When his lips flattened into a smooth line and his hands clenched, I knew he wanted to punch me. It would be the last thing he ever did.
“Of course not, milord.” He composed his face into a fake smile. “But my abilities aren’t so rare or extraordinary as yours.”
Ah, he’d decided to take the ass-kissing route. I didn’t know if he realized how much his dislike for me had shown through for a second, but he was determined to forge ahead as if it hadn’t. The man switched tactics faster than a soldier fighting for his life.
I smiled at him, but I was sure it didn’t hide my dislike of him. “Of course they’re not.”
He kept his pleasant expression in place, but something sinister flashed through his eyes. The second he got the chance to try to kill me, he’d take it… and die.
Standing at my height, Gaius had a more slender build than me, but that wasn’t why I’d win a fight with him. I’d win because I simply wouldn’t lose to him. He had no idea I stood between him and Ellery now, but he’d learn it one day.
“I can assure you that I had no idea another lightning bearer existed in this realm, let alone a female one,” I lied. “I still don’t completely believe it’s true.”
“Neither do I,” Samael said, “but King Ivan does.”
And that was the biggest problem. If Ivan believed it was true, he’d do everything possible to find Ellery.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Ellery
I spentthe next hour feeling like a kicked dog. I debated holding off on telling Ruby and Mr. Fletcher about my ability. I trusted them with my secret, but I wasn’t ready for them to be mad at me for keeping it from them.
However, I couldn’t hold off forever, and it was better coming from me than someone else. While the road had been unusually quiet given what happened last night, it was only a matter of time before word spread about a female lightning bearer.
And once they heard the details, they would know it was me. As much as I dreaded it, I couldn’t let someone else tell them.
It would be up to them to decide if they hated me or not afterward, but I was tired of the secrets. They were the only family I had left… even if they weren’t blood.
After I told them what happened, Fletcher Willson—or Mr. Fletcher as I preferred to call him—stood and gawked at me. He kept opening and closing his mouth like he was trying to say something, but no words came out.
Ruby didn’t speak at first, but after a couple of minutes, she nodded. “Well, now it makes sense.”
Mr. Fletcher and I looked at her like she’d lost her mind. “What makes sense?” I asked.
She smiled as she clasped her hands behind her back and rocked on her heels. “Once, when you were eleven, you fought with one of the boys in school. When your mother heard the commotion, she rushed out of the building, nearly fell down the steps in her haste to get to you, and pulled you away.
“I’d never seen her look so panicked and found her actions odd, considering she’d always let you fight your battles. When she was walking you toward the house, I saw something flash between your fingers. At the time, I’d attributed it to a rock or some toy you’d picked up that reflected the light, but I understand everything that happened now.
“She pulled you away because you were losing control, and she was scared you’d reveal your power. That strange flash waslightningbetween your fingers.
“After that day, she called an early end to the school season. She said it was because the kids had been working hard and deserved a longer summer break; I accepted her reasoning, but now I understand she was trying to keep you away from possible conflict until you could better control yourself. Your mother was strangely overprotective of you that summer, but by the fall, she’d returned to letting you run wild.”
I pondered her words as I tried to recall that day. “My ability manifested when I was eleven, shortly before the summer break. I don’t recall losing control of it, but I do remember being excited about having an extra week of summer vacation.”
“You didn’t lose complete control. It was simply a moment.”
“Do you think it was a moment some other kids might have seen?” Mr. Fletcher asked. “Once word spreads about a female lightning bearer, you might not be the only one who put two and two together.”
My heart stopped before an icy chill pumped through my veins. “I doubt it; everyone was so busy scattering to run home they didn’t stick around to watch Meredith lead Ellery away. Besides, it was only a flash. I’ve noticed the same thing from you, Scarlet, Billy, and countless others when the sun glints off something in your hands, on your face, or a piece of clothing. Someone would have commented on it then if it was more.”
“I became very good at suppressing my ability,” I said.
“You had to,” Mr. Fletcher said. “It was the only way to keep you safe.”
“You’re not mad at me for this?”
“Of course not.”
