Page 89 of Prince of Darkness and Deceit

He stops in the middle of the tent, still feet away, his features twisted in a scowl. “What?”

I lick my dry lips and swallow. “I-I didn’t do anything to Darius. I swear.”

Calculation enters his glare. “What was that?”

I could lie. But what’s the point? Rian is no fool. He and I both know he’s aware of what he saw. My only hope now is to control the conversation, to find a way to convince the powerful Fae that I’m not a threat. That he and his brethren shouldn’t end my life simply because of what runs through my veins.

My voice trembling, I manage to say, “It was my magic.”

The shadows convulse, stretching longer, darker, as if hungering for the truth. “Explain.”

Pinned beneath his glower and the walls of darkness blocking my escape, I have no choice but to comply. The words spill out shakily as I confess that my magic is responsible for my reputation as an exceptional healer. How a single touch lets the power in my blood taste a sickness, trace a fracture, and clear away infection.

I admit that I’ve hidden this ability from everyone in Verdanthia. No one knows how I do what I do. I make it clear they would kill me if they did.

“What about Ferria?”

My heart stops. “What about her?”

He tilts his head to the side like a hawk watching a mouse. “Does she know of your power?”

“Yes. And so does my adoptive mother.” I bite my cheek and pray to the Gods that he won’t punish them for my sins.

Your magic is a gift. Not a sin…

“And her power?” he asks without pause.

Dread thickens my throat. “What?”

His eyes sharpen. “Ferria’s power. Can she wield it like you?”

My chest tightens. “Who says she has power?”

He lifts a brow, the gesture deceptively casual, but I press my lips together. I won’t hand my sister’s secret to him. Not when I have no measure of what he will do with mine.

The air grows heavy. His shadows writhe at the edges of the tent like serpents uncoiling, preparing to attack. I brace for the strike, every instinct screaming to guard my sister’s power with my life.

His voice slashes through the tension. “How long have you had this ability?”

The shift jolts me, but I seize it like a drowning soul clutching driftwood in a stormy sea.

My throat is dry, but I force the words out. “Since I was ten. But I’ve never wielded it outside my body…not until a few days ago.”

Something shifts in his gaze. “When the beasts attacked?”

I nod.

“Hm.” Shadows slither at his feet, drawing near me.

I lock my knees, fighting the urge to retreat.

“That is why you were in pain after you touched Darius.”

My gaze jerks up from the writhing shadows. “Excuse me?”

“Your power.” Rian’s eyes flick to my hands. “Touching Darius wounded your magic…didn’t it?”

Chewing my bottom lip, I nod again.