26. Mira

twenty-six

Mira

Despite the invitation, I'm surprised when the doors to Tairyn's study open at my steady approach. The breakfast tray that arrived at Callum's room this morning was set for two and held a small note with my name on it. It only asked me to join him at my earliest convenience. After a quick wash and a few sweet kisses, I went on my way without much thought outside of the little bubble of Callum's rooms. But now that I'm here, a knot in my stomach tightens.

How did he know I was there? Does he know everything? Does it matter if he does? Why did Tairyn act so strangely last night and kick me out like that?

Questions still swirl in my mind. Everything is a mess right now. Despite clasping them in front of me, my fingers still find a way to fidget nervously as I enter his study. Now that I've seen Callum's room, I can't help but wonder about Tairyn's. Probably palatial and gilded, if my rooms are any indication of the grandeur he prefers.

My eyes trace over his study until I spot him sitting in the corner at a small table. A book lay flat in front of him, but he's not looking at it. No, his eyes are glued to me with the keen awareness of a hungry predator.

The fire on the other wall is low and crackling, despite the warmth in the air. I wonder if he keeps it going all the time. I pad across the room without a word or acknowledgement from him, which sets my heart pounding like a child called into the principal's office.

"Tairyn," I address him as I take the empty seat across from him. His green eyes reflect the crackling fire, twinkling with something I can't quite name as he watches me with an unreadable expression.

"I hear congratulations are in order." His tone is as cool and calculated as ever, giving nothing away. A small smile tugs at his flawless lips, and it's almost like he's mocking me.

"Congratulations?" I echo, my eyebrows furrowing.

He taps his fingers on the table, a rhythm that is somehow both soothing and unnerving. "The new mate bond." His voice is smooth like velvet, yet sharp as daggers.

I frown at him. "Well, I'm shielded, you see. Evil villain keeping us prisoner and all. So I wouldn't know."

His perpetual smile, that annoying, self-satisfied smile, fades ever so slightly at my retort, and I can't help but feel a bubble of satisfaction. His fingers stop tapping on the table, his gaze becoming cold and hard.

"Evil villain?" He echoes, a thread of laughter weaving through his tone. "Is that what you think of me now?"

I cross my arms over my chest, attempting to hide how anxious I feel under his scrutiny. "Should I believe differently?"

His eyes narrow, looking more like green slits than the twinkling orbs I'm used to seeing. "Perhaps it's better if you don't think of me at all."

Before I can reply, his fingers are moving. Chroma floods inside me as he removes my shield, and the awareness of Bobble and Sunder fills my mind. Yes, there is a new thread of awareness among them. It pulls away shyly as I reach for it with my mind, stroking it. My grin is so wide it threatens to crack the corners of my mouth, the warmth of this new connection making my heart flutter.

"Anyway," Tairyn says, leaning back in his chair with a sigh. "That's not why I asked you here."

I steel myself, sitting up straighter. My face falls at the sudden change in his tone.

"I have news of Yurghen, and I feel it is pertinent to share them with you."

My gaze narrows as suspicions rise inside me. "Why would you share your dear old friend's secrets with me?"

Internally, I curse my big mouth. If he wants to divulge Yurghen's plan to me, why am I provoking him? Amusement twinkles alive in his eyes again. "The dear old friend part is arguable," he says, a wicked smile playing on his lips. "As for the why… Well, isn't it obvious?" His fingers drum against the polished table again in a beat that's almost disconcertingly calm.

"Enlighten me."

His smile widens just a fraction more. "Because you're our best chance of beating him." His voice drops lower as he leans in, his lips curving into a smirk that is just too smug. "But you'll need to master channeling white Chroma first."

"You're stronger than me and already know how to use white. Why would I have a better chance than you?"

He waves his hand dismissively at my question. "In time. For now, you must practice." He leans further back in his chair, a flicker of something passing over his face as his cryptic words sink in. "I told you his soul is tethered, and that's why when you killed his body, he didn't die. Only the full spectrum of Chroma can destroy the tether, Mira."

My body shivers involuntarily, unsure if it's from the unsettling information or the way his voice caresses my name. I want to trust him, but something in me is hesitant and on edge.

"How am I supposed to trust anything you say to me, Tairyn?"

He pauses, his fingertips drumming once more, his thoughtful gaze fixed on me as he strokes his chin. "You can't," he admits, his voice, although quiet, slicing through the tension in the room like a blade. "In your position, I'd be skeptical as well. However, I implore you, even if you don't trust me, I need you to learn to destroy his soul's tether. He plans to find you. Somehow, you are part of his plan."

My heart sinks low into my stomach. "What's his plan?"

"I've learned that he wants to rip open the Great River of Souls, Mira. To what end, I don't know."

His voice is flat, tinged with worry. No hint of deception or amusement. No games. My anxious heartbeat spikes at his words. All I can do is stare, unable to pull away from his intense gaze. My mind whirls with what he's telling me, but my body can't catch up.

The Great River is a new concept to me, but I know it's a deeply ingrained part of their fae society. I don't fully understand the consequences or what it means, but from the gravity in his voice, I know this is very serious. When I don't respond, he lets out a long, tired sigh as he rubs his hands across his face. "I know this is a lot to take in," he notes, his voice heavy with a weight I haven't heard from him before.

"How do you even know this?" It comes out sharper than I intend.

"I have sources."

He lingers on the last word, like a bitter taste coats his tongue. Something inside me shatters. All the secrets. All the games. Everything is one step forward, two steps back with him. Being separated from Sunder and Bobble.

Having my Chroma back floods me with an itch to burn off that power. To hold it.

Suddenly, the room is too small, the air too thin. I bolt up from my seat, unable to stay still. Restlessness buzzes under my skin in a way that's simultaneously grounding and unsettling. Pulling my hair out of its messy bun, I pace the length of the room. Heat prickles up and down my spine at the thought of Yurghen, of what he could potentially do. Of what it means for me, for Sunder and Bobble. Callum.

My gaze drifts to Tairyn for some reason, my stomach turning on itself as I tear my attention away from the concerned expression on his face.

"Just breathe." His voice breaks through the tension that seems to grip me. It's gentle, a stark contrast to his smug arrogance from earlier. My heart twists in my chest as he stands, approaching me with hands in front of him like you might approach a wild horse you want to tame.

"Back off." The words snap out of me before I can stop them. Tension still buzzing under my skin, threatening to explode.

He stops, his hands dropping to his sides. "Mira, I-"

"No!" Bitterness laces my words, scorching them. "Just… no." I whip around and begin to pace again, the room suddenly too small. "You bring me here against my will, take me from my mates, and now you tell me I have to master the impossible or else." I spin on him. "Tell me, Tairyn. The truth. Why did you bring me here?"

The room grows quiet, save for the crackling fire in the hearth and my own ragged breathing. His eyes look pained and for a moment, I see a flicker of something more human in them. "It wasn't out of malice. I brought you here because I had to," he says softly, and I can see in his gaze that he won't say more.

I turn away from him, rubbing my forehead with the back of my hand, trying to fend off the angry tears pushing at my eyelids. "That's not an explanation." My voice shakes, but I force it steady again. "You know what? Forget it. You brought me here because you ‘had' to. Got it." Sarcasm drips from my words.

Silence stretches between us like an icy river, and for once Tairyn has nothing to say. My heart clenches with a mix of frustration and a strange kind of disappointment.

I inhale deeply a few times, trying to steady my nerves and slow my racing heart. With determination, I tell myself to remain calm and push forward. I plop back into my chair, arms crossed to fend off any attempts at his charm.

"Well, start teaching me then."