Page 8 of Rapunzel Unchained
This time was different from the others. I could feel it. It wasn’t just my mind that moved, but my whole body. One moment, I was standing in the garden and the next, purple wispy smoke wrapped around me, engulfing me one second and then dissipating in the next.
Breathing heavily, I blinked rapidly as I took in my surroundings. The library. I was in Zane’s library.
I gathered my skirts in my hands, not giving myself time to think about how I’d gotten there. If my magic had finally done what I wanted, who was I to question it?
Besides, if I questioned it too closely, the queen might get other ideas and send me back before I got what I came for.
My feet moved on their own, dragging me down the stacks of books, looking for that blood red head of hair. By the time I’d rounded the entire library, my hope had waned.
Where was he?
The magic couldn’t have been wrong. It brought me directly to them the last time. Why would it bring me here this time if he wasn’t here?
When I felt as if I might scream in frustration, my eyes caught on a door almost hidden behind a pillar. My footsteps were slow and steady as I made my way to it, not sure what I would find on the other side.
I turned the handle and pushed the door open. Piles and piles of books filled the room, some reaching so high that they almost touched the ceiling. A few other books were strewn about haphazardly, forgotten or left to come back to later. My eyes traced the room until I found the desk, a blood red head bent over a pile of papers.
Zane.
The mage lifted his head briefly, pulling his glasses off long enough to rub the bridge of his nose before returning to whatever it was he was reading. The bags under his eyes had gotten worse. The hair in his braid had begun to fall out as if he couldn’t be bothered to even brush his hair.
A fist clenched around my heart at the sight of him.
When I stepped into the room, his head didn’t even move from his papers. He waved a hand lazily toward the door. “I’ll come eat when I’m done.”
Closing the door behind me, I wandered over to the desk and pulled the book out from beneath a pile of papers. “The Histories of Phrygia and Their Rulers? Quite an interest in history now.”
Zane’s head snapped up at my voice. His eyes widened, his mouth stuttering as he stared at me. “Eva. Wh...what are you doing here?”
I arched a brow, the expression on his face comical. “That’s what you want to know? What am I doing here? Not how I got here or where I’ve been?” I smiled gently, setting the book back on the desk. “Really, Zane. I would think you’d already have a line of questions waiting for me.”
“I did... I mean, I do.” Zane pushed his chair back and stood, making his way around the desk to stand in front of me. His fingers curled and uncurled at his sides as if stopping himself from touching me. “Are you alright?”
I walked my fingers along the edge of his desk, peering up at him beneath my lashes. “Physically, yes. Confused and worried about what’s going to happen to me.”
Zane stepped closer, his robe brushed against my skirts. “Of course, you would be. I can’t imagine how you must feel right now. There’s plenty who are calling for your death.”
“But... not you?” I lifted my chin slightly, reaching a hand out to stroke the length of his braid.
“No, Eva.” His warm hand engulfed mine, holding my hand gently in his own. “No. None of us want to see harm come to you.”
“That’s good to know.” A step closer and I could feel his body heat against mine. “I don’t want us to be enemies, Zane. I couldn’t bear it.” Bringing my other hand up, I cupped the side of his face, drawing my thumb along the bruising under his eyes. “You’re not getting enough sleep.”
He leaned into my touch, closing his eyes briefly. “I don’t want to be enemies either. I will be honest with you, Eva. I’m not sure what to do. None of us do. We are caught between the council and our love for you.”
My brows rose sharply.
“I just mean...” Zane blushed and lowered his gaze. “We all care for you. But the council wants the person responsible for what happened at the party.”
I huffed and dropped my hands. “They want the queen then. I’m not her. You know better than anyone what it’s like to have something inside of you that can’t be controlled.”
Zane grabbed my hands, holding them tightly. “You know I do.” He pressed one of my hands to the sigil on his chest. “This thing inside of us is very different. I cannot control the demon inside of me, but you, you can find a way to find peace with the queen, I know it.”
“A person can wish for a melon to fit inside of a teacup but push it too hard and it will shatter.”
His lips ticked up at the sides. “Too true. Now then, it seems as if you have a story to tell, some reason to be here?”
I push him away with a grin. “I’ll make you a deal.” Walking across the room, I moved several piles of books off a couch and sat down, patting the seat next to me. “You rest and I’ll talk.”
