Gravity (56 page)
have to walk into the fire with him.” I softened my tone and found the courage to address another
important topic. “What happened between you and Page? I saw a change and… I thought you
two were going to become an item.”
His cheeks flamed and Justus looked away.
I knew right then and there Page had denied him. By the slant in his eyes, the waver in his
voice, and the color of his face. My heart softened, as did my voice. “Don’t give up,” I said. “Logan
never did. He once said something like ‘anything worth having is worth chasing.’ If you really care
for her, then you’ll wait. Prove to her you’re the man that I know you are. Show her.”
He drew in a slow and heavy breath. It was a sensitive topic, but something melted away in his
expression.
“Once you marry, Silver, you’re free. You no longer need a Ghuardian. That’s law. It may not be
legal, but it’s as good as marriage in my eyes if you have a ceremony.”
“Ghuardian, I don’t mean that—”
“As you have accepted his claim, you no longer have to call me Ghuardian. You’re in his care
now.”
My heart sank and a bittersweet feeling moved through me as my life was about to change
course. New beginnings always meant an ending of something else. My eyes welled with tears—I
hadn’t realized how profound this moment would be once it finally arrived. I wasn’t ready to call
him Justus. I thought too highly of him. He would always be Ghuardian in my eyes.
A man who had mentored me, taught me the laws to live by, and showed me a stranger could
influence my life in ways I’d never imagined. A man who’d opened his home and his heart to an
obstinate young Mage with no family of her own.
“If I can’t call you my Ghuardian, then what do I call you?”
Justus stepped forward and gently cradled my head with his strong hands. I nervously listened
to the thumping of my heart as he leaned in and kissed my forehead, showing me affection in a
way that he never had before. One of respect.
A gentle smile spread across his rough features, etching a deep line in his cheek. “If you will
not call me by my given name, then I would be honored if you called me by another. It’s an
honorable name that I have never gone by, nor ever will as a Mage.”
“What name is that?”
“Father.”
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Books by Dannika Dark
THE MAGERI SERIES
Sterling
Twist
Impulse
Gravity
Book 5 (Coming late 2013)
NOVELLAS
Closer
SEVEN YEARS
Coming soon
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