Reaching Answers (Artemis University #8) - Erin R Flynn Page 0,59
I wanted to do.
Ever.
Though he did get a few breadcrumbs of trust from me given he wasn’t pushing taking over my sword training. And clearly, there was a lot he wanted to talk to me about, fill me in on, but wasn’t pushing. I think he respected my position that the past was the past and while I’d need to hear it one day, it wasn’t as important as right now.
And right now we had serious fucking problems.
He finished before I did and it was nice to have my gym alone for the last three miles and cooldown stretches. My stomach growled loudly and I was more than ready for breakfast after pushing my workout.
The kitchen was pretty much packed already, Izzy coordinating whatever place we were tasting the menu of and enjoying the fun. Craftsman and Marshall looked barely awake, both probably working on projects until late.
Which meant more coffee. I headed right for the French press Mel had bought for such times and pulled it out of the cabinet. The kitchen was free of hobgoblins, so I assumed they were handling everything at the hotels like their usual now. I honestly couldn’t keep track of it all.
“Morning, love,” Craftsman muttered, trapping me against the counter and lowering his head to mine.
I froze, too shocked to stop the kiss.
Tension shot up in the kitchen to levels even I was drowning in.
“What are you doing?” I breathed when he leaned away.
He gave me a sleepy grin. “We’re still doing this, huh?” He did a double take and seemed to only realize who else was there. “Right. They don’t know.”
“Know what?”
He sighed. “I didn’t mean to say anything before you were ready, but no hiding it now.”
“Hiding…” I couldn’t breathe when he gave me a look not to be silly. My barrier went up without even meaning to and he went flying across the kitchen, one of the fairies catching him with magic before he crashed through the terrace doors. “It was real!”
“Oh, this is rich,” Neldor chuckled darkly. “You were so worried about my doing to something to you in your sleep and being the underhanded bastard around you and your own mate—who betrayed you once already and you stupidly still trust—was the one to do something to your dreams.”
I couldn’t even deal with his smugness, tossing up a barrier around him as well. Let the asshole sit in a bubble for a time out.
“Tamsin. Come on, Tamsin,” Julian whimpered, pounding against my barrier that shook me out of my shock
“It was real?” I rasped, my tears blurring him. “How could you?”
“I thought you knew,” he whispered. “I would never—we talked about things you didn’t know. How could it have been a normal dream?”
“How would I know people could invade my dreams?” I threw right back, my voice getting hysterical.
“We checked for magic on your bed when you thought Neldor was doing something,” he reminded me gently. “I wasn’t trying to trick you, love. I have many, many faults, but I’ve never tried to trick you of anything. I swear I thought you knew it was a dreamscape.”
“No, no,” I choked out, covering my face and giving a wordless scream. “All I did. What I let you—no, it—how could it have been real?”
“What did you think it was, agra?” Darby cut in. “However long this was all going on?”
“My subconscious trying to move on,” I whispered. “Work through my issues with him and how bad I felt about myself that I couldn’t let him go after being apart much longer than we were even together. I mean, it’s almost a year since he started drifting and really, we were done. I can’t let go. I thought I finally—I thought if I—this might help me.”
“No, please,” Julian begged. “Please, love. Please don’t say it.”
I had to, meeting his gaze and taking down my barrier. “I thought last night was closure. I texted White this morning asking about sleeping draughts that wouldn’t let me dream anymore.”
He reacted as if I slapped him. Julian backed away from me and towards the terrace as his magic ramped up. He was losing it.
I didn’t know that was possible for him in regards to his magic. My eyes went wide as he threw open the door and hurried outside, falling to his knees on the hard stones and letting out a bellow.
“No!” someone shouted as I rushed towards Julian. I didn’t even realize I was doing it but suddenly, I was.