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“What?” She snorts. “You thought I was just twiddling my thumbs over here for the last twenty-two years and watchingyourlife play out? You really don’t know anything about the shadow realm, do you? You wereinsidethe veil when you crossed over to get the book. Basically tiptoeing along the boundary. You’ve never crossed all the way through to our side.”
“So if I’m not supposed to draw from my magic the way I usually do, whatshouldI be doing?” I ask, ignoring her comments because she’s right. I hadn’t given much thought to what it would be like on the other side, picturing more of a prison or purgatory, not somewhere entirely different lives play out.
“You’ll have to learn to compartmentalize. Think of your necromancy magic as something entirely different, like a different muscle. And since you’ve probably rarely used it properly—if ever—it’s weak. You have to stop letting your blood magic overcompensate for it. I’m guessing you feel your magic in your blood when you use it, maybe your skin?”
I nod, hugging my arms around myself, not liking how it feels like she’s inside my head.
“When you’re pulling from your necromancy powers, it should be coming from a place lower than that, deeper. Like you’re pulling it from your own shadow and up through the soles of your feet.”
The door swings open behind me, and I stiffen as awareness settles in the bond a moment later.
How long has he been here? How much has he heard?
Reid rolls his shirtsleeves up to his elbows as he steps outside and takes in the trees around us. “What are you doing out here?”
“I just needed some air.” I pointedly avoid looking at V as she sidles on up next to Reid with doe eyes and batting lashes. “How did it go with Anya?”
My heart swells almost to the point of pain as I look into his eyes.
I imagine it’s the closest I’ll ever get to feeling the sun.
Then comes the first crack in his demeanor—a slight flare of his nostrils as his eyebrows draw together. “She’s…open to it.”
“He’s even hotter up close,” V whispers as she fans herself.
“We agreed to talk more after the coronation—”
“And thoseeyes.They’re soblue.”
“In the meantime, Auclair’s informing the other representatives about the counterattack,” Reid continues as he loosens the collar of his shirt and roughs a hand through his hair.
“He could be helpful with our training,” muses V. “We can resurrect little creatures all day long…”
“—there’s no talking them out of it—”
“But if the end goal is to control a living-not-living vampire, practicing on one would—”
“Elemental Marionettes from Locklear have already agreed to help. They’re fresh out of their own attack and angry—”
“—and I sure wouldn’t mind having some eye candy for our practice sessions. I mean, those arms, thatass—”
“Would you shut up!” I exclaim, my head starting to throb. I can’t concentrate on a single word Reid is saying with her nonstop voice grating on my last nerve. And judging by the satisfied smirk on her lips, that’s exactly what she wanted.
Fuck.
Reid’s mouth is open like I cut him off midword. A trace of hurt flashes behind his eyes, but then he slowly trails his gaze from me to the space I’ve been looking at beside him.
“Who are you talking to, Valerie?” he asks calmly. Too calmly. Like he’s worried I’m losing my mind but trying not to show it, probably.
I force myself not to glare at V the way I want to. “I’m not crazy,” I whisper.
He shakes his head and takes a step closer, the look on his face not unkind, but I know he’s analyzing me, studying me. “I know that. Tell me what you see. There’s someone here with us, right?”
I can’t help it. My gaze flickers back to V. She shrugs and mouthsOops, though she couldn’t look less apologetic.
“I promise I’m not crazy.”
“Valerie.” He crosses the rest of the distance between us and takes my face in his hands, forcing me to look at him. “I know that. Now tell me what’s going on.”
