Page 68 of Only Cold Depths
“But?” I asked in a guarded tone, wary of his sympathy.
“But don’t let Nerezza’s cruel actions or Esmina’s harsh words affect your bond with Kyrion—or especially your belief in your own abilities,” Aldrich replied. “Your seer magic is yours alone, Vesper. As is your bond with Kyrion. No one else gets to judge it or use it or decide how right or wrong it is.”
This time, his voice was the one with the bitter note.
“Did people think your truebond with Verona was wrong?”
Aldrich stuck his hands in his pockets again and rocked back and forth on his heels. “My wife, Opal, had died the year before. Some people thought it was too soon for me to care about someone else, to fall in love with someone else. Especially the widow of the man responsible for my brother Irzin’s death.”
I wondered if Siya and Asterin were two of those people, but I didn’t ask.
“Verona and I were both grieving the spouses we had lost,” Aldrich continued. “We were kindred spirits, and eventually, that understanding led to other things.”
Kindred spirits.I’d said similar things to Kyrion in the past, how the pain, anger, and darkness inside him perfectly matched those same emotions inside me. Maybe our truebond troubles had less to do with learning to use our respective magics and more to do with our feelings, not just about each other but all the hurt we’d endured over the years and all the wounds—small and shallow, large and gaping—we still carried in the cold depths of our hearts.
Aldrich’s tablet pinged, and he pulled it out of his pocket and read the message. “I must return. Leland says it’s time for Verona’s and my speech thanking everyone for attending.”
“Of course. Thank you for talking to me.”
“Anytime,” he replied. “Don’t stay out here too long. Even with the energy shield, a chill can sometimes creep into the warmest places.”
Aldrich bowed to me, then strode away. As if summoned by his words, a bit of a chill breezed through the air, but I stayed where I was, idly twirling the blue-moon peony between my fingers.
Aldrich was right. I shouldn’t let Nerezza have any more power over me. I thought I had finally sloughed off my mother’s hurtful actions during the Regal midnight ball, but Esmina snidely calling me a weak link had brought all my old fears rushing back to the surface. That I wasn’t smart enough to figure out my new seer abilities or strong enough to use my magic to protect Kyrion.
I didn’t know how to get rid of those fears or banish the memories bouncing around inside my mind and heart. Ignoring Nerezza’s scorn and Esmina’s mockery was easier said than done.
Soft footsteps sounded behind me. Aldrich must have doubled back to check on me.
I plastered a smile on my face and turned around. “Really, my lord, please return to the marriage mart. I’m fine—”
The rest of my words died on my lips, replaced by a surge of stomach-churning dread.
A man stood before me. He was a little more than a year older than me, and his mane of longish blond hair glinted like spun gold underneath the soft lights. Just like every other man here, he was wearing a tailcoat and a ruffled shirt, both a pale blue that matched his eyes. A stormsword dangled from his belt, and all the tinyZs carved into the silver hilt gleamed at me like silent, mocking eyes. The sigils were a perfect match to theZon the pommel of my own stormsword, which I’d left in my suite at the Collier estate.
Zane Zimmer smirked at me, his teeth a blinding white against his tan skin. “Hey there, little sister.”
My big brother had finally caught up to me.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
KYRION
Foramoment,Iremained rooted in place, shocked by the appearance of the man and woman, who were the very last two people I’d expected to see.
The man was in his early sixties, and a few silver threads glinted in his blond hair. His skin was tan, but his eyes were a familiar ice blue that matched his tailcoat and frilly shirt. The woman was older, in her eighties, with rosy skin and silver hair that was piled on top of her head. She too had ice-blue eyes that matched her sequined gown, and the resemblance between her and the man was obvious.
Wendell Zimmer, Vesper’s father, and Beatrice Zimmer, her grandmother. What in all the stars were they doing here? But as soon as the question popped into my mind, I knew the answer.
They were here for Vesper—and they weren’t alone.
Wendell caught sight of me. “Kyrion!” he called out. “Kyrion!”
Wendell started winding his way through the crowd toward me, as did Beatrice. If the Zimmers were here, then Zane was here too.
Shock, dread, and anger whipped along the velvety ribbon of Vesper in my mind. A dagger of worry plunged deep into my gut. Zane had already found her.
I spun around and focused on the bond, letting it point me toward Vesper. Then I started running.
