Page 17 of Midnight Deception

If Atlas thought that Master Dune was going to be intimidated by his little show of power, then he misjudged the older male. Dune’s face loses all signs of amusement or friendliness. “That wasn’t a question or a request.” His voice is hard and uncompromising. “Your power works in a similar way, and with your background, you’ll be able to help her overcome the reservations she’ll have built up thanks to her age.”

Now that piques my curiosity, my mind already spinning with questions and speculations. Did Atlas learn to use his magic later? Not that it endears me to him, but it could explain some of the attitude. It’s clear that no one is going to explain. Luna shakes her head ever so slightly when our eyes meet, warning me not to say anything about the topic. Keeping my mouth shut, I watch the internal struggle that Atlas is trying to hide.

Finally, he lets out a sigh, looking like he’s being forced into walking over hot coals rather than helping to teach me. “Fine. I’ll assist.”

Dune nods, his expression unchanging, expecting full obedience. “Be here tomorrow, midday.”

Dismissed, Atlas stalks from the room, not even glancing in my direction or saying anything to his cousin. Watching him leave with a raised brow, I slowly shake my head. I thought that my alpha wolf mates were stubborn and moody, but I think they might be beaten here.

A presence appears at my side, and I glance up to find Dune watching the open doorway where Atlas just left. “He’s one of the best, and having the mate connection with him will help you learn control quicker,” he explains quietly.

I turn to him, examining the male. Perhaps I judged him wrong. He seems stern and gruff, but this little display of understanding makes me think there’s more to him than I first assumed.

As if sensing my thoughts, he glances down at me and frowns. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” He turns and walks over to the far end of the room, busying himself with something.

Blinking at the abrupt change, I look at Luna, but she just shrugs and gestures for us to go. We leave the room and make our way quietly down the corridor. I just want to return to my room, lie on my bed, and pretend I’m elsewhere, but from the look on Luna’s face, I can tell that’s not about to happen.

“What next?” I ask wearily.

My question seems to perk her up. “The dining hall, and then to meet your history instructor.”

Dropping my head back with a dramatic groan, I reluctantly follow her as her amused laugh echoes throughout the hall.

ChapterSeven

“Studying is going well, then?”

Snapping out of my stupor, I rapidly lift my head from the open tome I’d been reading and glance around until my gaze falls on Kano. I push the book away from me, rest my elbows on the table, and drop my face into my hands.

“I’d rather face that snake again than have to read another word of these old musty books,” I reply with a groan.

When I met my history tutor, she’d been horrified at my lack of knowledge on witchkind. Because of this, she recommended several books to get me started, insisting I needed at least a basic knowledge of who I am before she could possibly teach me.

Luna then showed me to the library, a gorgeous fairy-tale style hall with spiralling staircases and shelf after shelf of books. After gathering several, I set up on one of the study tables, and my guide left me to it, making sure I knew how to get back to my rooms once I finished.

I ignored the glares and strange looks I received from the other witches, as it was better than the alternative. I didn’t want to go back to my rooms. They were lovely, and I felt relatively safe in them, but my mind feels… unstable. If I go back to the room to spend the rest of the day and evening by myself, I’m just going to get lost in my thoughts, and somehow that doesn’t feel safe right now.

“Whoa, they are that bad?” Chuckling, he comes closer and pulls out a chair to sit opposite me. “What are you reading?” Reaching out, he flicks over the cover of the book I’d face-planted into and grimaces. “Why are you readingthis? It would put anyone to sleep.”

I sigh and sit back in my chair. I love reading. It’s one of my favourite things to do, letting me escape my reality and put myself in someone else’s shoes. Not only do I read fiction, but I’ve always had an appetite for learning, enjoying learning more about the planet we live on and the people and animals who reside here. This book, however, is making me rethink my decision to distract myself with some reading material. If all the books here are like this one, then I’m going to struggle.

“Madame Osso told me that I needed to know where I came from before she could teach me.” My comment comes out as more of a grumble than I intended. I don’t want to sound like I’m complaining, but I don’t want to be here. None of this was my choice, and I feel like I’m wasting time sitting here reading an old book when my friend could be dead.

My heart twinges painfully as my mind returns to Nicolai—something it’s been doing frequently today.No, I tell myself stubbornly,he’s not dead. I’d know if he was dead, right?He’s not my mate, so we don’t share a bond, but Nicolai and I had become so close, and he risked his life for me in the trials. I like to think that I’d know if he was dead. The world would be a darker place without him.

Understanding flashes across Kano’s face as I mention my history tutor, and he glances down at the open page. After staring at it for a moment, there’s a softness in his expression when he glances back up. “You’re reading up on our family line.”

I hear the unanswered question in his voice, and I meet his gaze. This male is supposed to be my half-brother, and honestly, I do see some similarities between us, but when I look at him, I don’t see family. Around others, he seems more closed off, and I think that might have to do with his seniority and closeness to the queen. However, with just the two of us here now, he’s more relaxed, and I get the feeling that he wants to know me as a sister. I’m not sure how I feel about this, but I also can’t deny the sense of recognition that warms me when I see him.

“The queen said our mother was from an important family.”

It’s not an answer to his question, and although it’s a statement, I’m really asking for more information. The book mostly just droned on about dates of birth and death and who had married into the family, not giving me any of the information I really wanted. The only thing that stood out was the mention of some royal blood in the family line some centuries ago, but that had long since diluted down.

Slowly nodding, he glances down at the book before pushing it back across the table towards me. “Yes, historically, our family has always been close with the royal line.” He speaks very matter-of-factly, as though reciting a line from one of these textbooks. Considering the fact that he seems to have a close relationship with the queen, I’m surprised he’s not warmer when speaking of the topic. “We’ve always had strong magic in our family, not to mention the power that some of us possess has made us good allies to keep around. It seems to mostly pass down the female line.”

There’s a hint of bitterness as he speaks of power and how it’s made our family important. I can’t imagine growing up in a family where a particular gift is coveted, only to find that you don’t possess it. When my mother had me, they must have hoped that I possessed the gift too, and that it hadn’t skipped a generation. There must have been outrage when I disappeared, especially when my mother died and I was the only person left with that power.

Tension grows between us, and he quickly clears his throat. “Anyway, the library is closing.”

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