9
~Devin ~
I came backto life on a wave of fire and fury. My vision swam. Pain arced through my chest. I couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe. But I couldfeelher.
Cleo.
A blaze of golden power—wild, protective,furious—flaring above me like a living shield.
My lashes fluttered. The world sharpened in fragments.
The ship’s hard deck. Light. The scent of sea and ash. The copper sting of blood. And her voice. Clear. Commanding. Righteous.
“Touch him, and I’ll show you whatrealStarfire looks like.” Her hand gripped my dagger. And her body—gods, herbody—was glowing.
A radiant halo of fire licked across her skin, threads of pure light woven through her hair, her fingers, her eyes. The deck shimmered beneath her feet, the golden runes of the Starborn rising to the surface, burned into the wood by her fury.
She stood between me and the crew like a goddess risen from myth. She was protecting me.Me.
A cursed soul bound to death and decay. I should have been terrified. Or ashamed. Instead, I burned. Burned with something deeper than magic. With somethingalive.
The fae wind-caller took a cautious step back from Cleo’s shining form, his lips pale, his eyes narrowed. He stared at her like she was a weapon pointed at his chest.
Smart man.
I stirred, dragging in a breath that felt like swallowing glass. Cleo turned instantly. “Devin?” she dropped to her knees beside me. “Can you hear me?”
I nodded once. Barely.
Relief flooded her face, chased quickly by worry. “You’re burning up,” she murmured, brushing damp hair from my forehead. “You used too much.”
I tried to sit up. My body disagreed.
Cleo looked around. “We need to get him below.”
“Don’t help him,” someone growled. “You saw what he did—hecalledthose things.”
“He killedthose things,” she snapped. “And if I have to burn this ship down to make that clear, I will.” A bolt of light seemed to shoot randomly into the sky and all but the fae male took a step back.
“I will help him.”
Void take me. The fae leaned over and pulled me to my feet, braced me against his side and half carried me toward our cabin. I wanted to argue, but my legs would not hold me. Cleo was right. I saw her, in danger, and I overreacted, used too much magic too fast. I hadn’t made such a grave mistake since I was a young mage in training.
Cleo followed. None challenged her. Not again. They stepped back, as if some part of them recognized that the girl in fine silver and silk wasn’t a girl anymore. She was something more.
She joined the fae on my opposite side, looping one arm around my waist. I leaned on her heavily, each step like walking through fire. My power was depleted—drained to the bone—but I could feel her magic wrapping around us both, cradling me, bolstering me.
I shouldn’t have leaned into it.
Intoher.
But I couldn’t help it.
She was soft strength, firm hands, whispered fury. She didn’t hesitate as she half-dragged me down the narrow stair to our cabin. Didn’t waver as she pushed open the door and lowered me gently onto the narrow bed. She kicked the fae out of the room with a hasty thanks, then turned and shut the door. Locked it. Spun around to face me.
I knew before she spoke that something had changed. I sat up slowly, resting my elbows on my knees, dragging in another breath. “Are you hurt?” She looked unharmed, but I had to know for certain.
“I’m all right.”
