Page 31 of The Bound Mage
“Not really,” he managed, his voice hoarse. “It’s mostly numb.”
Araya nodded, still hovering uncertainly in the doorway. “You didn’t say when to meet you.”
She was right, he realized. He hadn’t given her a time.
Loren blew out a slow breath, gesturing her inside. “No harm done,ael’sura,” he said. “We might as well set the terms of our agreement now.”
She stepped inside, just far enough for the door to close behind her. Her silver eyes widened, tracing over the the towering shelves as the shadows danced far above them both.
“Ithralis is where the heir to the fae throne comes to learn about the shadows and their duty.” Loren cleared his throat, clasping his hands behind his back. “Because of that, this library holds the most complete record ofdara’elin existence. If the answers you’re looking for can be found…they’ll be here.”
He paused, but Araya said nothing. She didn’t even look at him, her eyes fixed on the books like she’d never seen anything like this.
“For every morning of research,” Loren continued, frowning as she took another step closer, her hand hovering over the spines of the books like she didn’t quite dare to touch them. “You will give me an afternoon of training you magic. I’ll meet you here every morning.”
“You’re…going to help me?” Her brow furrowed, the prickly edge of her suspicion softened with genuine confusion.
“Of course.” Loren’s heart ached in his chest. “You might not trust me, but I have no desire to be your jailor. And—” a wry smile tugged at his mouth despite the seriousness of the moment “—like you so passionately pointed out—you don’t speak the language, do you?”
“These areallin Valenya?” Araya’s head whipped toward him, her suspicion eclipsed by wide-eyed wonder. “And theyallbelong toyou?”
“Well—they belong to the crown.” Loren stared at her, his eyebrows drawing together when she stood frozen in place, not reaching out to take any of the books despite the aching curiosity he could feel through their bond. “Youcantouch them, you know.”
“Amazing,” she breathed, the word so soft Loren doubted it had been meant for him. He fell into step behind her, frowning as she ran her fingers along the edge of the nearest shelf, making no move to take even a single one from its place.
“Surely, you’ve seen the library at the Aetherium,” he said. Even if the Arcanum had removed every book written in Valenya from its shelves, that library would still dwarf this one.
“Oh, part-fae aren’t allowed in the main library.” Araya tipped her head back, staring up at the skylight far above them. Mist pressed against the glass, turning the faint sunlight that made it through cold and silver.
Loren stopped in his tracks, his stomach twisting at her casual admission. As if that wasnormal. “Didn’t you have special privileges?”
“I did. I do.” She hooked a thumb around the necklace she always wore, flashing the gold and black symbol of the Arcanum at him. “They would bring me the books I requested once Jaxon signed off on them, I never actually got to goin.”
Loren’s throat tightened. His fingers twitched, the irrational urge to tear that amulet from her neck nearly overtaking him. The thought of her having to wear their mark around her throat just to accessbooks?—
His fury must have shown on his face because Araya closed her fist around the cursed thing, hunching her shoulders as he took a step closer.
“You don’t have to wear that here.” Loren reached out, finding gentleness somewhere as he brushed his fingers over her clenched fist. “You are welcome to any book in this library. There is no knowledge here that is off-limits to you.”
Araya’s breath caught, her surprise flickering through the bond. Some of the tension drained from her shoulders, and her fist loosened, the amulet falling back against her chest.
“Thank you,” she murmured.
“You don’t have to thank me for that,” Loren said shortly. “It’s how it should have been the entire time,ael’sura.”
She blinked up at him, her brow furrowing. “You keep calling me that. Will you finally tell me what it means?”
Loren’s heart stuttered. When had he gotten so close to her? His hand hovered a breath away from curling around her waist, her face turned to his. The scent of wildflowers and rain-soaked earth filled his nose, finally free of the heavily-perfumed soaps humans favored.
He drew in a slow breath, willing his heartbeat to slow. Goddess help him, even the shadows strained toward her,restless and wanting. They pulled at his self control, begging him to close the half-step between them.
“It’s what I called you before I knew your name,” he said at last. “The direct translation ismy life, but colloquially it’s closer tomy hope.”
Araya’s eyes widened, the bright flicker of her surprise rippling through the bond. But she didn’t look away.
“Why would you call me that?” she breathed.
“Because,ael’sura—” Loren smiled down at her, his heart twisting painfully. “I’d long since given up hope in that dungeon. I didn’t believe I had any future left that wasn’t full of pain and darkness. But then—” he gave into temptation, tracing the damp edge of her braid with his fingers “—you started appearing in my dreams, and for the first time in twenty years…I wanted to live.”
