Lesta released a raspy chuckle. “What I’m telling you is she is capable of kicking almost any man’s ass. But she barely survived her fight with the Magyki the first time around. She’s remarkable, but his abilities make him fully capable of something like this.” He gestured to the ruined dress.
Snapping his mouth closed, Eithan turned to him, narrowing his eyes. “You could be imprisoned for this. For teaching her to use a weapon and hiding it from your emperor. Why risk it?”
“With all due respect, your highness, I did exactly what his majesty demanded of me.” He didn’t look the least bit ashamed. “When Vera was brought to me, I was given a single order—to protect her. I not only did that, but I taught her how to protect herself if I were ever unable to.”
Eithan didn’t respond. There was honestly nothing left to say. All that mattered was getting Vera back. He needed to speak to Sulian. Giving a parting nod, he spun on his heel and strode out of the chamber, still clutching the dress in his hands.
He would’ve been happy with the marital arrangement for the sole fact of what Vera was and what an alliance with her could give him. Their marriage could change everything. He needed to get her back, and when he did, he’d irrevocably tie her to him.
JAREN
He felt her luzh respond the moment she reached out and touched it. Every Magyki’s ability stemmed from the same base source. They didn’t all have different pools to dip into, rather they all accessed and took from the same one.
Because of this, when nearby, Magyki could sense when another was tapping into it, although it was far easier to do through touch. Wanting to instruct and encourage her, Jaren placed his hand over her heart.
Of course, he could have just pressed his fingers against the pulse in her wrist, but why waste the opportunity? He’d never claimed to be a gentleman. He enjoyed toeing the edge of her boundaries, just to see what she would do.
He felt a small jolt of pride when Varian was able to fall deep into her meditation with no issue. It was impressive for someone as inexperienced as she was. As time passed and the further she reached, the more drawn he became to her. It felt like she wasn’t just calling up her own reserves, but also his.
He couldn’t fight against her pull, his body demanding he move closer. She might as well have dug her nails into his chest and yanked. He placed his other hand at her neck, almost hypnotized, trying to get a more accurate feel of what was happening. He felt the snap and reflexively grabbed at her face to shake her, grab her, throw her. Something, anything.
But it was too late.
In a vibrant, golden light, Varian’s power exploded out of her, and he was thrown several feet away. He saw Trey tossed even farther behind him. Jaren tried to stand, but the scream that tore from her throat shot straight to his chest, dropping him to his knees, his limbs shaking from the weight of it.
It didn’t make sense. She’d never been near the crystals, let alone touched them. She shouldn’t have been able to access more than the barest layer she’d been born with. She screamed again, and his body flinched from the agony in it.
In his peripheral, he saw Trey trying to move toward her. “Pha! Don’t touch her!”
Trey’s head whipped in his direction, his hand grabbing for his sword. “What the fuck did you do to her?!”
Jaren pushed to his feet again, prepared to tackle the guard if he took another step when the world seemed to pause. Just a second of pure silence before all the power radiating from her suddenly reversed, snapping back into her body. Her eyes rolled back, and he lurched for her as she fell backward.
Reaching her, he barely kept himself from collapsing in shock when he saw her face. It was still her, but at the same time, it wasn’t. Her cheekbones were higher, her jaw sharper, and when her eyes fluttered open, vibrant silver stared back at him.
“Did I do it?”
The words should have been raspy and broken from her screaming, but her voice came out strong. The circles that had been resting under her eyes all night were gone, and her skin was practically glowing.
He lifted her tunic just enough to glance at her side. Smooth, unblemished skin greeted him. Shit. She hadn’t just healed her wound. She’d done far more than that.
Jaren looked back into her eyes, the liquid steel color leaving him momentarily speechless. She’d been breathtaking before, but now her beauty was nearly catastrophic.
“Did you do what? Somehow connect and draw directly from a power source you’ve never actually touched before? Yeah, yeah I’d say you did.”
She frowned. “Wait…what?”
She blinked several times before her eyes widened, and her tongue slid over one of the sharp canines now occupying her mouth. The act was sexy as fuck, and he hoped to gods she didn’t notice his body’s response as he helped her sit up.
Trey hovered behind them, radiating tension, but clearly unsure of what to do. He was like one of those annoying insects, constantly buzzing around your face no matter how many times you swatted it away.
“I’m guessing that wasn’t what was supposed to happen.” She paused, looking up at him with narrowed eyes. “You said it wouldn’t hurt.”
“It shouldn’t have. Your access should’ve been similar to that of a child. Enough for mild healing and the most basic of abilities, but not what you just did. I don’t even know what you just did.”
“So, then what happened? I did exactly as you told me to and it just…” her eyes unfocused as she tried to find the words. “It exploded. One second it was at my fingertips, and the next it wasn’t. Gods, I couldn’t control it.” She shivered.
“I think you somehow unlocked your full reserve of power, and without access to the laskas. I’ve never heard of it happening before, so I can’t explain it. But I also can’t deny what I saw. Your entire appearance is pure Magyki now.”
He watched her reach for her ears, disappointment flickering on her face when her fingers met the still round, scarred tops. She dropped her hands into her lap. “The crystals? Is that what the relic from the Gods is?”
Shit. His head whipped to the side, and he glared at Trey, contemplating killing him all over again. There was no way Jaren could let the Matherin live after everything he’d witnessed and heard. Following his line of sight, Varian’s eyes narrowed.
“He’s my friend, Jaren.” He turned his glare on her instead, and she added, “I suppose I shouldn’t expect a misanthrope like you to understand.”
Oh, he understood friendship just fine, he just didn’t give a shit about anyone else’s apart from his own. He wasn’t one for mercy. He killed without remorse, without wondering or caring whose friend, sibling, or lover they might be.
But as she held his gaze, he knew he wouldn’t kill the guard. Not yet. The damn zhu made him weak, and it pissed him off.