Finally, as she ended her show, Deirdre spoke, deliberate and final: “The truth will come out.” She turned her back and left me standing there, like she’d forgotten I even existed.
I watched her vanish down the ramp, trying to decide if I was relieved or offended. Once I settled on both, I slipped to the edge and found Ezra waiting. His hands bracketed my waist as he lifted me down. Within his safety, my nerves broke, and I shook like a leaf. But the shadow mage could only deposit me between Brit and Ravana to walk on my own two feet.
Replays of the last hour crashed through me, making me stagger like a drunk.
“Did I make it better or worse?”
“Hell if I know,” Brit spat.
I suddenly missed Cayden and Xan so much it hurt. Neither would have given me an answer, but both would’ve dived into my “test” and spun out hidden meanings. I needed that right now more than anything.
Chapter 27
Alexander
IwatchedEzraliftQuinn off the ring, not through my eyes, but Alex’s. Two blurry shapes, the loves of my life, briefly merged, then separated. If not for Quinn’s crystal locks, I’d have lost her among the shifting bodies.
Alex’s vision was terrible. It was miraculous he could make anything out. It didn’t matter how much magic sped up the natural process of healing. Once a person didn’t have the energy to maintain a body part, magic couldn’t help. Getting old was a bridge we’d all face.
‘So severe.’Alex’s voice bled into my thoughts.‘You were such a serious kid, too.’
I took a final deep breath, though, like his eyesight, Alex’s chest didn’t rise and fall with the strength of mine. We didn’t need words; the body told on itself. As I finished my breath out, I looked back through my own eyes.
Rowan had my wrist in a death grip… and my dick sported a hard-on I hadn’t ordered.
“Alex’s… hasn’t worked in a while,” Rowan muttered. “We spent that last hour hearing all about that.”
I let my head drop and thumped the back of my chair. Exactly what I needed: Rowan and Cayden watching Alex try to enjoy my body like a borrowed suit.
Although I loved parts of my mental powers, the lack of control I lost over my anatomy was not one of them.
“He didn’t get far,” Rowan said. “Big mouth, though. Keep him talking, and he forgets all about her.”
I waved a hand and adjusted myself. “Alex isn’t mentally stable. The longer he wears the Architect’s suit, the more control he gains. Thankfully, my Majekah only heals the body, and these trials are already halfway over.”
“Weird, switching bodies like that?” Rowan asked.
I gave him a flat look. “Yes. Like wearing someone else’s filthy suit.” I rubbed my arms. “But a mentalist can only fully control one person at a time. Switching bodies is the only way to guarantee Alex isn’t using his magic.”
I leaned forward, elbows on the rail of our box, cutting off the conversation while I scanned for the loves of my life.
It was still a shock to see Ezra with his short, light hair and glasses. I knew what his long hair represented and the trauma he must have relived cutting it off. On some level, it must have been freeing.
I hated to admit it, but Ezra and I had been stuck in a pattern for years. Quinn hadn’t caused any problems between us. She exposed the cracks we’d pretended didn’t exist.
I caught a glimpse of Quinn as she exited, but no sign of Ezra, which was as it should be. In his memory, they cooked, joyful and uncomplicated. He fed her cake until her stomach ached. He hadn’t shared that with me because he needed me to see it, but because it was something he loved. Until now, I hadn’t realized there was a difference.
‘Our girl’s incredible,’Alex breathed.
I balled my fists.‘Do not talk to me like we are friends. You invaded her mind.’
‘After she contacted me; she invited me,’Alex said.
The moment Quinn touched her collar filled my memory from Alex’s point of view. His spells dissolved, leaving raw, hollow magic that called to him, only to find a young powerhouse on the other side.
‘She was scared. I helped her,’he insisted.
And he believed it. He didn’t see what he’d done as an invasion. I filled my mind with every image and word I could come up with to make him understand how wrong he was.
