“The doors to this space have always been closed,” Thierran spoke. “So, I wondered if it was another sitting chamber or something more exciting.”

“I imagine discovering that it is only a library is disappointing.”

His laugh was soft—airy, even—as he walked along the rows of books. “Quite the opposite, meyaah Liessa. I’ve always found libraries enjoyable.”

“Then you must prefer the peace of one,” I guessed, noting the sheathed daggers on each of his forearms.

“Typically.” He stopped halfway, dark brows furrowing. “Though I’m not sure I would find this one all that peaceful. There’s a…sadness to it.”

Once again, a wave of surprise rippled through me. “There is.”

“My awareness of such has caught you off guard.”

“It has.” I quickly racked my brain for what knowledge it contained on the oneirou as he began walking again.

“All oneirou—what is left of us, that is—are sensitive to…impressions left behind. Emotions leave an imprint,” he shared, his attention shifting to the candlelit portraits. “Especially extreme ones.”

My gaze followed his to the painting of Mycella. Ash’s mother and Aios were cousins, so either her aunt or uncle was from Kithreia. I knew Mycella wasn’t from there, though.

“Mycella was from Lotho,” I said.

Thierran nodded.

“Many who live near Mount Lotho are gifted with unique talents. Walking in dreams. Prophesizing.” He glanced over his shoulder. “Sensing emotion.”

“And manipulating it?”

“That, too.” He turned back to the paintings. “Mycella’s father was an oneirou, one of the oldest. From what I knew of her, she could not enter other’s dreams, but she could read emotions and control them if she so wished.” He paused. “She passed down half of those abilities to her son.”

“She did.”

“The oneirou blood is strong, though. Known to skip a generation, only to reappear again,” he said. “If you and Nyktos were to have a child, it’s quite possible they would have the same abilities as Nyktos, or even those of his mother’s father.”

My heart skipped a beat as his words tugged at a memory. Something I should have remembered—

“But that’s neither here nor there.” Thierran faced me. “When we first met, you tried to read me.”

Tension crept into my neck. “I did.”

One side of his lips turned up, pulling the scar on his left cheek taut. “You failed.”

“Correct.” My shoulders squared. “I didn’t try it on purpose. It sort of just happened. However, I didn’t exactly attempt to stop myself from doing it either.”

He stared at me for what felt like an entire minute. “Your honesty is refreshing. Besides your husband, who is still very young…” It was odd hearing him say that, considering he looked the same age as Ash. “Most Primals tend to be untruthful, even when it is not necessary. Which is amusing since the Ancients could not lie.” His head cocked. “Did Nyktos tell you how I was scarred?”

“He did not.” The swift change of subject left me a little unsettled. His unflinching stare was far more unnerving, though. “But I figured Kolis was responsible.”

“He was.”

I waited for him to continue. He didn’t. “Are you going to share why?”

“No.”

“All right, then.” I was too tired and stressed to play polite Queen and hostess. “You’re more than welcome to linger here for as long as you’d like, but please close the doors when you leave.” I started to turn.

“I was actually looking for you.”

I stopped. “For what? To complain about your lack of sleep?”

His chuckle was low and velvety. “I was.”

My already non-existent patience thinned. “I’m not sure what you expect me to do about that.”

“Deal with whatever troubles you.”

I drew back. “Excuse me?”

“Whatever plagues you upon waking follows you into your sleep and calls to me,” he stated, and I felt the blood drain from my face. “I can usually ignore it, but I was unprepared for the…intensity of such emotion. I need to stay awake to resist.” A strand of midnight hair slid against his cut jaw. “You see, when someone dreams vividly, it’s a siren’s call to an oneirou. It prods at our most basic instincts to feed. Not on blood, but on emotion.”

My stomach turned over, and my body flashed cold and then hot as eather stirred.

“The first night here, I was pulled into your dream.”

I inhaled sharply. “You did what?”

“Like you, it wasn’t intentional. It’s not easy for us to resist the call when we are asleep,” he continued. “I did not feed, nor did I linger.”

I didn’t even care about the feeding part because, dear gods, what had he seen? The golden bars flashed in my mind. “Am I supposed to thank you for that?”

“No. I’m just letting you know before you blast me into Arcadia.” He smiled. “Which you appear to be about to do.”

It was then that I realized I’d taken a step toward him, and my skin was likely starting to do that glowing thing it did. “I’m not going to blast you into Arcadia,” I said, forcing my hands to unclench. “Through the wall, though? That’s still up in the air.”

His smile spread then, revealing a hint of fang, but it quickly disappeared, taking with it the ever-present glint of devilment in his eyes. “I did not tell you this to upset or offend you. That is the very last thing I want to do.” Dark, thick lashes swept down. “What troubles you while awake will not give you peace in sleep, meyaah Liessa.”

It wasn’t like I didn’t already know that. “And I’m guessing your reasoning for telling me this is because you would like some restful sleep?”

“That’s not the sole reason, but yes, some restful sleep would be welcomed. I’m not a purely altruistic being.” His lashes lifted, and there it was again, that twinkle in his eyes. But once more, it disappeared. “When someone, especially a Primal, cannot find peace while awake or asleep, it shows itself in their actions, decisions, and temperament, as the realms already know.”

Eather throbbed as my eyes locked onto him. I didn’t try to read him, but I knew. “That is how you got those scars.”

Thierran said nothing.

“You were in Kolis’s dreams, and he found out,” I said. “I can only imagine what you saw.”

“You likely know what he dreams about.”

“Sotoria?”

Thierran nodded. “He dreams about finding her and then losing her. Over and over.”

A savage sense of satisfaction filled me. “Good.”

“I agree. The only downside was that he believed I was responsible for such.”

“Were you?”

Thierran’s chin dipped, and that glimmer returned to his eyes. “Not then.”

An idea occurred to me. “Exactly how much damage can you do with another’s emotions?”

“For example? I could take all the hate one feels for another and turn it back on them. Let it consume them,” he said. “But if I can get my hands on someone, I can do much more.”

“Like what?”

“I can put someone into a waking nightmare.”

“Even a Primal—an old and powerful one?” I asked. Ash had said as much, but I wanted to hear Thierran say it.

“Even one of them.” He glanced at me. “What are you thinking?”

“Would you like to get into Kolis’s head?”

Thierran smiled. “I would love nothing more.”

“Good,” I murmured, filing that piece of information away as awareness suddenly coursed through me. My gaze flew toward the doors as I felt Ash draw near. It wasn’t the same as being alerted by another Primal’s presence. I was once again amazed by how some innate part of me recognized that he was closer.

A mixture of anticipation and nervousness swelled inside me, and I wanted to run toward the doors at the same time I wanted to hide. What I did was stand there, hands clasped. I saw the moment Thierran felt him. The oneirou stepped back, and his gaze went to the doors.

The stagnant air of the library shifted ahead of Ash, coming alive in the seconds before he appeared in the doorway.