Page 10 of Eldritch
“She cannot cross into Aethyria, at all. The Umbravale won’t allow it.” Still, his voice remained steady, somehow disconnected from the remorse he clearly felt as he ran his hand down his face.
“This can’t be.” I stumbled backward and fell into the seat behind me. “But…I’m mortal.”
“With Aethyrian blood.”
I opened my mouth to argue but failed to find the words. No argument would change the grave reality. “How will we …. We can’t stayhere. Our home, the village, everything isdestroyed.”My voice cracked at the reminder of Grandfather Bronwick’s cottage burning to the ground.
“I’ve been mulling it over for most of the night.” He turned back toward the window.
“Is there no other solution?”
“If she were bonded? Perhaps. There’s an exchange of blood in that case.” Sighing, he shot me a somber glance. “I don’t imagine we’ll run into many Aethyrians on this side, but still, the risk is too great. She would fall to her death in the great chasm if it failed. Only Aethyrians true of blood and purpose are permitted to cross that boundary.”
True of blood and purpose?“What does that even mean?”
“An exchange of blood wouldn’t make her a true Aethyrian. Andifher blood happens to be infected, she’d be rejected. Anything perceived as a threat is not permitted to cross over.”
I exhaled an exasperated breath and covered my face with my hands, a pounding ache battering my head. “I can’t leave her here alone.” Jaw tight, I blinked away the first prickle of tears. “Not with those things. At the same time, the thought of having to stay here terrifies me.” In the relief of having found her, I hadn’t even considered that she might not be able to cross back with us—didn’t imagine that there was a chance she’d be forced to remain in the mortal lands.
“Don’t think about this right now.” He pushed to his feet, swiping up a blanket draped over Elowen’s rocking chair, and strode across the room. After wrapping the blanket around my shoulders, he lowered to his knee, tipping his head as if to catch my gaze. “I’ll chop some wood, and we have enough food to last a few more days. I can hunt for more, if we run out.”
I turned toward the fire in hopes he wouldn’t see the unspoken thoughts trapped behind my eyes. The overwhelming relief I felt by him offering to stay so I wouldn’t be alone with Aleysia and those horrible monsters. “I’m not asking you todo this, Zevander. I’m not asking you to stay when you have family?—”
A strong hand gripped my chin in a startling gesture, and I looked up to see him looming over me, one eyebrow cocked. “You’re not asking me to do anything. Now, get some rest. I’ll not allow you to dwell on this tonight. In fact, I curse myself for telling you, at all, but I feared you finding out later might be worse.”
“Assuming she ever wakes.” The dismal words caught in my throat.
“She’ll wake. Enough worrying.”
I’d have asked what he proposed if she didn’t, but I feared his brutal honesty as much as I craved it.
Another glance toward the bedroom brought to mind the visual of Aleysia sitting atop of me, with those terrifying black eyes and speaking in tongues. “I think I might sleep out here, if that’s alright.”
“Of course.” He strode over to the hearth and stoked the flames to a blazing heat that failed to warm the new chill slithering beneath my skin.
Pulling the blanket tighter, I settled myself on the floor, not noticing that Zevander had strode from the room, until he returned with a pillow that he set below my head.
“Thank you.”
Jaw tight, he gave a small nod and pushed to his feet, but I reached out for his arm.
“Will you lie with me? Just until I fall asleep?”
A slight smile curved his lips as his bulky body sank down beside me like a shadowy mountain at my back. “If only the things you asked of me weren’t such a chore,” he said, his palm against my stomach.
While I couldn’t see Aleysia over his broad shoulders, I remained well aware that her bedroom door stood open. Itwisted to face him, burying my face in his solid chest and inhaling the faint scent of Elowen’s liquor from earlier. I couldn’t bring myself to tell him that his presence was a balm to the chaos in my head. It wasn’t fair of me to expect him to stay, but damn it, I was relieved. “What of your vivicantem?”
“I’ll be fine. Might be a little grumpy. Certainly won’t be able to woo you with my tricks, but…I’ll survive a few more days without it.”
My smile faded. “And if it’s more than a few more days?”
He ran his thumb across my forehead. “Look at you, worrying about what hasn’t yet happened.”
“I like to think ahead.”
“You’re taking on too many worries at once. Sleep, or I’ll be forced to cast a spell over you again.”
I stilled at his comment. “You cast a sleeping spell over me before?”
