AllFreeNovel
Share Us
A gentle breeze swirls around us, tugging at the ends of my hair.
Corvan simply leans in and kisses me on my lips; gently, sweetly, sending a pleasant ripple through me.
“Just as well we’re betrothed, then.”
“Just as well,” he murmurs. “Now, I must warn you. Khaturian customs are very different from ours, but as long as you’re with me, you have nothing to worry about. Just follow my lead, all right?”
“Fine.” Why does it feel like my blood is humming? Why is my heart beating so fast? It isn’t just Corvan’s presence—although he’s enough to drive any woman mad.
It’s the feeling that something profound is going to happen, and when it does, there’s no going back.
I’m so far away from home.
But really, I’ve never had a home. My father is cruel; my stepmother’s a stranger.
I have no home but here, in the arms of a man who I barely know; and yet right now, I feel closer to him than anyone else in this world.
Why does it feel so precarious?
“We need to know what you are,” he says, his deep voice wrapping around me, pulling me into a trance. “The answer lies in your blood. Why it’s so sweet to me; why you reacted so strongly to mine. Why you have abilities beyond our comprehension. Tell me, Finley. Don’t you ever wonder why your father never speaks of your mother?”
My chest tightens. My breathing intensifies. “What wouldyouknow about that?”
He lifts his dark glasses, revealing his eyes.
His gaze softens.
He’s never looked at me so tenderly before.
Why then, am I afraid?
“Finley, what I’m about to tell you might not be easy to hear, but it’s important that you know.”
“You know something,” I whisper, suddenly reminded that I hardly know this man. Is he using me? “You knew, and you didn’t tell me a thing. You had ample opportunity to do so. What are you playing at, Corvan Duthriss?”
Trust hangs between us by a thread, threatening to be swept away by the wind.
“Finley, I’m sorry.” He tips his head in apology. “It isn’t my intention to hurt you or keep secrets from you.Neverthat. But you were sent to me for a reason. My father’s behind it; he knows something that neither of us do. It’s no coincidence that you manifested magic back there. I thought Lucar Solisar might know, but he’s as ignorant as I when it comes to my father’s true intentions. He did, however, reveal a certain truth. An important one.”
“My mother,” I whisper. The sun above is so bright. The sky is so clear. The snow glitters brilliantly. But my thoughts are being suffocated by something vile and noxious.
Your mother didn’t want you, Finley. You were a mistake. She never wanted to be tied to me. But it doesn’t matter now. She’s dead.
Why have I never had room in my heart or my mind to acknowledge her existence?
To evenwonderwhat she was like?
And now, when I try to imagine what she could have been, it feels like a very old wound, scarred over, is being ripped open.
My mind slowly starts to shatter. There are a thousand different fragments inside, like broken glass; painful memories that I’ve buried deep inside me, with the intention of never seeing them again.
I’m staring at Corvan’s face; at his tender eyes, filled with concern, but I’m far, far away.
I’m eight years old again. I’m in the great hall of Ruen Castle, sitting on the floor, and Lucar is there, and he has a cane in his hand.
My legs are covered in welts and bruises. The skin is broken in some places. I can barely walk. Gritting my teeth in pain, I look up at the man who claims to be my father.
I refuse to cry. I won’t give him the satisfaction.
