Page 170 of Hidden Kingdoms

Could her being a Seer prove useful? And how could I go about forcing her to use it for our advantage?

It had been reckless of me to attempt to remove the block on her mind, I knew that. Yet the fact that trapped under that mess of hair could be the answer to everything I was looking for, was one that was hard to pull away from. It’s why I’d decided to be the one to take her to Arden despite how little I wished to be in her presence.

I hadn’t lied. Kaius was busy, and I assumed Alouette was off doing whatever the fuck it was she did.

Kaius had found me this morning, beating himself up over the answers he failed to obtain yesterday. I hated to admit I’d been surprised; it wasn’t often anyone managed to keep their secrets to themselves when they came under Kaius’ torment.

I doubt even I would last for long after the things I’d seen him do.

It also meant that whatever gutter worm Kaius had found, was more scared of the drug dealer they died to protect than us. The thought alone stoked the coals of anger that always burnt inside me.

My magik surged in agitation at the memory of when I had found out someone had slipped past our security.

Hurtmyprisoner.

Chased her through the halls—put his hands on her.

The haunting rip of Elodie’s dress played over and over in my mind despite it being only a second’s worth of sound from the disjointed footage Calida played. Flames had erupted along my skin, burning hot enough to keep even Lyssa at arm’s length as I battled to control them, all the while they were urging me to destroy the one whose hands had been on her.

But I wanted to kill them for the audacity of infiltrating the palace.

It was Kaius who wanted to kill them for hurting her.

I also needed to know exactly how they managed it. Father would be losing his mind if he ever knew. Perhaps it was his absence that let them dare attempt it in the first place.

As if summoned, the door moved beside me. The grind of its hinges loud in the silent corridor, pulling me from my thoughts. Whatever lull my annoyance had ebbed to in Elodie’s absence began to build as she stepped out.

Inexactlythe same clothes she had been wearing when she opened the door.

Not even her hair was different.

Not that I paid attention to what she looked like.

Elodie turned down the corridor after pulling the dark wooden door closed, ignoring my presence as she took a few steps before stopping. Twisting back to me with a bored look on her face, her eyes scraped over me in a way I could almost feel. Her head tipped up as she met my eyes, and magik tugged at me, a strange ache that urged me closer, but like fuck was I going to heed it.

“Let’s go then. What are you waiting for?” Her gold jewellery clinked as she gestured onwards.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”

Tilting her head to the side in faux confusion, Elodie’s white hair fell across her shoulder, face the perfect picture of innocence yet her dark eyes sparkled with a silent dare. “I thought we had somewhere important to be?”

I didn’t trust myself to reply, gritting my teeth against the outburst I was painfully choking down, and paying absolutely no attention to the way heat burned through me as my eyes locked on hers. I broke before she did, wrenching our gaze apart, ignoring the small smile of triumph I caught before looking away.

Frustratingly, she had been heading in the right direction, meaning I had to walk past her to lead the way. The scent of herskin filled my lungs as I took a mistimed inhale as we crossed paths. It was as sweet as spiced honey and wrapped itself around the flames of my magik, coaxing them higher, feeding them.

It was disgusting.

Thankfully,and silently, she fell into step beside me without either of us having to talk to the other as we walked. I kept my eyes ahead, purposefully ignoring her presence as long as she kept up. I was waiting for the moment she opened her mouth, ready to shut down whatever shit came from it.

I took her the quickest way I could while also keeping her out of sight, and if she thought it weird we didn’t encounter anyone, I couldn’t care less.

Soon enough we were outside Arden’s tower. I knocked twice and, done with waiting around, stepped inside, feeling her presence behind me as she followed.

I didn’t bother diverting my attention to the eclectic collections Arden displayed, heading straight for the hearth and the fire that was crackling within instead. Its heat soothing as the flames reached for me.

Arden was stood by his mismatched grouping of chairs, another bright jacket belted over his wiry frame, and a look of mild confusion on his face at my intrusion on his space. Watching silently despite the questions he must have. His eyes warmed as his attention moved to Elodie, greeting her with a soft smile. Something within me twisted as a genuine smile lit her face in return.

“To what do I owe the pleasure?” Arden finally turned back to me.

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