He smiled, despite himself. “And sexy. Don’t forget that.”
He would have thought his comment on her sexiness would have registered first, but apparently her pride was in her ability to kick ass. He admired her priorities.
“I can’t go without my friends. I think Spot is hurt and Blazey is cold.”
Rise shook his head hard. He wasn’t bringing a flaming, four-legged demon dog or a tentacled terror from the lake with them.
Liv stepped toward the kid. “How about this, Atta? Your friends will stay here with the express orders to come to our rescue if…ifwe need them.”
He shook his head hard.
“I know you feel like you need them, but Riserion is one of the fiercest warriors I’ve ever met.”
Rise felt his chest swell at her compliment. He liked that she saw him as such.
She continued, “I think we’ll be able to find your mother and free her and anyone else who has been imprisoned without any problem at all. What do you say? You want to give your friends a home where they can be safe and secure, and we’ll fight so hard to get your mom back, you won’t even need them?”
By the dip of his eyebrows and the chewing of his lip, the kid was actually thinking about Liv’s proposal.
“Okay. They can stay here, but how will they know we need them if we get into trouble? And how will Spot and Blazey get better without me?”
Liv pursed her lips together and bent down to kneel at Atta’s height. Though Liv could heal the creatures with her sorcery, it would exhaust her and it would have Grawl on their heels. But she did have something that might help ease Atta’s worries.“I’ll brew some medicine for them. The women who raised me showed me how, and I’ve seen all the ingredients I need for it around the lake. Even better, I don’t know the extent of all my powers, but I’m pretty sure I can speak to others with my mind. I’ll be able to call your friends with my power.”
“Really?”
He suddenly perked up, his face brightening. “I heard you! In my head! You really can talk to me in my head. Okay! I’m ready. Make that medicine, and let’s go find my mom.”
A momentary feeling that he had underestimated Liv slammed Rise hard. What else could she do? Could she also read other’s minds?
She stood up and shouldered her bag. “It’s settled then. The creatures stay here, and we push on.” She stepped toward him, resting her hands on his chest. She lifted her gaze to meet his, and he heard her voice in his head, “Now, where is that portal?”
11
“Can you also read minds, sorceress?”
She liked that Rise had addressed her as the powerful being she was. She might have even detected a slight measure of awe in his question.
She had surprised even herself with the extent of her mind-talking power. It wasn’t something she’d ever been able to do with anyone else but her sister. Something about being with Rise enhanced her powers in a way she’d never experienced before.
She shrugged. “I don’t think so. At least, not yet, but to be honest, I’ve never been able to push my thoughts into anyone else’s head before—except for Val’s. I always thought it was because we were twins. Now, I wonder what else I can do?”
“Val is what you call your sister, Valentina Strongwill?”
Rise walked beside them as Liv and Atta rode his horse. He had insisted, explaining that he didn’t want them to slow their progress. She wondered if he were softening toward her…or maybe it really was more for speed reasons. Either way, she knew they couldn’t escape on the horse, even if she wanted to, which she didn’t—for now. Besides, the creature only listened to Rise. That had been already been established, embarrassingly.
Liv, lost in her own musings, nodded in response to his question, then realizing he was staring in the direction they were traveling and not looking at her, she said, “Yes. Val is my mirror twin. We are opposites in almost every way.”
Atta shifted in the saddle where he sat in front of Liv and asked over his shoulder, “You have a twin sister? Where is she?”
Great question!Where was Val, and why had she not followed? She should be here by now. “I’m not sure. Hopefully, on her way.”
“Yes. We can all hope.”
What the hell was that supposed to mean? Liv knew that she could be a formidable opponent on her own, but paired with her sister, they were near unstoppable. No way did Rise want the Strongwill sisters to unite against him. Why would he say such a thing?
“Something I’ve been wondering about, Rise?”
He didn’t turn around, but she saw his shoulder muscles tense. “What’s that, sorceress?”
