I tuned out their voices as Stoll explained what happened. I did however peek up from the corner of my eye, expecting to see Sebastian's mouth agape with shock, but he didn't look surprised at all. His expression was completely static as he stood there with his arms crossed, his hands clutching the muscles of his biceps. I didn't know how he was able to keep his composure when hearing information as insane as this, but I guessed it had something to do with his years of being a soldier.
I raised my gaze a bit more so that I could really look at him. We had a rough start, but gods…
Everything about that man was impeccable. His broad shoulders. The sharpness of his jawline. The way his dark hairalways laid perfectly. Every little detail about him was ethereal.
Maybe it was the way the sleeve of his shirt was rolled up, but I was just now noticing that he had a tattoo on his upper arm. I squinted my eyes to try and see it better. It looked like it could be a dagger, or maybe a sword? Regardless…hot.
He was deep in conversation with Stoll, so he didn't notice how my cheeks flushed as I watched him run his hand through his hair. The movement caused his bicep to flex and tighten, which in return caused a chain reaction through my body that began in my stomach and ended in my?—
My almost inappropriate thoughts were interrupted by the figure of the man I was daydreaming about hovering over where I sat. Sebastian’s body blocked my view of Stoll, but I heard his feet scurry out of the room.
My cheeks paled as I tilted my neck back to look up at him. He was so silent that I feared he knew the things I was just thinking about him.
The intensity of Sebastian’s unfaltering gaze created a tension that was begging to be broken, so I spoke. “Turns out my gemstones didn’t screw me over after all,” I said playfully, although I was sure he could sense the apprehension in my voice.
The corner of his lips raised into a faint smile, and he offered me his hand. I wasn't sure if he even realized that his thumb rubbed across my wrist as he helped me up from my desk, but I did.
“Stoll filled me in,” he said, releasing his hold on me all too quickly.
I swallowed the knot in my throat and nodded. “So you're aware that I’m a freak who can control minds?”
“I already knew you were a freak. The mind control, however, is news,” he teased, smirking as he stepped aside to let me exit the classroom first.
I fake gasped. “Rude.”
He chuckled, moving to walk beside me once we were outside.
“So, what happens now?” I asked him, so many questions clouding my brain.
“Unfortunately, Stoll is informing my father right now about your power emerging. He is going to want to speak with you, which is where I’m taking you right now.”
I stopped walking.
He stopped as well, turning to look at me. He didn't say anything, just waited for me to yell at him over having to meet with the king.
I wanted to, but I held my tongue.
“I don't want to see him, either, if it's any consolation.”
I chewed the inside of my cheek to hide the smile that his comment sparked. Then I swallowed my pride and forced my legs to continue forward.
The air was warm today, soaked with the smell of fall creeping its way in. I inhaled deeply, also noticing the faint aroma of salt that had drifted its way to us from the sea. There was a refreshing breeze, the same one that was always present when in such close proximity to the shore. The wind blew some hairs free from my braid, and I brushed them aside, tucking the pieces snuggly behind my ears.
We walked side by side, his hands tucked tightly into the pockets of his dark pants. The color of the leather emphasized the tanned glow of his skin as the fading sun beamed into his flesh. He was focused straight ahead and seemed a bit uptight, but I knew from his comment that he was dreading this meeting just as much as I was.
The reality of my powers started to set in as we stepped onto the path that would take us to the castle. “I don't know why the possibility that my magic may be related to the mind never occurred to me,” I said, breaking the peace of our walk.
Sebastian glanced over at me.
“I kind of figured that no goddess in their right mindwould give a mortal the ability to control people in such a manner. I thought maybe I would be able to read memories, or predict outcomes of events—something less dramatic.”
He shrugged. “You couldn't have known.”
I clenched my jaw as my hands began to shake, anxiety rushing to my brain. I tried to take control of it, but the weight of my magic added an unbearable amount of pressure on me. The king already thought of me as an asset. What would he think now that he knew what I was actually capable of?
I took a deep breath, slowing my pace so that Sebastian was a few steps ahead of me. I didn't want to lose my composure in front of him. He had already seen me like that once, and I’d be damned if he saw it again.
My legs wobbled and my vision blurred when the panic seeped through my skin. I refused to believe that this was true. There must have been something I was missing. If this was truly my gift, then my power had the potential to be detrimental.
