Page 14 of The Mirror in the Mountain

Adrian

The entire room seemed to be looking at me except for her.

After the High Queen’s pronouncement, the hall had exploded into an uproar—our parents loudly exclaiming about how fate had ensured this meeting, my mother already planning the royal wedding of the century.

No one but me seemed to notice that my betrothed had gone cold as ice, pulling away when I attempted to hold her hand once more. And she remained that way as the High Queen demanded we all stay here in Morehaven, the bonding ceremony to be held while everyone was gathered.

“Estelle…”

She didn’t so much as look at me, though a muscle in her jaw clenched before she turned away, slipping through the crowd as I tried to follow. One of the queen’s courtiers stepped in front of me, blocking her hastily retreating form from my view.

He cleared his throat as I tried to step around him. “Let me show you to your room. Preparations will need to be made quickly of course.”

“Of course,” my mother said, coming up to my side and patting my arm.

I craned my neck, looking for any glimpse of my soul bonded who had somehow disappeared into the crowd in mere seconds. “I need to talk to?—”

“Plenty of time for ‘talking’ later,” my father said with a loud guffaw. My mother pursed her lips.

“As I was saying,” the courtier continued. “You have been granted rooms here until the ceremony.”

He prattled on as he led us into a sparkling white hallway teaming with people, many too inebriated to walk in a straight line. A few clapped me on the back, shouting words of congratulations that I barely heard, wondering how I was going to find her in this maze of white marble and shining silver.

A throat cleared beside me, breaking into my thoughts. “Your room.”

From the way the courtier was looking at me, it wasn’t the first time he had said it. Hastily, I nodded my thanks, pressed a kiss on my mother’s cheek, and, after promising to help my parents plan in the morning, closed the heavy door behind me.

As soon as it shut, I leaned back against it, my head hitting the wood with a thud. Myanima.I had finally found her. She was smart, quick-witted and even quicker with a blade in her hands, effortlessly charismatic, and so beautiful I hadn’t been able to look away from her the moment she had walked out on that balcony.

The thought that she was unhappy about our union in any way brought my delight crashing down around me.

I barely looked around my room before leaving it, heading back into the now-darkened hallway. There was a buzzing under my skin, my throat dry as I swallowed. I knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep with her reaction on my mind. Not until I got to the bottom of it.

A few drunken revelers were still stumbling away from the festivities, some mumbling toasts as they recognized me. Inodded serenely, even as the hallways blended together. For some reason I thought I would be able to…find her. Like a magical golden arrow would point me to her room. Instead, I was only getting hopelessly lost and increasingly frustrated with myself, my elusiveanimafeeling more and more like a mirage.

Take a breath, I told myself.Count each second. Breathe out. Now count the same.

Without the crowding of my thoughts and the frenzied pounding of my heart, I felt the faintest of tugs. Not within the castle, but outside it. My hand trailed against the wall next to me as I rounded the corner, the feeling getting stronger.

I didn’t question that pull, just obeyed it. Perhaps our bond would take me directly to her if I just got out of my own head.

Silently, I snuck through the now empty ballroom, the formerly festive scene now faintly ominous in the cool moonlight. An enormous, ostentatious mirror covered in shining silver feathers rippled inquisitively as I passed, following that tug to the balcony outside.

I was entirely unsurprised to see Estelle standing in the very spot we had first met, wearing a pale silk nightdress that made me want to fall to my knees. It fluttered gently in the breeze; a matching silk robe had fallen from her shoulders to reveal the gooseflesh on her upper arms. Her golden eyes met mine. My heartbeat picked up so quickly I pressed a hand against my chest as if to keep it in place, its frenetic pulse urging me onward.

You’ve finally found your anima.

Her eyes narrowed. “What areyoudoing here?”

“Looking for you,” I replied baldly.

Estelle’s mouth twitched in annoyance, whether at my presence or how easily I had been able to find her. Her obvious reluctance slowed my stride.

“I wouldn’t lie to you, Estelle.” I drew out her name, loving the way it felt on my tongue. Dying to get another taste of hermouth. My gaze dropped to those rosy lips unbidden, and I saw the answering flush in her cheeks creeping up her elegant neck.

She flinched almost imperceptibly, taking a small step back. I froze, taking another deep breath as I forced myself not to run to her.

Whether it was me, or who I was to her, something about this scared her. Based on our easy banter prior to the discovery of our bond, I had a feeling it was the latter. But we could work through whatever it was that was stopping her from giving in to this—tous. I just needed to get her to talk to me.

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