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“Whatexactlydid he say?” Nik asked sternly.
“He said that, well, it was something about me reeking like Luke’s magic.”
Nik eyed me analytically.
“You had sex with Luke again, didn’t you?” he said like he already knew the answer.
I stared at him, making it clear that I was not denying it.
“Look, you don’t need to grab anything. We’ll just send for it or buy you new things if you need,” Nik said, going back to his original point. Rising from the couch, he held his hand out for mine.
“Let’s go, princess,” he said, but his use of the nickname didn’t feel mocking. It almost felt endearing. Maybe I was just getting used to it. But it reminded me of one more thing that King Vandros had said, one of the most unbelievable bits of all.
“He said he was going to make me his queen,” I whispered quietly in disbelief.
Nik clenched the hand he still held in a fist, like he was ready to turn around and bury it into the wall behind him. Instead, he held it tightly at his side. The inky shadows of darkness grew to the height of his waist, wrapping around his hand as if restraining him. My comment had clearly made him quite angry.
I went back to staring at my empty scotch glass. If I did have some kind of magical ability, I wished it was one that would allow me to float a bottle over from the bar and fill my glass.
“I have all the scotch you need back at the M,” Nik said through clenched teeth, apparently managing his anger enough to finally speak again.
“Nik,” I said, exasperated, tearing my eyes from my empty glass. “You are not listening to me. I am not going to go live at the M.”
We locked eyes. I still felt numb but determined on this point. I didn’t break contact with his eyes until he lowered his outstretched hand. A bottle of scotch popped into existence next to my empty glass.
39
Luke
She was beautiful even in the last moments of her life. Her long, dark hair pooled around her too-pale face, sticking to her skin despite the light ocean breeze that came into her room through the open veranda doors. But even the silver light of the near-full moon failed to make her skin light up as it once had.
“Mother.” I stroked her cheek. “Mom,” I whispered softly.
She was a frail thing now. As her magic faded, it took parts of her with it—the perpetual youthfulness of her face, the sparkle of cunning in her obsidian eyes, her sharp smile. I was told that her condition had worsened more quickly than they had expected. Of course, I wouldn’t know myself because they failed to reach out to me until it was too late.
“Why didn’t you tell me sooner, Mom?” I said, voicing the question that had run through my head since the moment I’d learned of my mother’s condition. She was fading. She was already near death.
“Because I knew that you’d think it was your responsibility to save me,” she said with what was left of her weak voice.
I clenched my jaw, biting back words too harsh for what may be my last to her.
“But what if I could have saved you? I have my powers back. Al… She… Mom, why didn’t you tell me sooner?” I asked again, stumbling over my desperate words.
“Luke.” My mother mouthed my name, her voice so soft this time that I had to read her lips.
“Yes?” I responded with clenched teeth.
“I see the way you look at that girl, Luke,” she whispered.
“Mom,please. We don’t need to talk about that right now.” The last time I’d seen my mother, at the Summer Gala, we’d had words over Al. But I’d already forgiven my mother for her too many years of meddling in my love life.
“You look at her like you’d give it all up for her, Luke. Like you’d choose her over your family or your Kingdom or even your own life if it came down to it. Luke, my sweet boy, don’t make yourself have to make that choice. Don’t let yourself love something so much that can be taken from you. Please, son, stay away from her. That kind of love will consume you.”
It already has.I’d imprinted on Al without knowing it, and the months that had passed where I was unable to touch her had been torture. The inability to connect with Al and the part of my magic that now lived inside of her had caused me physical pain, pain that I had gladly born when I thought it was Cass who would make her happy. But now, Al and I would be together.
I planned to tell Al about our magical connection and hoped that she would be happy about it and overlook the fact that I had failed to tell her sooner. This wasn’t the conversation I wanted to have with my mother on her deathbed, though.
“Gods dammit. Damn them for doing this to you and damn them for making this be our last conversation.”
