That wicked, mischievous mask fell over his face then. He looked at me with a sly grin. "They are pathetically wrong. Women are far better—in every way."
"You say that like someone who has spent a great deal of time discovering the ways in which women are better."
He laughed—thatlaugh. And something inside me just...melted. It stayed that way for the rest of dinner.
We talked about magic as we ate. He’d removed the covers over platters of roast chicken and tender seasoned beef, vegetables, little savory pastries, and more.
And then he proceeded to heat every dish with a simple touch to the edge of the plate. Within seconds, they were steaming as though straight from the oven.
He showed off a little when I asked him to. He made a little flame in the center of his palm, letting it dance up and around his long index finger and then winking it out by pressing it against his thumb.
He did it without a shred of hubris. To him, it was commonplace, I realized. But to me...well, it was simply magical.
"So you're a fire mage?" I asked as I speared a bite of chicken on my fork.
"Yes," he said, reaching for the wine bottle and pouring himself some.
I gave him a look holding out my empty glass.
"You were falling down drunk not so long ago. Are you sure you want more wine?"
I was. My head was mostly clear, and I recognized the vintner's mark on the bottle. I knew it was the absolute best wine Windemere had to offer.
He sighed and poured a small amount into my glass. I had expected him to refuse, and I gave him a grateful smile.
The wine was delicious and perfectly chilled.
"Did you...?" I asked, holding the cold glass up and noting the condensation around the sides.
He inclined his head.
"So you're an...ice mage too?"
"It's air, actually, or water. Both can manage to cool something," he said, absentmindedly.
"Oh."
He smiled, noting my confusion. "You don't know a great deal about magic."
The words should have stung, as they always did when I was in a situation where my lack of knowledge put me at a disadvantage. There was no judgment in his tone, though. No look of condescension in his eyes, especially as he explained it to me. "Magic is sourced from different natural elements."
"That, I knew," I said.
"Mages usually develop an affinity for a particular element, so they focus on it in order to become as powerful as they can be. Some of them will eventually move on to sourcing from other elements—complementary ones.Fire will be strengthened by air, for example, but weakened by the addition of water magic. Even with complementary magic though, the division of resources will often cause their original gift to suffer—to become weaker. It makes it much more practical to stick to one element."
"So, does your air strengthen your fire then?"
"It does," he said, and again he spoke with no hint of pride. It was just a detail to him, even if it was astonishing to me.
I chewed my lip as I considered it. I had not even known about the system of elements, believing a mage could only channel whatever magic they were born with. I was about to ask another question, but when I looked up, his eyes were narrowed and intense. I realized they were trained on my neck, where Igraine had artfully wrapped a silk scarf over my bruises—a much finer scarf than the one I had messily wound around my neck when I left the castle.
My heart skittered in my chest as he rose from his chair and moved around the table. He stood in front of me and put a hand beneath my chin, tilting my head back gently.
And then his fingers lightly grazed the skin of my throat, and I forgot about the bruises and the icy cold look of rage on his face as my heart plunged in a free fall. It didn't stop until it landed low in my stomach where it settled in a pool of warmth.
The air grew thick, heavy, oppressive. The lanterns along the wall dimmed and wavered. His eyes, those night-black pools, dulled to a swirling mass of shadows. "Who did this?"
It was a demand, but I didn't answer. He was so unnaturally still, aside from the muscle that ticked in his jaw and the slow steady rise and fall of his chest.
