He nodded. “Holland is like me.”
“That’s not exactly reassuring.”
“He’s far more patient than I am. Isthatreassuring?”
I didn’t even bother answering that. “I want to go to her. Now.”
He snorted softly. “That’s not going to happen.”
Feeling the essence swell, I stepped forward.
A brow rose. “She will return to you soon enough.”
“That’s not good enough,Aydun.”
“She will return unharmed, and that will have to be good enough,Hawke.” Bright silver streaked through his irises. “Unless you force me to causeyouharm. And you know what happens then.” His smile was sharp like a blade. “Do you want her to be vulnerable again?”
His message was loud and clear. I halted as a surge of raw fury washed over me. The atmosphere around us charged as my nails sharpened again, pricking my palms. When I spoke, the tone had a rough, jarring edge and a low rumble. “You’re threatening her?”
The question hung heavy in the air with chilling intensity as he watched me. “No. I’m warning you.”
“That’s one and the same.”
“I suppose it is.” He crossed his arms. “You don’t fully understand that you’re no longer a singular entity. But one would think you’d already feel enough guilt over being the cause of her weaker state.”
I flinched.
Fucking flinched.
Power pulsed through my veins as I stared at the Fate, wanting to unleash the eather.
But something flickered over his features. The right side of his lips curled before quickly flattening out. It was fast, but I saw it and wondered if hewantedme to lash out.
“She’snot indestructible, Casteel.”
I hadn’t forgotten—would never forget. And it felt like a fist punching straight through my chest.
“So, tell me something, Casteel. Will you become the…fatal flaw in her armor?” he asked.
A chill swept down my spine as he repeated what Attes had said. “You’ve been eavesdropping, haven’t you?”
Aydun smirked.
Suspicion grew as I relaxed my hands. The fucker was right. Just as Attes had been. Losing my temper and getting my ass beaten down by a Fate would only hurt her. Taking a deep breath, I pushed the fury down, burying it.
“You are…unexpected,” he remarked.
“So I’ve been told.”
Aydun smiled, but it didn’t look entirely real. Almost as if he were merely going through the motions. “Well, I’m relieved to see you’re not a fucking idiot. Besides, you and I need to have a little conversation about what your wife’s Ascension truly means.”
The flesh on the back of my neck tightened.
He was quiet for a few moments. “You’ve figured it out—what your wife truly is—and you’re wise enough to keep it to yourself.”
I wasn’t sure if it was wisdom, disbelief, or distrust.
“But what you don’t truly understand is that what she is should not exist. Not anymore.”
