Theoretically siblings could be Tethered. It has no bearing on sex between wielders."
"Right," I nod my head in agreement, "but Oryn and Naya are the only recorded case of Tethering, and they were lovers."
