Page 204 of Interion

Zion also glanced my way, took a deep breath, and relaxed his hands, placing them open on the table.

“I don’t know. Why don’t you ask her?”

“I thought about asking, but that girl is never inside the walls. She’d barely woken up when she was taken to Vinturis to recover. I get the impression she wants to stay away from me.”

“Then, as you said yourself: she really is very intelligent,” Zion said dryly, taking another sip of wine. “Apparently, more so than me.”

Serguei stared at him for a few seconds, and I thought they were going to start arguing again. Then, surprising me, he leaned back in his chair and said:

“You never tire of testing my patience, boy.”

And that was my cue to rejoin the conversation.

“Speaking of tests, I wanted to congratulate you on that cliff stunt. I’m sure you heard everything I thought about the idea.”

Serguei laughed, this time genuinely amused.

“Ah yes, you were very clear when you told me to shove the test up my ass.” I practically growled at him. “Don’t be mad at me. Did you know that coal only becomes diamond under high pressure? I needed you at your limit to properly evaluate your mind. And I’m surprised—you were magnificent.”

“I’m not a damn piece of coal, Serguei!” I growled. Zion was watching us with amusement now, a slight smile tugging at his lips. “Did you call me here just to stress me out even more?”

“We’ll change the subject then. Please, calm down,” he said, relenting, though he still wore that cynical half-smile.

I stared at him a while longer. My mood hadn’t been great to begin with, and now, with all this talk about Kaori, it felt like a flame was eating me alive.

“I called you both here for several reasons. And one of them is to announce that I’m going to release the agreement.”

My jaw dropped, my eyes fixed on Serguei. Then Zion turned to me and my cheeks flushed. I looked away from him, but I could still feel his gaze on my face.

“When?” Zion asked, his voice hoarse.

“After the physical test.” He toyed with his wine glass. “Pass the test, Kyller, and I’ll free you both immediately.”

My heart was galloping in my chest. Zion’s war eyes burned into me, and I couldn’t force myself to look away. I felt naked as my heart raced. He seemed amused—the sound gave me away. The truth was, angry or not, I was excited about the possibility stretching before us. I began breathing in a way meant to calm me, feeling the oxygen flow through my body, then releasing the air and letting everything bad leave with it. Soon I was in control again and avoided looking at either of them.

“Your mother used the same technique. Did she teach you?” Serguei asked, sipping his wine.

I frowned at him.

“I don’t understand.”

“That breathing technique. Lagherta used it in training.”

“My mother? Are you sure it’s the same thing?” I asked, eyes widening.

“She tried to teach me, but I could never grasp how it worked.” Serguei swirled his wine glass with one hand. “If you didn’t learn it from her, where did you pick it up?”

I touched the sinil necklace on my chest, both men watching me.

“If I told you it was in my dreams, would you believe me?” I asked, a little embarrassed. Serguei’s jaw dropped.

“Your mother said the same thing—that she learned it in dreams.” His expression shifted from curious to surprised, even a little frightened.

“What? My mother had dreams like that too?” It had to be madness.

“Can I look through your memories to understand?” Serguei asked, focusing on me, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

“How cute, asking before you invade. When did you get so civilized?” Zion asked from across the table.