“It’s quite strange.” Curiosity sparked in Reign’s mismatched eyes as they moved to me. “I’m told that during the attack, the mercenary ignored the prince and came to your side instead.”
Lake’s hand stilled on the plate he was washing. Froze just like my damn heart.
“Y-Yeah.” I cleared my throat and dried off my hands, turning from the sink. “Everything happened so fast. Maybe he was just confused.”
“Or perhaps he found a more valuable target.” Reign cocked his head. “You.”
“Me?” I worried my bottom lip. “W-What makes you say that?”
“Explain.” Maddox stood against the pantry door, arms crossed.
Reign set down his cup and leaned against the counter, gaze on me. “As you’re aware, my gift is sensing mana. I can detect it both in people and in objects. In the very air if a spell or enchantment is cast. And since the first moment we met, I sensed it in you.”
“Wait, what?” Not what I’d expected him to say. I’d thought he was about to reveal he knew of my royal bloodline. “But I’m just an ordinary guy.”
“I disagree,” he said. “There’s something special about you, Evan Clark. Your soul sings with a rare essence. Like pure, raw energy. My theory is the mercenary detected the same rarity the moment your protection stone shattered and he spilled your blood. He then cast aside his orders to capture the prince and shifted his focus to you.”
Ice spread through my veins.
Ever since my attack, we had assumed the mercenary realized I was the long-lost prince he’d been hired to capture; that I’d been targeted because of a grudge against my dad. But now his words took on a different meaning.
“You’re the one. I sense it in your blood.”
Maybe he hadn’t been referring to my royal lineage at all, but rather, something in my blood.
Nope. Too ridiculous. If I had magic, rare or otherwise, I would’ve used it to clean up the kitchen by now.
“Believe me,” I told them, shaking my head. “I don’t know what you’re sensing from me, but I don’t have a magical bone in my body. Unless you count my caffeine tolerance and my ability to trip over flat ground. Pretty sure that’s a superpower.”
Maddox quietly coughed.
Rowan unfurled from his spot against the wall and faced Briar. “If he had magic, wouldn’t you have sensed it, Specs?”
“Not necessarily.” Briar looked puzzled. “I sense energies in people. Auras, mainly. I can distinguish a gentle soul from dark, which makes me a decent judge of character. When first meeting Evan, I detected a pure energy around him but believed it to be a sign of his good nature and kind heart. Nothing more.”
“This is silly,” I croaked, head spinning. “I don’t have powers.”
“Magic can manifest in many different ways,” Reign said. “Some are born with magic, like Rowan and his shadows. Others have their abilities develop later in life, like me. I first noticed mana particles when I was twelve.”
“So you’re suggesting Evan’s powers may still be dormant,” Briar said, brow heavy. I saw the wheels in his head turning.
“I am.” Reign regarded me. “But even when dormant, his magic shines so bright it’s almost blinding. I’ve never felt anything like it before.”
“And you believe this magic is enough to make him a target?” Maddox asked, more tense than before.
“Without question.”
All eyes moved to me.
My head felt like it was going to explode. A feeling that worsened as I recalled something Lupin once told me.
“You’re quite remarkable, Evander. You always have been. I knew it the moment I first saw you. When your mother stepped through the door of my shop, golden light radiated from her. Her aura was so gentle. Then, I saw you bundled up in her arms. And your aura?” His smile shook. “It was so pure. Beautiful. A kaleidoscope of vibrant colors. Colors that would brighten the lives of every person you touched.”
I tried to speak but couldn’t find the words. All along, had Lupin been trying to tell me, in his annoyingly cryptic way, that I really was special?
But magic? Really? I had only just come to terms with the whole ‘being a long-lost royal’ thing. This was… too much.
The edges of my vision tunneled, and I put more of my weight against the edge of the sink, suddenly light-headed.
