Page 77 of Oath of Betrayal
‘Did she really?’ I looked at Ari, a spark of hope lighting in my heart despite the hostility aimed towards me.
‘Did she what?’ he snapped.
‘Did she want me back?’ I heard my voice, quiet and hopeful. Alaric’s gaze softened.
‘Yes, much to my sorrow, she did.’
It was my turn to study him. Alaric had changed since we had met Ani. She brought out the best in him, but without her presence, his morose side had become ever more prominent. He continuously oscillated between sarcasm and brooding anger, the dark mood seemingly consuming him.
I knew he spent most of his time with Ani, not just in his workshop but accompanying her in the evenings, reading together in the library, or just laughing and strolling along the fortress walls. It felt like he craved her company even more than I did, and for the first time, it occurred to me that it might be more than just about Anchoring the beautiful conduit mage.
‘There’s no limit to how many Anchors a conduit mage may take,’ Vahin hissed out loud, and I looked at him sharply.
‘Why did you say that?’
‘Because I can see the speculation in your mind. You have enough wild magic to be her Anchor.’
I turned to Ari. ‘Is that true?’
‘Yes.’
Alaric’s answer squeezed the air out of my lungs. When Ani had told me to leave, I’d been a mess of anger and rejection. She wanted Alaric, and I was going to accept it, but I needed time and distance to accept it because I loved her. It had become clear when she had mentioned Alaric while her lips were still swollen from my kisses, and a bottomless pit of pain had opened in my chest.
I ran away, using the patrols as an excuse, only to realise I couldn’t run from what I felt. I returned, determined to tell Ani I would do anything she asked if we could be together. I would accept Alaric and acknowledge him as her Anchor. I only forgot to ask if she could have a third Anchor because I was a fucking idiot.
‘In my office, now. We need to talk,’ I ordered, and Alaric followed me with a knowing smirk.
‘Of course, my commander. As ever, I humbly offer my service.’
I barely remembered the walk to my office. I had marched through the town and into the castle; one look at my face and the locals had stumbled out of my way. My teeth ground together every time I saw evidence of Ani’s desperate flight; a melted stone where she grasped the edge of a granite gatehouse, half-burned tapestries, or the charred beams I glimpsed were silent testimony to how close we had been to disaster.
Gods, if we hadn’t been nearby, how would this have ended? I knew Annika had powerful and volatile power, but wielding dragon flame at the same time? It was too big a threat. A threat that could be remedied if she only accepted at least one of us as her second Anchor. That way, I could arrange for someone to be close at all times, just in case she needed it.
As soon as Alaric closed the door, I turned to face him. ‘Why didn’t you let me know you reversed the spell? I would have returned immediately.’ Alaric walked towards the desk and poured some mead into two goblets, passing one to me, but I refused with a shake of my head.
‘Because Ani told me she tried to tell you, but that you had bolted, refusing to listen. That, and I wanted time with my Domina. I need her, Orm. I crave her touch in more ways than you can imagine.’
‘You touched Ani? I thought she only had Vahin …’ I exhaled slowly to calm the erratic beating of my heart. ‘You touched her … but if she needed Vahin so badly, then you can’t be herAnchor. Are you … lovers?’ Somehow, that thought hurt even more.
‘We are not lovers, but we have become closer,’ he said, and I wanted to strangle him for giving such an ambiguous answer. ‘It is more that Ani touchedmeand discovered the ugly truth I’d hidden from everyone, even you.’
‘Explain.’
‘The day you left, Ani came to me, tense and angry. I …’ He unbuttoned his shirt, showing me the silver marks on his chest I had only caught sight of during our sparring practices. ‘I know you’ve noticed them, but I never told you the truth about what they are. These aren’t my family markings, but my curse. An incessant burning reminder of what I’ve become,’ he started, before telling me about his mother and the blood oath her corrupted power had left on his body.
I had to sit down.
My hands clenched the armrest of my chair with a grip that made the wood creak and splinter. I listened, speechless, at the detailed story of the cruelty he endured. If Alaric had wanted to divert my anger, he surely succeeded because—despite the fury still burning in my heart—I wanted to embrace him. Fuck, he was a man—a dangerous fae—but the urge to wrap my arms around him, to tell him I wouldn’t let anything else hurt him, was there, confusing my already troubled thoughts.
I saw him hesitate, and my jaw tightened. ‘Just tell me,’ I said, willing myself to breathe slower, to tame the wild beast that thrashed in the cage of my soul. My wild magic wanted to rip apart its prison to go after those who’d made Annika and Alaric suffer. ‘I can’t believe I was sofucking blindto your struggles, and Ani’s … Fuck! Just tell me everything, please.’
‘Recently I … I discovered they aren’t just my torment, but a link to the Lich King. Just before Ani came to me, he tried to force my submission and fighting him off had left me exhausted.She saw the state I was in and helped me in the aftermath of the attack. Annika is the only thing that keeps the connection dormant, the only thing blocking his voice in my head.’
‘And you want to Anchor her?’ I was stunned by the revelation. How could I protect him without endangering her? The conundrum brought the anger back. ‘That is … What is wrong with you? I can’t let you do it. I know she helps you but … No, I will protect her, even from you. There will be no Anchoring, Alaric—not for you, not right now. Even if we had the crystal to replace the keystone, knowing this, I would not let it happen.’
I sank into the depths of hopelessness, but there was one more thing I had to clarify. ‘When you first mentioned replacing the keystone, I spoke with the university’s high mage,’ I said, before bitter disappointment made me shake my head. ‘He told me that all of the Barrier stones were carved from a single block of mountain crystal, that they are connected and that that’s how they enhance each other’s magic. He said they weren’t replaceable. I didn’t believe him. I trusted you. I thought you’d discovered something they hadn’t, but we never stood a chance, did we?’
‘No,’ he answered.
