Jessiah looked at me with a tenderness in his eyes, a tenderness that I finally fucking understood.
Of all the powers I was given, of all the strength I gained during the last few hours, none felt so intense.
My knees gave out, and I melted into a heap on the floor. What Jessiah had given me was more than strength, more than power that would fuel me in a fight against Cornelius.
It was… it waslove. It was an emotion I had never experienced before, a swelling in my chest I could hardly contain.
Tears fell and fell and fell.
And then Jessiah was kneeling in front of me, holding my shoulders, saying my name.
“Rummy, are you okay? Tell me what’s going on.”
“It was too much,” Huntyr said, her voice sounding far away. “We should have waited until we knew how much she could handle.”
“She can handle it,” one of the mages answered. “She can handle itall.”
Could I?The healing gifts, the powers of light and fire and strength, I could handle those.
Butthis?
“Jessiah,” I breathed. “What is this? What did you give me?”
His smile was soft. Gentle. “What I’ve been carrying with me my entire life.”
A sob rippled through the air around us. Only as it died off did I realize it came from me.
“Why does it feel so—so—”Heavy. Overwhelming. Uncontrollable.
It was as if I couldn’t decipher the feelings of those around me from my own. As if I could look at someone and feel what they felt.
And as I studied Jessiah, my chest swelled with love. More love than I knew a single being could possess. More and more life force.
I sensed theessenceof him—his goodness.
“You’ll get used to it,” he said. “Take a deep breath, and remember what it feels like to be you, Rummy. Tune the rest out.”
I closed my eyes and focused on his instructions. What did it feel like to be me? Half the time, it felt like nothing. I felt numb and useless. Like a waste of space.
The sensation that now buzzed in my chest was alive. And it was all Jessiah.
I took a breath.
And another.
When I opened my eyes again, five faces etched in concern were turned in my direction.
I slowly pushed myself up to my feet. Jessiah followed without removing his arm from my waist.
“Okay,” I breathed, smoothing down my shirt. “I can do this. I can control it.”
Huntyr reached out and smoothed down a stray piece of my hair. “I didn’t doubt you for a second,” she said. “That was the hard part, okay? You now possess enough power to take over the entire damn world if you wanted to, Rum.”
“But don’t get any crazy ideas,” Jessiah added. “We need you here.”
I choked back a new wave of tears.Get it together, Rummy.Pure admiration funneled through our bond, and I knew he really meant those words.
They needed me here. I might’ve been going on an insane suicide mission to kill the evil King of Pericius, butdamndid it feel good to be needed.
