Page 35 of Fated

A small shake of my head was all I could manage.

“Because we can’t. Because he sired us, and his desire is our desire.”

He paused and stared ahead at nothing for a moment. “You, or your magic, it’s been throwing me off. First, at the guard station, I wanted to rip his throat out just for looking at you. Then at the cabin with the rippers … I’ve never been close to being touched in a fight, let alone stabbed. Oh, and let’s notforget to mention how you glow-sticked my brain with your magic hands.”

I glanced down at my hands, fumbling awkwardly, not sure how to respond.

“When that ripper basically melted into a puddle after biting you, I was convinced it was some deceptive healer trick like the king had warned us about, but then when you touched me…” He hesitated, running his hand through his hair again. Was Ash … nervous?

“Seeing those people around the table laughing with me and catching sight of the joy on Calyx’s face made me feel … alive.”

He buried his face in his hands, letting out a frustrated grunt.

“That dark-haired woman in the memory, what she said … No one has ever said that to me.” His voice was so quiet, it was almost inaudible.

My chest tightened. Ash had no memories of anyone ever telling him they loved him. Imagining that small boy who felt safe and loved in his mother’s presence, a young Ash, I suddenly hated Agidius with every fiber of my being.

“Ash, I think that was your mother,” I said softly.

He looked at me, pain etched into every line of his face.

“When I settle, if I make it to then, do you want me to try and cure you?” I asked.

“No, I mean, I don’t know … I need answers. I’ve never questioned Agidius—it never occurred to me to question him.” He rubbed his palms anxiously over his pants. “That girl sitting at the table, the one next to Calyx, she’s someone I recognized.”

His face had gone pale.

“Who is she?”

“I’m not sure. All I know is she serves Agidius as one of hislowest servants. Most of the time, he keeps her locked in a tiny cell, starving to death.”

I struggled to swallow through the tightness in my throat, imagining that beautiful girl, being so abhorrently abused by the king. The thought was enough to turn the blood in my veins to ice.

“I hate him!” The words exploded from my mouth, sharp and venomous, carrying all the fury I felt in that moment. Agidius was the source of every nightmare in my life. He was the reason my mom was dead.

He was why Ash and Calyx were rippers.

Ash just stared at me, seemingly unaware of the restlessness in his legs as they bounced uncontrollably. He was so distressed, utterly shaken by the glimpse into his past.

Slowly, I reached out and rested my hand on his trembling knee.

The contact seemed to steady him, his leg stilling under my touch. “How do we find out who she is? How do we learn more about Agidius?” I whispered.

“We can’t risk going near the castle. It would be suicide. Calyx will do everything he can to keep Agidius off our trail, but he can only resist so much.”

“Isn’t there anywhere else we can go? Or somebody who can help us?”

“There are other kingdoms, but when Agidius activated the curse, the other kingdoms put up royal wards, magical barriers surrounding their kingdoms and bound to the blood of their kings. We can’t get through them; we’re stuck in Astern.”

“Astern?”

“Astern is my kingdom, Agidius’ kingdom.”

“What aboutmyworld, the human world?”

“There are no answers there.” He shook his head. “There is no magic there. Your world is nothing but a blood bank for Agidius to control his kingdom. Once you settle, the two of us would practically be flashing beacons.”

The thought of my world reduced to little more than the king’s livestock made my stomach churn.

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