Total pages in book: 194
Estimated words: 187021 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 935(@200wpm)___ 748(@250wpm)___ 623(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 187021 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 935(@200wpm)___ 748(@250wpm)___ 623(@300wpm)
“And if there are, we’ll find them,” Graves told her. “Together.”
“Yes,” she agreed.
“What I don’t understand is, if you were chained with iron, how you got away. How he got away.”
“I phased. That’s what Lorcan called it. He said Saoirse had the ability after a hundred years. I guess I got it out of necessity,” she explained. “And then Jason ran away in fear. I followed him, but he got away before I could kill him.”
“These are some massive magical leaps happening to you. No wonder your magic was drained.”
“Drained just enough for Lorcan to come and kidnap me.”
“And he knew where you were because of the soulmate bond.”
She winced. “I…called out to him when I was tied up.”
“You…did,” he said slowly.
She turned away from him. “I couldn’t reach you. I didn’t know that I even could. I only called out to you when Lorcan had me tied up for the binding because he’d suggested that you’d gotten into my mind and fucked it up.”
Graves cleared his throat. “Is that right? And you believed him?”
“Yes. No,” she muttered, turning back to him. His face was carefully blank. “I didn’t want to believe him. But then I decided if it meant we were mentally connected, then it didn’t even matter. Because nothing was worse than what Lorcan did to me.” She held her wrist out where the indents of the binding ribbon were still fresh.
He took her wrist gently in his hand and pressed a kiss to the raw skin. “I should have seen what Lorcan was going to do. I should have stopped him.”
“We can’t go down that route. The what ifs lead to madness.” He looked like he wanted to say more, but she continued, “Will you do something for me?”
“Anything.”
“Use your powers on me.”
He frowned. “But your magic…”
“Please.”
“All right.” His hand circled her wrist. A jolt went through her at the contact. It was both exhilarating and confusing to find that her stomach still jumped from his touch. That she still wanted him. That Lorcan hadn’t been able to touch the truth of her affection for Graves. For all his bluster about how it would all be better after, he couldn’t change her mind in the end.
Her choice was Graves. Would always be Graves.
“Nothing,” he said on a sigh.
“Okay. He bound us to keep you out of my head. I thought maybe if you could get past my absorption, then you could change the binding.”
“Ah,” he said slowly. His hand was still on her wrist. He turned her palm over and traced the lines along her skin. “I’m not certain that would be safe even if it were possible.”
“We wouldn’t know unless we tried, but since you can’t get past my absorption…”
Graves cleared his throat and glanced away from her. “Well…”
“You can’t get past my absorption…right?”
“I must admit to trying.”
“Like just now?” she asked, gesturing to her hand.
He shook his head. “No.”
She swallowed, seeing the answer that she hadn’t wanted to see in his eyes. “Tell me.”
“There’s sometimes a trick with my powers. Since I can get in minds, I can sometimes convince the other person’s magic that I belong there. I can make it so that the magic recognizes my magic as the owner’s magic. Then when I’m inside, it accepts my magic as not an intrusion.”
Kierse’s eyes widened. “What have you used that for in the past?”
Graves arched an eyebrow. “What do you think?”
The implications were endless. Not just for someone with absorption. If her magic recognized him, then he’d be able to get into her mind at any time. But if he did it to other magic, then was it possible for him to change their magic? Turn it off? Destroy it? Could he use it to thwart his enemies?
“You downplayed your powers when we first met.”
Graves lifted one shoulder. “I do read people for a living.”
“You manipulate minds,” she said, finding herself using the words that Lorcan had thrown at her back in the Oak Throne room.
“You’ve always known that.”
The last thing she wanted was Lorcan in her mind, his words running through her. Would she know if Graves had messed with her mind?
No. That was the easiest answer. She wouldn’t know. Even if she asked him, she wouldn’t know. He could tell her whatever he believed. He’d already admitted to trying to change her magic so he could get inside her mind more easily. It hadn’t worked, but he’d tried. And she hadn’t known.
So she wouldn’t know now, either. She just had to trust him.
“It’s been a long day. We should sleep.”
His gaze was long and hard as he watched her break from him and pull back the sheets. “You’re not upset.”
“Oh, I’m furious. If you could read me right now.” She clenched her hands into fists. “Trust me. I’m a volcano about to erupt.”