Page 95 of Draekora
Her body stiffened. “How—”
“I can feel it,” he said, cutting her off. “I can feel your blood in me, like a taint.”
Alex chose not to take offence to that, since she was hoping his reference was to Aven’s blood, not her mortal blood… Though, she doubted that was the case.
“I can’t feel your blood in me,” Alex said, and she’d never felt Aven’s, either, just the heightened effects of it. “Are you sure you’re not being melodramatic?”
His gaze narrowed, reminding her that he was still very much on edge and she should watch her words. “You’re mortal. You’re nowhere near sensitive enough to feel something so subtle.”
“But as you’ve deduced, I have Meyarin senses.”
“Which is not the same as being Meyarin,” he rebutted. “And besides, unless I’m wrong, you don’t seem to always be using those senses. I had presumed it was because you’d grown up around mortals. Now I know it’s because youaremortal.”
Alex wrinkled her nose, annoyed that he’d managed to notice something like that. “I do suck at being one of you,” she admitted. “But I’m trying.”
“Why?”
“Why?” Alex repeated, eyebrows rising at his curiosity.
“Why are you trying to be one of us? Why are you evenhere?”
Alex bit her lip, not sure how much she should say. But then again, he was technically bound to her will. She could tell him anything and he’d have to keep it a secret if she asked. The problem was, she didn’t want to have to ask.
“I meant what I said earlier,” she told him, ignoring his question for the moment, “about knowing what you’re going through. You’re right—IwasClaimed by a Meyarin, one who ordered me to do unspeakable things, and I hated every single second of it. You can despise me all you want, Niyx, and I’ll deserve that. But please know, I did what I did to save your life, and I’d do it again if I had to.”
She lowered her voice to a near whisper. “I can’t convince you to believe me, but other than keeping my secret, keepingoursecret, you have my word that I won’t order you to do anything without your permission. Not intentionally. And when I leave Meya, which won’t be far from now, I’ll Release you before I go.”
She held his gaze as she finished, “Everyone has a right to free will. I won’t keep yours from you. Not for long, anyway.”
He was watching her carefully throughout the entirety of her speech. “You mean it, don’t you?” At her questioning look, he clarified. “You’re really going to Release me?”
She nodded. “I promise.”
“And you won’t make me do anything I don’t want?”
His eyes remained trained on her, so she kept her face open, showing her honest intent as she answered, “Nothing other than having you stay quiet about my mortality and our bond.”
“And if I asked you, right now, to Release me,” he said, “and gave youmyword that I wouldn’t tell anyone your secrets, would you let me go?”
Alex hesitated and Niyx saw it, his features darkening in response. She hated seeing the harsh look on his handsome face since it reminded her too much of his future self.
“Wait,” she told him before he could take a bite at her. “I’m thinking, okay? It’s not an easy question for me to answer.”
“A simple yes or no will suffice. You either trust me, or you don’t.”
“You don’t know what’s at stake.”
“Thentellme,” he barked at her.
“I’m from the future, okay?” she snapped at him. “When I say there’s a lot at stake, I mean there’sa lot at stake.”
Niyx reared back as if slapped. “What did you say?”
Alex huffed and stormed over to sit on her bed, careless that she was making it even wetter than it already was.
Summing up what she’d told Roka a week ago, Alex said, “I’m from the future, I’m human, I was Claimed by a Meyarin, and it’s believed by a number of… people… that I’m the only one who can stop that Meyarin from doing all kinds of bad things, which means I have to learn how to fight like an immortal if I want to live long enough to see my real future actuallybecomea future.” She finished by adding, “Roka’s been trying to teach me, but it hasn’t been going so well.”
“Roka knows about you?” Niyx said, moving to stand before her.
