Page 47 of Obsession

“We didn’t need wine and steak for you to accuse me of working with Jaegen,” I say.

“You’re right.” He picks up his glass again, now studying the crystal. I have the sense he’s doing it to avoid my gaze; I doubt he cares for the craftsmanship. “This conversation is long overdue. I suppose I figured it would be civil to share it over a meal.”

“And what have you been wanting to say?”

The chalice is set back down, liquid sloshing. A few drops spill over the edge and onto a lace tablecloth that would be stained if it weren’t black.

“You do not understand Jaegen,” Aris says, leaning forward so abruptly that his chair scrapes against the ground. His black eyes are set, narrow, and I’m reminded of how school teachers used to talk to me.

Lecturing, that’s a good word for it.

I’m a little offended, honestly. Does he think I'm so simple?

I am fully aware that Jaegen is dangerous. He burned me, his very presence scorched me. He felt… off. Threatening. If Silva is to be believed, Jaegen does not give fair bargains. What’s more, the mages probably even sought to destroy him.

“I know that you see me as this pet or something, but…” I hesitate, drinking in his dark eyes. “But I’m not stupid.”

His head tilts to the side. “Maybe not,” he admits after a moment, surprising me, making me suspicious. It’s like in a game of chess, where sometimes one piece must be surrendered in order to further the game.

“Though,” he continues, “you do not know the full story.”

I pick up my wine again and take a hearty sip. So it’s going to be that kind of night. That kind of conversation, where I learn nothing except for how much I don’t know.

“I don’t,” I agree with as much civility as I can manage.

He perks a brow. “Would you like to hear it?”

I sit back, cradling the glass to my chest. Is he teasing me? He has me right where he wants me—he could keep me here, left wanting and waiting, and he knows it.

But he looks earnest. “My story, and Jaegen’s.”

My heart races with hope, but I don’t dare show it; he’d use it against me. I keep my face as cool and composed as I can, staring evenly at him. “I’d like to hear it.”

“I’m sure you would.” Aris smiles shortly, but composes himself quickly. He thinks for a moment, then says, “I must say, it’s hard to know where to begin when you are something like me, which has existed since the beginning.”

I consider. I can concede that point, though I doubt that Aris is actually having trouble. It’s impossible to picture. He’s probably had this speech rehearsed for weeks.

Aris thinks for a moment, then he tells me something that I know in my bones is real: “Jaegen is my brother.”

I sit up straight, then lean forward, my mouth falling open. The haze from the wine, settling like a limb falling asleep, leaves in an instant.

Brother?

“You have a sibling,” I say and shake my head at the concept.

How… unexpected.

I picture Jaegen and Aris side by side and cannot imagine two more different individuals. How is it possible that they’re related?

And then, I think: Why didn’t Jaegen tell me this?

Aris sighs and begins drumming his fingers on the table. “Two siblings, actually. I suppose you could consider us triplets.”

I shake my head, still confused by the first revelation. “I asked you so many times about—”

“Where I came from, what I wanted—I know, but this is the past. Eons old. You must understand that there isn’t much use discussing it.”

“But Jaegen is here, now.”

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