A little dread flickered in my chest. I’d seen enough visions of my dead mom to last a lifetime.
Legion took a deep breath and glanced at Shai. “I suppose we should hide.”
She handed the book to Kas, and he held it open to the right page.
I raised my eyebrows when he didn’t leave the grove. “You’re not staying, are you? What if I explode with fireball magic?”
“You don’t need to be worried about me. It’s the benefit of being a demon, isn’t it? Even if I burn to ash, I’ll recover—it’ll just take a few days. I only ask that you refrain from cutting out my heart, Sunshine, and I’ll be fine.”
I dipped my pinkie into the blood and carefully drew a five-pointed star on my forehead. The coppery scent of mortal blood filled my nostrils. As soon as the liquid was on my skin, I could feel my body reacting to it, my magic heating in my veins. I closed up the little vial and tucked it in my pocket, then wiped my fingers on my jeans and took the book from him.
Kas’s amber eyes glowed.
With the blood on my skin, the world seemed to grow brighter, even though twilight was upon us. Light beamed through the oak leaves, and little motes of dust floated in the rays. All around me, sunlight heated the air. I felt high.
Kas himself seemed to glow with light, beautiful as an angel. “How does it feel?” he asked.
I sighed, my breath shaking. “Euphoric.”
He let out a low chuckle. “Good. Connect to the earth, and see if you can intensify it.”
I blinked in the golden rays of sunlight. “What?”
He stepped around me, and now his lovely gravelly voice was coming from just behind my back. “Take off your shoes.”
Shai was right about his voice. It really was nice.
“Take them off,” he said, “and feel the earth beneath your feet. It can help to intensify the power.”
I slipped off my little brown flats and stood on the soil. An earthy forest breeze rushed over me, raising goosebumps. From the ground up, I started to call my magic, heat spreading through my body. “Okay. Here I go.”
I started reciting the spell as I’d learned it in Demonic, and power thrummed up my nape.
I closed my eyes, thinking of a hot emotion. And as much as I tried to focus on bringing to mind the masculine sound of Kas’s voice, Orion’s sensual whisper kept intruding…
I wanted you to think of me and not Kas when you’re going to sleep…
Warmth simmered between my ribs. I repeated the spell again, thinking of how it felt when Orion had kissed me, pressing me against the bedpost. The way his eyes had looked when I’d dropped the blanket…
A surge of magic kindled in my belly, and I could feel the light heating up my skin—
“Shit,” I whispered. “Wait, it’s too much.” I let the sorrow of loss curl around me, dampening the force of my Lightbringer magic.
When I opened my eyes, I glanced at Kas, catching his worried expression.
He shook his head. “No, you have to use powerful magic for this,” he said. “Try summoning everything you have, because I know Orion will.”
I frowned, taking a step back from him. “Have you heard anything about a Lightbringer’s power being dangerous? Like, if I use all my power, I could make everything around me dissolve, and also lose my mind?”
His forehead wrinkled. “Dissolve?”
“Hang on.” Shai stepped out from behind an oak. “Who told you that? Orion?”
I realized how it sounded. “He didn’t just tell me. He showed me. When I used a burst of my Lightbringer magic, it left me feeling confused. He said that for a Lightbringer, we can create a vacuum, and chaos replaces the light.”
Shai grimaced. “Rowan. You can’t really believe he’s trying to help you, right? You’re rivals. He tried to assassinate you. He wants to keep his throne.”
The sun had slid down below the tree line now, and shadows spilled throughout the forest.
“He is the Lord of Chaos,” said Kas. “I’m sure he could use chaos magic to make you feel…chaotic.”
“Rowan,” said Legion, “what do your instincts say?”
My instincts said Orion was right—but who the fuck knew if that was actual instinct or the influence of his mind-blowing kiss?
Shai walked closer to me and cupped both sides of my face. She lowered her chin, our foreheads practically touching. “You wanted me to remind you not to fall for his charm and manipulation, yeah? I’m doing that now.”