Page 66 of Crown of Ashes and Desire

The question was more complex than it should have been. Freedom had been my goal since he’d dragged me from my wedding. Freedom to return to Kiraz, to live without fear.

“And you?” I asked instead of answering. “What do you want?”

His eyes met mine, and for a moment I saw a flash of the man I’d once loved—vulnerable, haunted, desperate for something he couldn’t name. His lips curved in a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.

“What I’ve always wanted,” he replied. “Power. Vengeance.” His gaze held mine for a heartbeat longer. “Everything.”

With that, he disappeared into the shadows, leaving me alone with more questions than answers—and the unsettling realization that “everything” might include me.

Ada

“Ada! Wake up! You’re sleeping walking again!”

Melo's urgent whisper cut through the fog of sleep. I blinked, disoriented, the image of Kiraz laughing face slowly fading. Cold stone bit into my bare feet,and darkness surrounded us—not my chambers, but the damp, oppressive gloom of the lower palace.

"Where—?" I gasped, shivering as awareness returned.

"Near the eastern dungeons," Melo murmured, her fox form alert, ears pricked forward. "The old interrogation chambers where shadow magic lingers thickest in the walls—magic that creates thin spots between realms, making connections to the outside world stronger here. It's no coincidence your sleepwalking brought you here of all places."

Horror washed through me. I knew what this meant. This hadn't happened to me for a long time. I used to sleepwalk when I was with Hakan, five years ago. I had to get back to my chamber before Hakan sensed anything, before he would order me to sleep in his bed. Torches cast twisted shadows on stone walls slick with condensation. The air reeked of mold and old pain, soaked into the very stones.

"Shit, Melo, this isn't good at all, but it was a lucid dream," I said softly, wrapping my arms around myself as tears forced their way to my eyes. My nightgown offered little protection from the chill. "I managed to see my daughter in her dream. We spoke. She's missing me, Melo."

"The blood binding between mother and child," Melo said gravely. "Your connection to her grows stronger, but you know this is dangerous. These chambers are designed to amplify magical connections—what flows between you and Kiraz could easily bleed into your bond with Hakan." She leaned into my legs, warm fur brushing my skin. She was right; Hakan couldn't find out. "You need to be careful with this magic. It can reveal too much."

I slid down the wall, head in my hands. “We need to leave here, Melo. Before?—”

“Before Hakan discovers the truth,” she finished, and settled beside me. “He saw something last week, didn’t he?”

“Just a flash of her face. Her eyes.” My throat tightened. “Her eyes are exactly like his.”

“Green as spring leaves,” Melo murmured. “With that same intensity.”

“If he finds out that he has a daughter…” The thought of Hakan discovering Kiraz terrified me more than any ritual or sacrifice. He chose power over love, over any future we might have had.

“The protection spells around those memories are strong,” Melo assured me.

“But weakening,” I countered. “Our bond grows stronger each day, especially since—” Heat rose in my cheeks at the memory of the garden. I let him touch me and I loved it, but this couldn’t happen again.

“Since he had his tongue between your thighs?” Melo’s turquoise eyes glinted as she chuckled, and I wanted to disappear. She must have sensed it like everyone in this damn place, because our bond was extremely strong. “Yes, intimate contact tends to strengthen magical bonds.”

“It wasn’t just physical,” I admitted. “Something inside me recognizes something in him. Some part that remembers what we were before.”

“The heart remembers what the mind tries to forget,” Melo said, her voice soft. “Five years hasn’t severed what bound you together.”

“I hate him,” I said, but the words rang hollow even to my own ears.

“I don’t think you do,” Melo said. “Hate is not the opposite of love. Indifference is.”

“Well, this is a cheerful midnight chat in the creepiest part of a shadow palace.”

I jerked my head up to see Sarp leaning over the wall, arms crossed, looking infuriatingly casual in the gloom. How long had he been there?

Melo’s hackles rose, a low growl rumbling in her throat.

Sarp pushed away from the wall, his usual sardonic expression vanishing completely. “Wait.” His voice cracked, eyes widening with genuine shock. “Did I hear correctly? … Hakan has a daughter?”

The color drained from his face when he stared at me, stunned disbelief written across his features. His mouth opened and closed soundlessly, the revelation rendering him momentarily speechless—which completely shocked me, as Sarp was never at a loss for words.

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