Fury built with the heat inside of her, the emotion so quick, so severe, it would have taken her by surprise if she’d been able to pull herself from its thrall.
The screaming was clearer now, as if Tova was merely doors away from her.
‘Aya …’ Will started, his voice deep and low. A warning.
‘What do you feel?’ Natali asked, their voice drifting to her from somewhere far away. Their eyes darted between Aya and Will, noting the way her own gaze refused to move.
Aya felt too much. The pain, the rage, the guilt … it would burn her from the inside out.
And then it would burn the world.
Flame rippled across her skin, sending a flare of light through the dim space. She was a living torch, burning with every fear and despair inside of her.
And the screaming … it wasn’t just inside of her. Itwasher, the hair-raising sound leaving her as pain ripped through her. Will moved, hissing as he cupped her face, but his hands remained, his gray eyes flickering in the flames that danced along her skin.
‘Breathe,’ he commanded. She forced in a breath that burned her lungs, and the flames were banked. Pain. There was so much pain. It ached in every corner of her.
‘Again.’
Aya sucked in air, trying to match Will’s steady rhythm. She continued until she could vaguely make out the feeling of his callouses against her skin.
The flames vanished, leaving her cold and nauseous, her legs shaky beneath her. She stumbled back into the wall, and Will released his hold on her as he whirled to face the Saj. ‘What’s happening to her?’
Natali merely stared at Aya, their head cocked to the side. ‘Is this how your power has been reacting as of late?’
Aya forced the trembling in her limbs to still with another aching breath. ‘It hasn’t been predictable.’ A skilled evasion. Because it was more than that. This power was draining her – stealing away bits that she wondered if she’d ever get back. Forcing her further into that cold, dark place inside of her. ‘Why is this happening?’
Natali merely blinked at her. ‘I’ll need to visit the library,’ was all they said.
‘I thought you knew about this power,’ Will growled.
The Saj raised their brows. ‘You forget, Enforcer, thatknowledgeis the truest form of power. What runs in her veins has not been seen in centuries.’ Natali flicked their eyes to his hands, the skin red and blistered. ‘Unless you’d likethatto happen again, I suggest you let me get on with my research.’ Their eyes cut to Aya. ‘Come back in two days’ time. Alone.’
Will let out a string of curses as they left. ‘Pretentious know-it-all,’ he muttered. He turned and caught Aya staring at his palms. ‘It looks worse than it feels.’
‘Why didn’t you shield?’ Her fire was affinity-born. With a proper shield, he shouldn’t have been harmed.
‘I did.’ He rolled his neck. ‘Not fast enough, apparently.’
Gods. In mere seconds, she’d nearly ruined his flesh. And she … she had been on fire, the pain of it enough to draw a shrill scream from her chest. But her skin remained whole. Unburned.
Will frowned as he considered her, silence stretchingbetween them before he finally said, ‘Your nausea had nothing to do with the heat that day, did it?’
He’d already seen her weakness. She supposed there was no harm in telling him. ‘I tried to persuade Aidon.’
Will’s jaw shifted, his gray eyes narrowing further. ‘You should have told me.’
She aimed for the door. ‘I guess we both have our secrets, then.’
‘How were your studies?’ Josie’s voice rang out from across the palace courtyard, jarring Aya from her trance. She hadn’t even noticed the princess sitting at a small iron table, a canvas in front of her. She’d been too focused on getting back to her room, having left Will as soon as they reached the palace gates.
Josie’s smile faded as she took in Aya’s disheveled appearance. Several strands had come free from her braid, likely from the number of times she’d run shaking hands through her hair on the ride back. She was sure her eyes held the glazed look of someone who wasn’t fully there. Aya had been afraid of the truth she’d get today. What she hadn’t expected was to feel more confused than ever.
Is this what Evie had gone through when trying to use her immense power?
Because you’re a saint now, is that it?Aya almost snorted at the thought.
The princess laid down her brush slowly, a grimace on her face. ‘That bad?’
