Page 160 of Interion

“Back then I thought so, but now I’m not sure.”

“Did they kill Akira?”

“Probably,” Zion said with a sigh. “They kill our soldiers and leave the blood as an offering to the lamias. We searched the forest for his body but never found it, and Serguei couldn’t do anything because blockers have an unbreakable barrier against psychics. Even if Akira wanted to be found, he wouldn’t have been able to remove the barrier—just like with your father.”

“So there’s a chance he’s alive?”

“Kaori believes so. She’s been searching for information ever since, but she’s never found anything.”

“And what do you think?” I asked, watching him for any reaction.

“Slaves don’t last more than two years in the Drute armies.” Zion set the photo on the sideboard and studied it for a few more seconds. “He wouldn’t have survived that long.”

Then he snapped the photo down on the sideboard and left me alone, staring at the portrait.

Δ

Hours later, I shifted position in bed for the tenth time, but the darkness filled me with fear and terror climbed up my throat as if it would suffocate me. Tired of this, I turned on the bedroom and bathroom lights, but even then, when I closed my eyes, the darkness seemed to take shape and I snapped them open in desperation. I couldn’t forget the sensation of cold fingers on my ankle, let alone stop hearing that dying breath.

I curled into a ball, trying to keep all my limbs tucked together and away from the edge of the bed, but even Kiara’s snoring on the other side of the glass wall seemed frightening. Finally, I wrapped myself in the blanket and dragged myself to Zion’s bedroom door. I paced back and forth at his threshold, keeping the lights on.

After what he’d revealed about Akira, I didn’t want to bother him—I sensed he needed some space to recover. But there I was, in the hallway, afraid and not knowing what to do.

When I finally gave up on the idea, the door opened and he appeared shirtless, wearing only those damned pajama pants.

“Why all this commotion at my door?” he asked, looking me up and down. “If you’re scared, just knock and call me.”

The harsh way he spoke made me step back and turn up my nose.

“And who’s scared? I’m just getting some air.”

Zion tilted his head back slightly and raised one eyebrow, looking at me as if daring me to keep up the lie. I took a step back, not knowing what to say. I thought about going back to my room and curling up with Kiara, but as I turned toward my bed, I saw Zion stepping aside from his doorway.

“You don’t have to be ashamed of it. Everyone’s afraid of something,” he said, his amusement fading.

Maybe he’d noticed I wasn’t in the mood for jokes. My eyes shifted from him to the lit room and then to the dark stairs. Without hesitation, I slipped into his room and nestled into the spacious bed.

He closed the door, satisfied.

“I disagree. You don’t seem to fear anything. You’re the general of Interion—you’ve faced chimeras, lamias, and even Serguei himself. You’re immune to fear,” I said as he lay down beside me and turned off the light.

Zion didn’t object, but I already knew him well enough to know he was dissecting every word I’d said. As I snuggled into the pillow, I grew nervous about how close we were—I’d never been in his bed before. It was a new and intriguing experience, and breathing in so much of his scent did strange things to my body, flooding my mind with heated, uncontrolled thoughts. Liquid euphoria pulsed through my bloodstream, and if it had been hard to sleep before, now it would be impossible.

Zion, still mulling over what I’d said, opened his arms toward me.

“Maybe you’d like to lie closer—it might help you feel better. Your heart rate isn’t normal,” he offered, sounding a bit uncertain.

Little did he know that my racing heart had nothing to do with fear.

“Don't worry, I'm fine here,” I found myself saying, but my heart only raced faster at the thought of nestling against his chest.

“Liar. I won't be able to sleep like this,” he replied, concerned. “This is my final offer, Kay.”

I watched him in the dark; he seemed set on his decision. So I got up on all fours and crawled into his arms. I heard him swallow hard when I rested my head on his chest and nestled against his side, stiff as a statue.

“Better?” he asked.

“It'll do,” I replied with my cheek pressed against his warm skin.