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Lucian cleared his throat. “For example, I made everyone breakfast.”
Auri tilted her cheek into Nix as he leaned to kiss her. “That is very kind, Lucian, but we just came to collect Brinna.”
“So soon?” Lucian asked, setting down his cup and grabbing a plate. “I’m sure she’s hungry.” His gaze jumped to hers, sizzling the base of her spine.
“I am starving,” Brinna admitted, suddenly not wanting whatever peace had occurred between them to end, afraid that as soon as she left, it would.
“Mother and Father are waiting,” Mattias said. “And she’s promised to finally tell us the truth.”
Brinna turned back toward her siblings. “Now?”
Auri nodded.
Brinna looked over her shoulder at Lucian, holding a plate of something he’d made.
Her glow fizzled as she looked from the plate Lucian set on the counter then to his face, his dimples gone.
“It is overdue,” she admitted. “I don’t want to keep everyone waiting.”
Lucian still wore that thoughtful look she couldn’t decipher, but his focus was on the plate. “Is it safe?” His eyes jumped up to hers, then to Nix. He frowned. “She shouldn’t go if it isn’t safe.”
“I scoured the woods, and the darkling seems to have vanished—for now. We’ll portal to the edge of the hedge. Scarlett insists the creature can’t get through the hedge. So yes, it’s as safe as I can make it.” Nix took a sip of his own coffee. “Do you want to come with us, Luc?”
Lucian shook his head. “Can’t. Father visited.”
“Oh.” Nix set his cup down.
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
His powers had been taken. Brinna remembered his confession the night before, but she ignored the impulse to go to him, to wrap him in her arms and offer comfort. It was her way, after all, only this desire wasn’t born from keeping peace in the ranks of her family, nor about the order of things, but rather about Lucian and what he might need. It felt different, somehow, more honest.
The night before, he’d revealed the secret with such nonchalance, but now the news seemed weighted with the reality of having lost his power. It made her wonder about his usual indifference about so many things—her included—and how much of that was real.
“Well” –Nix clapped his hands together– “are we ready?”
Brinna was, and she wasn’t.
She glanced at Lucian, her heart a heavy rock inside her chest as if she’d missed something very important and was only now discovering it much too late. Except she couldn’t identify what it was.
“Yes,” Auri said, grabbing hold of Nix and smiling up at him. “I’m ready for the truth.”
“Me too,” Mattias added.
Brinna walked around the island of the kitchen and set her cup in the sink. Then she turned to face Lucian. “I should change.”
“Keep it. Innes won’t notice. And I’ll have Nix return your dress. Later,” he added.
She looked up at him. “Lucian…”
He seemed to want to step closer, his body leaning toward her, but then didn’t.
She tried not to be disappointed.
“Thank you. For everything.”
He swallowed, nodded, but didn’t reply.
Brinna walked back through the room to her siblings and Nix, then turned to look at Lucian, who’d followed. It wasn’t a breath later that Lucian and Sol faded from sight as she felt as if she were falling and standing still simultaneously, the Whitling Woods along with the hedge coalescing around them. She pressed a palm to her heart, suddenly sharp with an ache she didn’t quite understand and didn’t know how to process.
