Page 31 of Awakening Storm

A rustle of leaves and branches rippled through the tree as if Custos were searching for something deep within. “You already know all you need to know.”

* * *

Thirty minutes later, Aidan stood at the very spot where Rhianna had disappeared. He figured proximity may work in his favor. He wanted Theodora to think he was vulnerable and ripe for the picking.

Of course,he was. His emotions had become entangled with Rhianna somehow. He swallowed. What if he wasn’t good enough, strong enough, or smart enough to bring her back? What if Theodora figured out that Rhianna was his Achilles’ heel?

But first things first. He had to summon her. He didn’t know how she knew where to appear and when, but maybe that orb on her scepter was like a crystal ball that helped her find the right place at the right time.

He said her name ever so softly, almost seductively, hoping she would hear him. “Theodora.”

The ground and rocks shifted and churned, as if earth mover machinery was turning up the soil and trees in a continual motion. Theodora floated through the roiling mess, stopping in front of him.

“How can you help me?” she asked, a sneer of a smile pulling her lips to the side at her twist of words.

“Exactly,” Aidan said. “I have some information I’m willing to exchange for—”

“I’m not bringing her back,” she bit out.

“I’m not asking you to. I’m offering to go to your universe. You and I are not so different. We’re both confined to our own small spaces. Me, to my tree and island. You, to Riam.”

He was playing a game of poker right now, of course, and he had a good hand but not a perfect one. It was not an unbeatable hand; she could still best him. So he needed to be prepared to bluff really well.

Her eyes narrowed, suspicious. “Why? Why would you want to come with me?”

He shrugged. “I’ve been a Guardian for over eight hundred years. It’s time for a change. Like you, I want more. I want more excitement. More than sitting by the tree and watching the years pass.”

She smirked. “That pretty face got to you.”

He didn’t think the sorceress was capable of true feelings, but if she thought she could manipulate him, that might work in his favor. So he appealed to the instinct she would understand: greed.

“Perhaps,” he said.

“What’s in it for me?”

He lifted his chin and stared straight at her. “I have a secret of the Divine Tree I’m willing to share if you take me to Riam.”

She shifted her stance. He could tell she was going to take the bait.

“Give it to me now,” she purred.

He shook his head. “Oh no. I get there in one piece first.”

Instead of being insulted, she smiled. With a swirl of her scepter, a porthole opened. Next, she locked him in a bubble, and for a second, panic rose within him as he tested his prison. The more he pushed, the tighter the confines became, so he relaxed and went with it. He only had one chance to get this right.