I’d consider it after he told me why he’d made that decision.
The connection between me and Zeph was riddled with purple lines. Shade’s spell.
I poked at it and studied the structure.
It was a solid enchantment. But I could see the minuscule threads at the end—the ones that allowed me to slowly unweave and learn the spell.
I considered stopping, aware that Shade had put this here to block Zakkai, but if I could unravel it, so could my Quandary Blood mate. That made it all a moot point and more of a hindrance than a necessity.
“Very good, Aflora,” Zakkai whispered.
His words momentarily distracted me from my goal, causing the band to snap back in place. “Stop spying on me.”
“I’m not spying,” he replied, his knuckles brushing my cheek. “I can just feel your magic. You’re a natural.”
“You mean an abomination,” I corrected, peeking at him.
He smirked. “You say that like it’s a bad thing. Which I suppose you’ve been taught to believe, but that’s an erroneous assessment driven by those in power.”
“Shade once said something similar. He said those in charge don’t like crossbreeding.”
“He’s right,” Zakkai murmured, his touch drifting down to my throat. “Go back to your task, Aflora. I promise not to interrupt again.”
I considered him for a moment, then closed my eyes again.
Shade’s magic reappeared immediately, my affinity for puzzles flaring to life. Zakkai’s hand left my collarbone to drift down my arm, where he linked our hands, his magic flourishing through my veins in response.
I engaged my link to him while playing with Shade’s threads, my mind memorizing the magic in case I needed to replace it. Zakkai would still be able to undo it, but maybe I could add a few enhancements to slow him down.
If that was even needed.
His protective energy seemed to hum around me, assuring me that he wouldn’t put me at risk. It could all be a lie. But a childlike part of me wanted to believe him. To test him. To see if he meant it.
His thumb whispered over my wrist, the touch reassuring.
“If this is all a trick, I’ll hate you forever,” I whispered as I tugged on the final strand of Shade’s spell.
Zakkai didn’t reply.
I nearly halted as a result but decided there was only one way to really know his intentions. So I pushed through the link to Zeph’s mind and hummed the spell Zakkai had taught me.
Tanoomeen Ma Ana.
Energy buzzed around me as I pictured the place I wanted—the park in New York City that he’d taken me to—and I opened my eyes to find him leaning against a tree in jeans and a button-down shirt. His green eyes narrowed at me before looking over my shoulder. “What is this?”
“I believe they call it a dream,” Zakkai drawled as he stepped up to my back to wrap his arms around my waist. “Well done, little star,” he whispered against my ear before dropping a kiss beneath my ear.
I tensed, waiting for him to say or do more, but all he did was hold me, his warmth a blanket of comfort against my back.
Zeph studied us beneath his intense gaze, his lips flattened into a line. “Who created the dream?” he finally said after a long minute of silence.
I swallowed. “Um, I did.” I thought that would be obvious by the scenery, but I could see where he might think Zakkai had manufactured it from a memory in my head. The Quandary Blood was fond of playing with my mind, after all.
He gently nibbled my earlobe. “I heard that.”
“Stay out of my head,” I replied.
“That’s not part of our arrangement, star. When dreaming, I’ll be monitoring all communication and thoughts. It’s a trust exercise, remember?”
My lips twisted as Zeph further narrowed his gaze. “Trust exercise?” he repeated.
“He agreed to let me dream-walk with my mates in exchange for—”
“It’s a test of trust,” Zakkai interjected. “I’m proving that I won’t harm you via her connection to you.” You can’t tell them about the Blood Gala, he added into my mind. They can’t know about our plans to attend.
Oh. Right. I cleared my throat. “He’s trying to make me more agreeable.”
“You look pretty agreeable to me,” Zeph replied, his gaze dropping to Zakkai’s arms around my waist. “He’s had you for, what, a day? And you’re already allowing him to teach you spells?”
The admonishment in his tone made me bristle a bit. “If I recall right, I let you whisk me off to a magical wardrobe shop during our first