Elyse’s shoulders dropped. Of course he didn’t feel any different. Killian wasn’t part-demon.
But she was.
“Hey,” Killian whispered. He tucked a finger under her chin and lifted it so that she peered into his softened eyes. “We can leave right now. I can break the circle and we can go hide in our room. Just say the word.”
Elyse took a deep breath, her chest pressing against Killian’s as her lungs filled with air. Her muscles still trembled in the aftermath of the spell, and her heart felt heavy with this new knowledge. Killian’s offer was tempting.
“Or, you can stay,” Killian continued. “And I’ll be right here while you test the limits of the spell. It’s entirely up to you.”
Elyse twisted to her right, where Sera stood. Her hands were clasped at her chest, and worry was evident on her face, but she did not cower. She didn’t run or sneer or look even remotely surprised. Next to Sera, Manny appeared more fascinated than appalled. Corin and Nina merely watched with curious expressions. A spark of hope could even be noted in their eyes.
Had she expected them to condemn her? She had, she realized with a wave of shame. As she took in Killian’s encouraging smile one more time, she realized that the only person condemning her for her heritage was herself.
“I’ll stay,” she decided, a piece of that same hope she’d seen in Nina and Corin’s faces now seeping into her soul. “I’ll stay,” she repeated, nodding fervently.
“I knew you would,” Killian said. He stooped and placed a kiss on the corner of her lips, vanquishing the last of her doubt.
He stepped back as much as he could in the cramped circle and let go of Elyse.
“Can you try to get out?”
Elyse lifted her bare foot and tried to move it toward the salt, but an invisible force halted the motion. She pivoted and tried again, but the undisturbed circle was like a wall.
“I can’t,” she admitted.
“That’s good,” Killian said, voice light. “That means Lazarus won’t be able to get out either.”
Elyse nodded again, letting the truth he spoke sink in.
“Now, can you test your powers?” he pressed.
Elyse bit her lip. She hadn’t thought far enough ahead to devise a simple way to test her magic, to see how weakened it was. Her mind wandered to another time she’d been incapacitated—why had she recently been deprived of her magic so often?—when Siamus had held her prisoner. He’d drunk her blood, hoping it would give his magic heightened abilities. It hadn’t, and the flame he’d produced to test his theory had been pathetic.
She lifted both hands palm up and let a small flame flicker there. It gave off a gentle heat but didn’t sear her skin. Narrowing her eyes, she commanded the flames to grow. They multiplied, blossoming higher and spreading to her wrists and forearms, their heat growing slightly.
Killian raised his brows but did not balk at the fire. He knew he was in no danger with Elyse.
The flames spread until they encapsulated Elyse’s arms, flickering just over her shoulders. She grit her teeth & tried to make them grow larger, but her magic felt strained.
“Is that good?” Manny asked from outside the circle. “Can you normally do more, or..?”
Elyse waved a hand and extinguished the flames before turning to face Manny. “It’s great,” she explained, letting some excitement into her voice. “I can normally do a lot more, which means, hopefully, that Lazarus will be significantly weaker, too.”
“But so will you,” Nina called, a note of caution in her voice.
Elyse gave her friend an auspicious smile. “Yes, but only if I’m in the circle,” she pointed out. She turned back to Manny. “Hit me with a spell.”
Manny looked all too delighted as he shook out his hands and flicked a speeding ball of blue light at her. It zapped Elypse in the shoulder, the sensation like a small pinch.
“I'm guessing based on your reaction,” Manny said, “that my spell was also weakened inside the circle?”
Elyse snorted. “No, I just don’t get worked up about a simple pinching spell like you two do.”
A defensive slew of “Hey now!” and “It really hurts!” spilled from both Manny and Killian, and Elyse couldn’t help but laugh. For a second she felt so… normal—like she hadn’t just confirmed she was fathered by a demon. She smiled wide and tried to savor the feeling.
“Your spells shouldn’t be able to leave the circle,” Corin chimed in, voice still a bit hoarse but more confident. “Try it though, to be sure.”
Elyse flicked her fingers toward Manny and shot out the same ball of blue light he’d sent toward her. Manny winced in preparation, but the light fizzled out as soon as it tried to cross the salt barrier.
