Page 62 of The Edge of Dawn

Stop.

And to her surprise, he did.

Good. It was clumsy, but you’ll get better with time. That’s how you make the voices stop.

TWENTY

That’s how you make the voices stop.

She was out of breath. Mentally and physically exhausted. That little exercise Dragek had taught her—protecting her thoughts by putting them into a mental container—had really taken it out of her.

Was that really all there was to it?

She was full of doubts. Dragek’s method seemed a little too inexplicable, too woo-woo for her tastes.

But when she did as he told her, the noise in her head had stopped.

So there was something to it, and Dragek was clearly a master at controlling this… psychic energy or whatever it was, the thing Kordolians called ka’qui.

“A human will come and visit you soon. Noali—Ashrael’s sarien.”

“Sarien?” Her tone sharpened. “What does that mean?” As if she couldn’t already guess. The thought of that formidable Ashrael being with some human woman was too much for her to compute. What kind of human hooked up with a Kordolian? How did it even work?

Were they… just like humans when it came to…?

Why was she getting all of these thoughts now, when she was in such close proximity to Dragek?

“A sarien is a one-in-a-billion. A fated mate. Perfectly compatible in both soul and mind and body. To find a bonded pair like Ashrael and Noali is exceedingly uncommon.” His voice deepened. It resonated right through her, making heat swirl in her belly. “She’s here now, anyway. I’m going to have to leave you, but you will be in good hands.”

“You’re leaving?” In such a short time, she’d grown used to his unwavering presence. The thought of being alone again sent a spike of anxiety through her chest.

Even though she knew he was dangerous.

Even though she suspected she didn’t understand the full extent of his dangerousness.

Dragek looked down at her with his all-seeing, sightless gaze. He cracked a shadow of a smile. “I have work to do. I’ve helped you as much as I possibly can. Just remember what I taught you. When the noise becomes too much, try it. Practice until it becomes as natural as breathing.”

Huh. So this was goodbye, then. “Will… will I see you again?”

“Yes,” he said simply and with great certainty.

And Jade wondered how this being, who was practically a stranger, could evoke such a feeling of longing from her. Her tongue burned with a thousand questions. Where are you going? What are you going to do? What are you really capable of? But she didn’t dare ask because she didn’t want to shatter this warm, comfortable illusion.

Even though she trusted nothing and nobody, and she was all alone, it was the only thing that kept her going.

Because what was the point of her existence now?

Her world, once so safe and certain, was gone.

Her family didn’t know anything. Her husband was a completely different person to the man she thought she’d married. Her friends wouldn’t believe her if she told them what had happened to her. How could she go back to Earth and slip back into her old life now? How could she catch up with friends and try to have conversations about ordinary Earth things—dogs and house prices and handbags and petty workplace grievances—over various plant-milk lattes?

There was no going back.

He was the only constant thing in her world right now, but she had to be careful. Nobody could be this good, especially a Kordolian who could kill without batting an eyelid.

Even though he felt good and seemed to have assumed responsibility for her well-being, people could change in an instant.

And really, she didn’t know a thing about Dragek.

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