Page 43 of Kingdom of Tomorrow
He wanted to kiss me; I knew it. Honestly, I wanted him to kiss me too. And I could ask him to do it without saying a word. Mykal had taught me the hand sign. But I didn’t do it. For some reason, the HP’s face flashed across my mind. That caged aggression in his eyes. That hint of amusement and that almost smile. His intensity. My stomach flipped inside out.
“Hey! Move up,” someone called, and I jolted.
The moment with Shiloh ended as quickly as it started. We stepped forward, both nervously laughing off whatever had happened. Or hadn’t happened. I didn’t let myself consider why I’d hesitated or how I’d inadvertently planted an unwanted seed of desire for Cyrus Dolion.
I balled my hands into fists. Seeds could be dug up. That unconscious flash didn’t have to mean anything. Crush on my instructor? The son of the king. Grandson of the emperor, the most powerful man in both worlds. No. We weren’t even friends.
Shiloh was an amazing guy. I wanted him and only him. End of story. No need for further thought.
Arden Dawn Roosa.
“Yes?” I twisted my head this way and that and spun, searching for the woman who’d spoken my full name.
“Is something wrong?” Shiloh asked, confused as he looked around.
“No, I—” Across the street, a beautiful young lady draped in a red robe crooked her finger at me. Recalling the bearded man who’d worn something similar, I frowned.
Her mouth moved, as if she were speaking. Somehow, I heard her as if she stood directly beside me.Shiloh’s execution is set. If you’d like to save him, say nothing and follow me.
My jaw slackened. Her voice. I hadn’t heard her with my ears. I’d heard her in my mind. I opened and closed my mouth, questions and statements dying one after the other before one emerged. “How are you doing that?” I demanded.
“Doing what?” Shiloh asked, his confusion escalating.
She said nothing else. Just pivoted and disappeared around a corner.
“Arden?” my companion prompted.
I should forget her. Pretend what happened didn’t happen. No doubt she meant me harm. But a need to speak with her stirred within me, strengthening into a tug before becoming a full-blown obsession. Resisting became impossible. I had to know how she’d done what she’d done and what she knew about Shiloh.
“I’ll be back,” I muttered, rushing off before my date could respond. At the intersection, I paused for traffic. No one else traversed this area, so I had no trouble finding my target.
I lurched, halting as if I’d hit a brick wall. She had positioned herself in front of the Rock. The very Rock I had (not) seen the bearded man standing in.
What was I doing, letting a strange woman lure me into the unknown? Archduke Heta had taught me the importance of my surroundings. I didn’t know this space, but she did. She might be infected. A Soalian hoping to brainwash me. To use me as a key into the base.
Still. I couldn’t leave without answers. “How did you speak inside my head? Who are you? What did you mean,execution?”
“I’m Ember Cruz, Shiloh’s sister.” Small circles with inner lines began to radiate a low-watt golden glow from her skin. “This is yourfirst official invitation to the Tome Society. Join us and help me save my brother.”
I reared back. Glower! My knees knocked, her connection to Shiloh doing nothing to diminish my fright.
Tone wry, she said, “I’ll take your horrified expression as a no. But understand this. I’ll ask you only thrice and no more. The sooner you accept, the better off we’ll all be.”
I would rather die than join Soalians bent on destroyingCured. “If you actually had access to books detailing the future, you would’ve known not to waste your time targeting me.” The words frayed as I pushed them past clenched teeth.
“Eventually, you’ll say yes and we’ll become friends. I’ve seen it.” Her unwavering confidence shook mine. “I’d like to save you the regret your delay causes, but I can’t force you. You are the god of your own world, after all.” With a sad smile, she backed up and disappeared inside the stone.
Inside it. Exactly like the bearded man.
But that couldn’t be right.
There was no way I’d seen what I thought I’d seen. This was my hologram theory in action. Yes, yes. Another hologram. The real problem went deeper. A glower had invited me to join the Tome Society. Had threatened me with Shiloh’s death.
By some miracle, I returned to him without slipping into hysteria.
“Everything okay?” he asked, his brow wrinkled.
Better to dive right in. “Is your sister’s name Ember?”
