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Chapter 90
Somehow, Adley had little trouble using the bracelet Dain had made for me. The three of us stepped into my suite, both Adley and I still weak and swaying. I wondered if seeing only the positive outcomes made her falter when something bad happened—was that why Ally always seemed so morose?
“We’re going to use the bracelet to get back, all right? I’ll leave it here on the table.” Ally said firmly, her eyes betraying only a flash of sympathy before cloudy indifference took hold.
“Ally, we have to tell him—”
“Rachel can tell him. Can’t you?” She asked, ignoring her sister. Sliding the bracelet onto her wrist, she opened my closet door. I could see their living room on the other side, the pale couch heaped in blankets and throw pillows.
“Ally—”
“Adley.” Ally’s tone was harsh, but there was something hidden within it that made her sister halt.
Tea
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Iridian Chapter 91
I wiped the tears from my eyes with a furious hand, staring down at my wrist. I touched the soft skin with my fingertips, tracing the cobalt veins beneath. There was no festering wound, that ached it oozed dark blood, nor a scarlet sickle etched into my skin.I pinched, poked, and prodded until my brain caught up to what I was seeing. Swallowing heavily, I noticed the absence of pain in my throat. It was then I registered Dain’s imposing presence, taking up most of the air in the room. The flutter in my stomach, the way I felt attuned to his every move, it was all back.My eyes drifted slowly, to where he sat just a few feet away. Leaning against the headboard on a bed large enough to fit a family of eight, I hadn’t even felt him sink into the mattress. The sight of him made me catch my breath. I had never seen Dain this disheveled before. Always so well dressed, never a hair or expression out of place.His raven hair was an absolute mess, the shaved
Iridian Chapter 92
“I don’t feel so good.” I swallowed, blinking rapidly as though the image of Ash, bloody and bruised beyond all recognition, wasn’t seared into my mind. Tears turned my vision blurry, making my eyes and throat ache.Cold hands found my face, cupping my heated cheeks. Through the rivulets that danced in my eyes, I could make out Dain’s face, much too close for comfort.His head was tilted ever so slightly, a perplexed look on his face as he studied my own. I swore I could detect just a hint of frustration. I tried to shove his hands away, but to no avail. Hadn’t he ever seen a girl cry before?“Stop swatting my hands away.” I snapped, but the threatening tone of voice was flimsy considering it cracked halfway through.“Stop crying.” He murmured, his grip on my face tightened. I could smell his breath, and knew from the whisper of cherries, that it had been some time since he last had a drink.
Iridian Chapter 93
Just three days before the festival of Day and Night, I found myself sitting at Dain’s dinner table, my mouth open in outrage.“See how easy that was?” Dain grinned, leaning back in his chair. His eyes darted to my lips, where the wine I had been drinking splashed against my lips and dribbled down my breasts. He had been making a point, that doing small magical acts was as easy as walking and talking. With a flick of his pointer finger, the wine glass had slipped from my hands. He leaned forward, placing his elbows on the table, his head tilting ever so slightly. “Would it be gross if I tasted you, Rachel?”I rolled my eyes at the word ‘gross,’ and how strange it sounded coming from him. There was a sophistication to the way he spoke, while I had barely managed to pass my high school English class.Flushing, and running the risk of babbling incoherently, I stabbed my fork into a cube of steak and placed it betwe
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I had all afternoon to think about what Dain had told me, and the slim possibility that his brother was out there…alive.No, I wouldn’t let myself hope. There was no escape from what I had done. I had seen his body with my own eyes, and my silence was only delaying the inevitable.Ever since Ash’s attack, sleep was no longer a break from reality. I relived his assault in my dreams, felt that familiar pain and embarrassment all over again. Nightmares where he had done more than just mark me—so much more than leave me battered and bruised.Leslie was truly skilled at her job because every time I was wrenched from a nightmare, coated in sweat and disgust, I could smell the vanilla scented steam spewing from the bathroom. I’d soak in the bath for over half an hour, surprised at how well I slept once the tension had finally been drained from my body.I had expected tonight to be the same, but when I rested my head on the velvet p
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A young servant with sable hair and a wide smile paused as she passed me heaving against the stone wall. Not that I would ever admit this to Helios, but his training was paying off. That was the longest I had run thus far. The servant’s eyes were wide with concern, the stack of folded sheets in her hands forgotten as she reached for me.“Oh, I’m alright. Just exercising.” I gave her my weak excuse and a painful smile before heading back the way I had come. “Training—with Helios.”I waited several minutes before venturing back, and even more before approaching the set of open doors.The elevated heart rate and sweat coated skin, I could blame that on training with Helios. It was the perfect excuse for my flustered appearance. I couldn’t ignore the giddiness I felt.I had just successfully used magic, for the first time. Nothing exploded or caught on fire, and my feet remained firmly planted on the ground.
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I lunged at the desk in the living room, snatching up one of Adley’s school notebooks and a pen, just as her eyes unfocussed and went blank. The calm sky-blue of her irises glowed softly, unsettling as she stiffly swiveled her head in my direction.For seconds Adley stared at me, until finally she spoke.“Daughters of the sun and sea,two once powerful kingdoms brought down to their knees.Dying legacies, where only one will stand.The champions of Light and Dark hold the fate of the world in their hands.”Ally sighed, frowning softly at her sister, until her eyes too went blank. Her eyes began to glow, the same soft color as her twin. Ally’s pale blue eyes held fragments of grey, like gathering storm clouds.Her head swiveled in my direction, and she spoke.“A call to arms from warrior’s past,to defend their Houses at long last.Brothers forced on opposing sides,the me
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Hours later a cold breeze blew the candlelight out. Not that it mattered, the sun had risen an hour ago. The stone floor no longer felt cold against my skin, not with the warmth of daylight streaming through the glassless windows.It was a chore to pull myself up and force my stiff limbs to escort me to the bathroom, where the thick steam of the shower would envelop me but provide little in terms of relief. It was the spell on my hair, that Leslie had redone, that kept me from looking like an utter train wreck.Taking a much longer shower than usual, I stood beneath the scalding water and wracked my brain through what I had figured out. There were no rules or guidelines, only what I could piece together on my own.It was more than clear that Nadia and I were Light and Dark’s champions, the ones that held the fate of the world in our hands. My stomach swirled on that one. I didn’t want the fate of the world in my hands, what I wanted was freedom.
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“You’re not very hungry. Are you feeling alright, darling?” Dain asked, his head only slightly cocked as he watched me from across the table. He watched everything I did, and where it had first been annoying and unsettling, now it affected me in an entirely different way. I wanted to ask why, why he stared at me like he was memorizing my face and habits, the gestures I made and the way I spoke, but it was a question I doubted he’d answer. “I’m feeling just fine, thank you.” I mumbled, plying him with some automatic response as I wracked my brain for a solution to the next step of my plan. The next part would undoubtedly be the hardest, considering I manage to make it past this point. I brought the spoon of soup to my lips almost robotically, taking a small sip. It was warm and soothed my throat, but my stomach refused more than a few slow bites. He lifted an eyebrow at me, some of the playfulness slipping from his lips. He thought there was something
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