Page 229 of The Ascended
His pupil dilated, the gold in his right eye nearly swallowed by black. "Urgent enough," he said, though he made no move to pull away.
I pressed myself against him, relishing the sharp intake of his breath. "I think whatever meeting you have can wait ten minutes."
His hands gripped my waist, and for a heartbeat, I thought I'd won. But then he stepped back, breaking my hold.
"I can't," he said, his voice rough. "As much as I want to—and gods, do I want to—I can't put this off."
I crossed my arms, not bothering to fix the robe where it had slipped off one shoulder. "Is everything alright?"
"Yes," he answered too quickly. "It's nothing for you to worry about."
Bullshit. I lifted an eyebrow, making it clear I saw straight through him.
The corner of his mouth twitched. "I'll return as soon as I can," he promised. "And then we can... continue this discussion."
"Is that an order?" I asked, my voice honey-sweet, belying the frustration churning beneath.
"No." He reached out, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear, his touch sending sparks dancing across my skin. "It's a request. Be waiting for me tonight. In my bed."
My breath hitched. Before I could respond, he leaned down andcaptured my lips in a bruising kiss that left me dizzy and aching for more.
"Until tonight," he murmured against my mouth.
And then he was gone, darkness swirling around him like a cloak, leaving nothing but the ghost of his touch and the scent of him wrapped around me.
I stood frozen for a long moment, fingers pressed to my still-tingling lips. The nagging feeling in my gut wouldn't subside. Something was off.
The thought soured what remained of my appetite. I cleared the table, wrapping the leftover bread and storing the meat. There was something soothing about the mundane task, so different from the chaos that had become my life.
My hands worked automatically while my mind raced. Last night had changed everything and nothing. Xül had touched me like I was precious, had whispered words against my skin that made me believe we could find a way forward together. But in the harsh light of morning, reality reasserted itself—he was still bound to another, and I was still just a contestant in the Trials.
Xül would still have to follow through with a marriage that would make him miserable. But no future was promised. Even Heron had admitted that destiny could be changed, paths altered.
I needed to see Thatcher. A knot of anxiety tightened in my chest at the thought of facing another trial without speaking to him first. What if we were thrown into separate challenges? What if the Aesymar kept us apart until the very end? I couldn't rely on finding a moment to strategize with him in the midst of whatever cruel test they'd designed.
The next trial.
My mind snagged on the letter we’d received. Some of the other letters had contained hidden clues or language that made perfect sense in hindsight. Had I even read this one myself? With Xül's... distractions... I couldn't remember.
No, I hadn’t. Xül had never shown it to me.
I moved through the castle, following the twisting corridors until I reached the massive oak doors of his study.
I pushed the door open, guilt twisting in my stomach as I slipped inside. The room smelled of parchment and ink. Memories of our last encounter here flashed through my mind. My back against his desk, papers scattering to the floor?—
Focus, Thais.
Gods, where would I even start?
I moved behind his desk, sinking into his chair and surveying the chaos before me. Unlike the meticulous order he maintained in every other aspect of his life, Xül's workspace was a battlefield of papers, scrolls, open books, and half-empty ink pots. Organized chaos. I’m sureheknew where everything was.
Well, good for him. I had no fucking clue.
I started with the most recent-looking stack of papers. Most were administrative nonsense.
I pulled open the top drawer of his desk, finding it full of blank parchment and spare quills. The second drawer contained a collection of sealing wax in various colors.
My gaze snagged on a small panel in the wall behind Xül's desk, the wood a slightly different shade. I ran my fingers along the edges of the panel until I felt a small catch. I pressed it, and the panel slid open.
