Page 97 of The Book Reader
“No, thank you. I’m going to go for a walk in the gardens. Tell him for me, please?”
Mark hesitates, then sighs. “He asked that you stay in the library.”
I narrow my eyes slightly. “Why?”
“He wishes you safe, my lady—Ari.”
I suck in a breath to calm my irritation before I stand sharply. “Is that so?” Walking straight past Mark, I make my way to Gaelan’s office, Rex not far behind me. I reach for the door handle and pause when I hear Gaelan.
“We leave in a moon. Westrey belongs to Ari, and it’s time that she got it back.”
A voice I don’t recognize responds angrily, “The land is dead. The clan left a long time ago, and you are asking us to risk it for one person?”
A loud bang sounds before the door bursts from its hinges, and a man comes flying out, skidding across the floor before hitting the wall opposite. Gaelan comes marching out. He bends down and grips the man by the neck before lifting him up.
“Question me again and I’ll see to it that fighting a few daemons is the least of your worries. Do you understand me?” The man nods quickly before Gaelan drops him to the ground. Whoever this man is lands with a hard thud that makes me wince. “Get out!” Gaelan growls. He turns, his chest is heaving, and the blue of his eyes darkens to almost black. He cracks his neck and rolls his shoulders like he is trying to shake the rageaway. When he sees me, the anger leaves his body. “Rose? Is everything okay?”
“Yes, areyouokay?”
He comes over to me, leans down, and kisses my cheek. “I am now.” He takes my hand and leads me toward the kitchen. “I’m going out later this evening, but I’ve arranged dinner and some company for you.”
I pull my hand from his and stop walking abruptly. “I’m coming.”
He turns and frowns at me, his eyes shifting to his office door before returning to me, realization dawning that I had heard him. “No, you’re not,” he says and begins walking toward the kitchen again.
“You can’t go without me, Gaelan.”
“I can and will. You arenotcoming,” he barks at me.
Rex whimpers behind me—I think he can feel my anger rolling off my body. I get that Gaelan is worried, but I can’t stay here, not when I feel like Imustgo. That place is where my ancestors are from; it may have the answers that I didn’t see the first time. My dreams took me there for a reason, so I’m not backing down. If he won’t take me, then I’ll go alone.
“Gaelan?”
He stops, turns to me, his eyes flashing dark blue, before they narrow as if he heard my thoughts. He comes over to me, towering over me.
“I lost you again. Do you haveanyidea what it was like for me to wake up and find you missing? To wonder if Macy had got youagain?” He fists his hands and starts pacing. “Where was I going to find your body this time?”
He turns back to me, and the hurt I can see on his face breaks my heart. I walk over to him, lift my hand to his face, trying to give him comfort. “Gaelan, you can’t always protect me. The past has shown us that, perhaps, this time it can be different. Iwantto make it different. I’m not ready to die.” I step closer and look up into his bright blue eyes. “I’m not ready to lose you or Trelor.”
He sighs. “Rose?—”
I shake my head and cut him off. “Don’t leave me out, don’t push me away, let me come. Let me try to help.” I plead.
“Fine, but if you’re coming, you’re going to need a weapon.”
He takes my hand and leads me back toward the bedroom. I can’t help the smile that graces my face—I’ve never had a weapon before.
Shit just got real.
When Gaelan said weapon,he didn’t mean just one. What he meant was a full suit of armor, in white, with weapons on every square inch of my body. I feel like a kid whose mom made them wear an oversized coat with the idea that they would grow into it.
I can’t move my arms, and my body feels like it's enclosed in hard rubber. If he thinks I’m going to be able to reach for a weapon when I need it, he is very wrong. I’m more likely to fall and start rolling around on the ground like one of those Weeble Wobble toys my mom had when she was a kid. I look over at Leah, who is trying her hardest not to laugh at me, and a few of the other guards are also biting their lips to stop the snickers. I don’t blame them; I look ridiculous.
They are dressed in what appears to be regular clothes, with perhaps one weapon.
Sighing, I look up at Gaelan. “Gaelan? Do I seriously have to wear all of this?”
“Yes, you do.” He lowers his head and kisses me, the smirk on his face when he pulls back making me lift a questioning eyebrow. He is enjoying this a little too much. I sigh and lift my arms up, trying to loosen the jacket a little more. Gaelan grins at me, his eyes dancing with amusement.
