Just because he was right didn’t mean I had to be gracious about it.
“Fine,” I growled, daring him to revel in my reluctant surrender. “But if you step even one inch out of line—”
“I keep my promises, little queen. And my oaths.” Noctis’s expression hardened, though his touch remained careful as he moved the stone over my injury. “You should know that by now.”
Yes, I knew that. I knew it all too well.
He allowed me to activate the stone’s magic, rightfully assuming I would prefer it that way. A blue glow illuminated the space between us as the healing stone came to life, pulsing with a comforting warmth against my skin. Somehow, the warmth of Noctis’s hand on mine was even more soothing. Curse my foolish weakness.
Silver and black met and held, a tense silence between us.
“You have to let me in at some point,” Noctis finally said.
I swallowed hard, every instinct screaming at me to jump up and flee or to slap his hand away—to dosomething—as I felt a tendril of magic brush against both my wrist and my mind. Struggling to relax, I closed my eyes, the sensation of someone breaching even the outermost layers of my thoughts making me tense up.
“I am not going to hurt you.” I couldn’t tell if his voice echoedin my mind or if he spoke aloud. A lie. Perhaps he even believed it himself.
I could sense him. With every beat of thelyr-stone in our joined hands, his presence washed over me, making me acutely aware of his nearness. Everything else fell away. Gradually, our breaths aligned, and soon our heartbeats followed as thin tendrils of magic created a glowing connection between us. In the past, the desire to share my mind with him had consumed me, a primal longing for the deepest form of intimacy known to our kind. I had felt every emotion, every sensation he experienced as vividly as my own. Now, the mere idea of allowing him behind my defenses sent a chill down my spine, my shields strong and impenetrable.
“Can you show me the pattern?” Noctis asked, the touch of his mind conveying patience. I carefully envisioned the healing spell he needed to weave and pushed it to him, ensuring none of my turbulent emotions escaped.
A wave of deep concentration washed over me as Noctis attempted to replicate what I had shared. A pained sound escaped me as tendrils of Water magic sank into my injured wrist.
Concern flowed through our bond. “I’m doing it wrong,” Noctis said, frustration evident in his tone.
“No,” I replied, shaking my head. “The healing stone’s power is limited. I didn’t add any strands of Air to numb the pain, because we need all its power to mend the broken bone.”
Noctis was silent for a moment, the touch of Water magic returning, the sharp sting causing me to grit my teeth. “I see it now,” he said. “The bones are fractured in multiple places. I’m not sure how to realign them correctly. Maybe you should take a look.”
Without warning, he lowered his shields, and I gasped as he allowed me into his thoughts. He was far less careful than I had been.The sensation was overwhelming, like being plunged into a stormy sea. His emotions were a chaotic whirlwind, crashing over me in waves. I could feel the heat of his concentration, the sharp edges of his worry, and the cold undercurrent of his fear.
Abruptly, he regained control, pulling me back to the surface. “Forgive me,” he murmured, focusing on the healing spell once more. “It’s been a while.”
Fighting my tumultuous feelings, I showed him how to manipulate the Water magic to realign and then mend the bones. I kept my eyes tightly shut while he worked, biting my lip, adamant not to let even a hint of the excruciating pain escape. All too soon, the Water stone dimmed, forcing Noctis to stop.
“It’s alright,” I said, my voice hoarse. “The stone can only do so much. Some things have to heal on their own.”
“I’ll bandage it so you don’t disturb it too much,” Noctis replied, releasing my hand.
I knew I shouldn’t have done it, but my curiosity was too strong. I reached out one last time as the magic between us faded. In that unguarded moment, I caught a glimpse into his mind, feeling what he felt, seeing what he saw. My face. Pale and tense, framed by wisps of hair that had escaped my braid. And still, in his eyes, so achingly beautiful that it nearly killed him not to reach out and touch me.
Startled, my eyes shot open as a rush of tender longing surged through my mind. I was momentarily bewildered by the sight of the silver depths staring back at me. Then the connection broke. My vision adjusted and I found Noctis scrutinizing me, his lip twisting.
“Are you getting curious, my little queen? One should ask before reading other people’s thoughts.”
He stood up to fetch a few bandages from the kitchen. I blushed, knowing he was right.
“Nothing in my head you don’t already know about,” Noctis said, dismissing my apology as he wrapped my wrist. Watching him was oddly mesmerizing. His eyes narrowed in concentration, a slight smile lifting the corner of his mouth. The soft glow of thelyrin-stones softened the deep black of his hair. He had always been handsome, and even the hardships of being Human had not diminished the otherworldly beauty of his features. On the contrary, the faint lines around his eyes added an unsettling vulnerability to his appearance.
But that wasn’t why my own eyes filled with tears. It was the way he touched me. As if I were something precious, something fragile.
“Does it hurt that much?” Noctis asked, noticing the tears.
More than you will ever know.The words lingered on the tip of my tongue, but I managed a noncommittal sound, not trusting myself to speak. His thumb caressed my arm while he cradled my injured wrist in his much larger hand.
“Hopefully the pain will subside when the healing spell reduces the swelling,” he said softly.
Unfortunately, there was no healing spell to mend my broken heart.
