Page 197 of The Call of Crimson
A book in the far corner of the library calls for me when I enter the library. With nothing else to occupy my day, I decide research might be exactly what I need. Gen’s dream message left me uneasy and hungry for answers, for a truth other than what I already knew. If Gen were right, and she normally was, then I need all the facts. I’m missing a large piece of my history.
The pulling sensation guides me to a shelf in the back corner, undisturbed dust leading me to believe this section had been forgotten over the years. Running my fingers over the spines, I land on one particularly ancient-looking text. It’s leatherbound, the pages yellowed, and I flip it open.
No title.
I scan the first few pages, the words reading more like a journal entry or research notes than a finished book.
A few more pages reveal that I’m reading the diary entries of my grandmother, Elythia. The story of how she met Myer engrosses me, their love story unfolding in the entries on the pages before me. To my surprise, it wasn’t love at first sight. They hated one another.
“Reading something enthralling?” Breyla asks, her voice a breathy whisper in my ear.
I startle, having not realized she was that close. My head snaps to her, taking in her emerald eyes and auburn braid.A few strands remain loose around her temples, and it takes everything in me not to unravel that braid and sink my fingers into the chaos of her curls.
A quick check with my Hemonia Gift tells me we’re alone in the library. My fingers wrap around the slender column of her throat, pulling her lips to mine in a tantalizing kiss.
A soft pant leaves her mouth when I finally release her. Pulling out a chair, I motion for her to join me.
“I’m reading about how Elythia fell in love with Myer,” I explain.
Her head tilts, eyes roaming over my face. “I didn’t take you for a romance reader,” she teases.
I chuckle deeply. “I’ve read my fair share of… scandalous novels, Princess.”
Intrigue flares in her eyes.
“But that’s not what this is,” I continue, nudging the book between us.
She scans the book, sharp eyes taking in each detail on the page like it’s battle strategy. “This is her diary?”
“Mhm,” I confirm, moving to flip the page. Before I can, several pages turn over on their own, until we’re left at an entry dated several months after the previous.
“Whoa,” Breyla breathes, mouth hanging open.
Thanks, Gen,I think, somehow knowing her spirit had something to do with it.
We read in silence.
Today I am certain Myer is my mate. Not just a soul mate, but my twin flame. Something I didn’t even realize was possible between a Fae and a human. I don’t know how to tell him.
I hear snippets of his thoughts when we are apart, the words almost sounding like my own when I know they’re not. I caught him staring at me from across the ballroom when Isuddenly had the thought of what I’d look like underneath my gown.
When his emotions run hot, as they often do, I will feel them as if they’re my feelings.
Last week, another human woman trained with him. He overpowered her easily, pinning her to the ground in minutes. I had to restrain myself from removing every piece of skin that touched his from her body.
I hated this male mere months ago, but now I can’t bear the thought of another touching him. He doesn’t just balance me as a soul mate would; he fuels my fire so we both burn brighter.
When we’re intimate, I battle the unrelenting urge to sink my canines into his skin and mark him as mine. My body yearns to forge our mate bond, but my mind refuses to relent.
I swallow hard, waiting for any indication that Breyla has finished the passage.
“Are there any more books on this topic?” Breyla asks, her voice unsteady.
“I haven’t looked.”
Finally, she peers up from the book to face me. “Perhaps we should.”
The suggestion has my full attention. I’ve understood the depth of my feelings for her for months, but it’s been something she’s struggled to accept. I know she’s come to terms with them now, but it appears she may be keeping secrets from me. “Now, why would we do that? Is there something you wish to tell me, little demon?”
