My heart was about to beat right out of my chest with fear.
“I’ll see you in the morning, Rowan.” I brushed my fingertips over my lips as I crossed back to my room, still replaying the memory of that mind-blowing kiss. I knew I’d be thinking of it until the sun rose over the sea at dawn.
Maybe that last little thread of sanity had already gone up in smoke.
16
ROWAN
Eight days until the trial.
Last night’s conversation had left me so deeply confused that instead of sleeping, I’d simply replayed his words over and over in my mind.
And not just the conversation, of course. That kiss. The way he’d kissed me had been as intense and hot as fucking, and I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Something had changed in the way he kissed me—a sort of reverence that wasn’t there before.
In the morning, I’d woken early, sneaking out past a sleeping Orion. On my way out, I’d stolen a glance at his muscular back, and I’d briefly met his sweet friend. Amon had sent me off with coffee and scones. I peered out the door cautiously before leaving, surveying the square for any errant assassins. I found nothing amiss, but I kept scanning the streets as I walked.
As long as I was around Orion, I risked getting so distracted that I’d fail the trial. And the depressing truth was, I was still struggling to push him to the back of my mind.
What are you so afraid of?
You.
I sipped my coffee and replayed it for the millionth time. Was he trying to tell me that he was scared I would reject him? That I’d break his heart?
Someone—Mortana, I supposed—had well and truly convinced him that hope was the most dangerous thing of all.
Unless…
Unless, of course, that was all an act.
I blew out a long breath, trying to center myself by focusing on the world around me. My gaze skimmed over the flowers gently blowing in the salty breeze—pink peonies, violet foxglove, lavender…
As I walked through the garden, a fountain burbled gently. I breathed in the humid scent of wildflowers, and my mind cleared at last. Sunlight warmed my cheeks. Another sip of coffee sent a jolt of caffeinated life into my veins.
I pulled my phone from my pocket, relieved to see a text from Kas. Our magical lessons were beginning soon. I really had lucked out with teachers who were so willing to help me.
I crossed the bridge toward the forest, glancing at the sun sparkling off the river. As I approached the wilderness, the humid scent of moss and soil filled my nostrils.
I found Kas and Legion in the oak grove.
Legion stood with a large spell book in his hands, while Kas sat on the mossy forest floor, leaning against a tree trunk. He wore a crown of ivy and blue primroses that rested—crooked—over his delightfully messy blond hair.
I smiled at him. “Looking regal.”
His cheeks dimpled when he smiled. “Not all of us are born royal. Some of us have to make the crowns ourselves from Mother Nature.”
“Where is Shai?” I asked.
“Uh…” Legion’s gaze moved from me to the spell book. His hair was pulled back, but a few strands of black caught in the breeze. “She’s on her way.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Everything okay, Legion?”
Kas rose, and he dusted off the back of his jeans. “Everything is fine. But we have a long day ahead of us because Legion decided to give you the most tedious possible task, and we’re all going to be sitting through it for hours.”
I took a deep breath. “As long as it helps me win the trial, I’m fine with tedium.”
“Good.” Legion flashed me a faint smile. “First, you will practice control of your magic. Then you can practice summoning more power. But first comes mastery. Understood?”
“Otherwise, we could all die in a fiery hell-world of your exploding magic,” said Kas.
“Of course.” I held out my hand for the spell book. “What spell?”
“Sifting soil,” said Legion.
I frowned. “What is that, exactly?”
“Really, just what it sounds like.”
Kas crossed his arms, his caramel eyes gleaming with amusement. “Legion has decided that you will spend the entire day making small piles of twigs using magical spells, and maybe trying to build tiny structures with them.”
Good thing I’d brought the coffee.
*
By the time Shai showed up, I’d made two tiny twig houses, and I was ready for an afternoon nap. On my twentieth recitation of the spell, I was yawning uncontrollably.
Shai was rubbing her eyes as she crossed into the grove in wrinkled clothes.