Ruins of Chaos (Legacy of the Nine Realms #3) - Amelia Hutchins Page 0,212

to him and him alone. It didn’t. It was mine too, and I’d felt it calling to me with every question I’d asked during my time away from it in the Nine Realms. Now, I intended to show Knox that not everything here was subdued by him, including me.

The library pulsed with magic as it came alive before my eyes. Large spheres of every color glowed brightly around the edges of the room as I stood in amazement. Large, ancient tomes and grimoires lay open on pedestals, untouched by time or dust. The spells on their parchments sent soft plumes of magic into the air, appearing like flowery fireworks.

I drifted toward one book, noting the spell to create the House of Magic sat opened, glowing with what looked like embers of glitter coming up from the page. My fingers slid over it before a glowing door caught my eye.

Silently, I approached the door that pulsed with power. My hand slid over the onyx center that didn’t change with my touch. I swallowed hard, lifting my head to the glowing blue ancient scrawl that covered the edges of the door, flowing down toward the floor, pulsing with immense power.

“How do I open it?” I asked the library and cried out as the room moved me to a window. I stared into the darkening shadows of a flower-filled courtyard, watching a familiar form standing before a mausoleum, head bowed with one arm against the door.

Knox turned, peering up toward the window from which I stood. Moving into the shadows out of sight, I continued to watch him fight his demons. Knox placed his hand back on the door, bowing his head as his shoulders dropped and shook. My eyes slid to the statues on either side of the embellished grave. Liliana and Sven’s likeness stared back at me, taunting me, while I worried my lip. He was fighting his need to know the truth without having to disturb their eternal rest. Knox dropped to his knees, his head still bowed as rain drizzled onto him.

“I asked you how I open the vault. I didn’t ask to trespass against Knox and his ghosts,” I growled, feeling as if I was intruding on his privacy.

The room changed again to reveal a wall with ancient pictures drawn on it. There were human-like creatures with talons protruding from their fingertips. One was a man and one a woman. Moving toward it, I ran my fingertips over the glowing images, sending magic rushing through them as the couple moved. I swallowed, gasping as the woman hunted the male, prowling on all fours as he walked obliviously through a forest. She’d lunge, and he’d danced away from her as if they played a game. My teeth slid from my gums, and my head turned as the sound of my neck crunched, my spine tingling while I watched the scene play out.

The woman caught the man, and he lifted her, pushing her against a tree as his body rocked against hers. I swallowed at the fact that I was standing in a magical library, basically watching stick figure porn come to life. The scene changed, and the man and woman became Knox and me as a chair slammed beneath my legs, forcing me to sit. I peered around me, leaning back to watch Knox slam into my body as my eyes held mine. It was erotic watching us together without actually participating.

“Damn, now all I need is popcorn. You’re pretty handy, aren’t you?” I whispered and then frowned as popcorn began raining from the ceiling. “And apparently, you’re rather touchy too.” I lifted popcorn from my lap and popped a buttery, fluffy piece into my mouth. My eyes narrowed to slits as my teeth grew on the wall, pushing into Knox’s throat. He trembled, and blue lines slid through his body and mine. The sex became primal, his beast taking control as my own released. “Bloody hell,” I groaned loudly, shoving more popcorn into my mouth. “I have to finish it, don’t I? I have to finish the claim he began?”

“Yes,” I whispered to myself.

The image of Knox vanished, and the library spoke, “Daughter of the Nine Realms, you must claim your king to discover your truth. Your father awaits you, Aria. Your enemies are many, but your heart is pure. Come, take your place among those who lived before you. You were born for greatness, with power unimagined running through your veins. Finish claiming your mate so that