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Noctus looked down at the collar then up at me. “It’s always had my magic.”
“…what?”
“I told you when I explained the bond, this has a piece of me in it.”
“Yes,” I said.
“It never stopped having a piece of me in it. While the bond can technically be revoked, the magic is permanent.”
I stared at him, a feeling of incredulity replacing my giddy anxiousness. “Do you mean to say that you stuffed that necklace—which was effectively a part of you—in my backpack,and let me wander around Magiford at will?!”
“It wasn’t that dangerous,” Noctus said. “Although a part of me is in the necklace, the bond would only reactivate if I put it on you.”
“What would have happened if the tracker had noticed it and tried destroying it?” I asked.
“He would have died,” Noctus said.
“So it has some protections on it?”
“No,” Noctus said. “But I would have felt it since I’m connected to the collar, and realized you were in danger.”
I mashed my fingertips into my temple. “You are unbelievable.”
“Thank you.”
“I just can’t even process this insane behavior.”
“Aristide will be glad to hear that. He feels like he doesn’t have any backup when it comes to questioning my decisions.”
“Noctus!”
A smile tugged at Noctus’s lips as he held his hands—and the collar—up. “Ready?”
I exhaled deeply, then nodded. “Ready.”
Noctus lowered the stretched fabric over my head, smoothing it back on my neck.
Even though I’d been wearing it seconds ago, it felt warmer, and prickled with elf magic. Something clicked into place, and then a familiar warmth flooded me, grounding me to Noctus’s presence.
I exhaled, relaxing into the magic as it seeped into my bones. “This connection stuff is amazing,” I said. “I know there’s a necessary trust factor, but it feels incredible. I’m sorry it’s just so one-sided.”
“It is possible we might be able to figure out a way for you to return the bond,” Noctus said.
I perked up in his arms, shaking myself free of the drowsy stupor the warm embrace of his magic threatened to lull me into. “Really? Even though it’s an elf thing?”
“The process requires elven magic, but since I’m an elf, in theory you should be able to tap into my magic to cement your own magic to me,” Noctus said.
“And how would I do that?” I asked.
Noctus glanced at the sunny ceiling. “I suppose the same way I did it. I summoned a portion of my magic, used it to trace it back to my very essence, and then used my magic to transfer that essence into the necklace.”
I rubbed my thumb over the three jewels affixed to my collar. “That’ll be a problem. I don’t actively use my magic, except when I make the swap between my forms.”
“Interesting,” Noctus said.
I narrowed my eyes as I tried to hold on to Noctus’s magic. “Let me just try something quick.”
I tapped my shape-swapping powers before Noctus could say anything, briefly feeling my magic as I shifted into my cat shape. Unfortunately, the sensation was over faster than a single beat of my heart. It was so fast, I didn’t even have a chance to really grab my magic, much less hold it.
