Page 176 of Taken By Shadows

He didn’t strike me as selfish. Wilful, yes. Brutal. Fierce. But not selfish.

“Why?” My voice was soft as I laid a hand on his chest. This was something more. More than just about sharing in this celebration.

Kaed slipped out of my touch. His chin fell to his chest, and he looked like there was a solemn weight around his neck. “No one wants my magic.”

A melancholy smile tried to tug at his lips as he began his descent down the stairs.

“Wait! Kaed!” I caught him by the arm again, and he stopped to turn to me. “I do …” I didn’t know what was hurting him, but it hurt me too.

“You don’t know what you mean by that.”

I stuttered. No, I didn’t. I didn’t know a lot of things about him. People thought he was dark or his father was, or whatever damned prejudices they had against his family. I didn’t care.

He went to pull away again.

“Kaed … wait … please?”

His jaw trembled, and I wasn’t sure I could stand seeing him like this. I’d seen him in agony from the faebane; I’d seen him caged. I’d seen him enraged. But this was heartbreaking.

“I don’t want to hurt anyone with the gift I’d give.”

I stepped into his arms, but he didn’t reach for me. “You’ve never hurt me with your magic. And you could have. You chose not to.”

He scoffed. “I kidnapped you. I tied you to me. Literally. Metaphorically. I think you might need to rethink that.”

“But you never hurt me. You’ve used restraint every time. You might think your magic is darkness and pain. But when it touches me, that’s not what I feel.” My voice fell as softly as if they were his shadows on my skin.

The lights and flowers floated all around us now, like we were part of the night sky filled with stars. Hundreds began to glide out of the open windows, drifting into the darkness. It was like a thousand fireflies had taken to the sky on a pilgrimage, their tiny torches burning a path for them.

“I don’t know what made you feel this way about your magic. But I don’t feel that. I believe it’s good. And so are you.”

“That’s because you don’t know me.” There wasn’t a moment’s hesitation as he refuted my words.

“I know enough to know how I feel.”

My words rang in my head as I watched the world around me slow. I couldn’t put into words what Kaed did to me. Physically. Emotionally. But I could feel it.

The same way I could feel his magic.

It felt like an eternity before he moved. Eyes downcast, he let shadows breathe out into the garden below us as he stepped up to meet me.

His shadows returned with two lantern flowers.

He floated a flower to my hand. “We’ll do it together.”

“I don’t have any magic.”

“I don’t care. Do this with me?”

My fingers curled gently around the petals of the delicate flower.

With a breath, Kaed closed his eyes and gritted his teeth like he was concentrating. A muscle flicked in his temple, and his brow knit together.

I gasped when it happened.

The flowers didn’t glow bright and light-like when Kaed wrapped his magic around them.

His magic shimmered silver and black, like quartz and inky agate. Bright black and starlight swirling all in one. It didn’t glow, it shined, beaming in my hands. It was more beautiful than any of the other lights I’d seen tonight.