Her arms clamped around Byron’s, and panic flickered across his face. His muscles strained, but his body wouldn’t obey him. He tried to pull free, but her grip was like iron.
Then it hit him.
A surge of energy burned through his veins, wild and unstoppable. His head snapped back, his left eye blazing with the same unnatural light pouring from Lucy’s. Streams of red and blue arced between them, weaving back and forth like living lightning, tethering them together.
And just as suddenly as it began, it ended.
Byron collapsed with a heavy thud onto the floor. Lucy remained where she was, still glowing, her breath slowing. A strange calm settled over her, washing away the pain like it had never been. Her body hummed with energy. She felt stronger, sharper —every nerve alive, as if an electric current had threaded itself through her.
Everything tingled. And it felt… good.
Then, through the haze, she heard Byron's voice even though it wasn’t spoken aloud.
What the hell did she do to me?
Lucy blinked, answering before she could stop herself.
“I honestly don’t know. Something was forcing me to connect, and I guess it connected with you.”
Byron shot upright, eyes wide. “Lucy… how did you know what I was thinking?”
“I heard you,” she said quietly.
Byron’s chest rose and fell fast, disbelief pulling at his features. “You realise that’s part ofmyability? Are you saying you can do it too?”
Lucy hesitated, then nodded. “I guess so.”
She started toward him, rolling up her sleeves without even thinking. Her cheeks were flushed; a stray thought slipped out before she could catch it.
“Byron,” she said, half-nervous, half-teasing, “there was a time I was in the shower, I kinda imagined you were with me, did you see that?”
Byron froze, then a slow grin spread across his face.
“No,” he said, voice dropping low, “but now I can picture it clear as day.” He laughed and pulled her close, the sound rough in his throat.
“Before tonight, you were blocked. Couldn’t get a single thing from that pretty little head of yours. I knew you were different and possibly like me, but I wasn't certain.”
His tone darkened; he backed away a step. “But now? If I wanted to, I could plant an image in your mind. Or give you a command to follow.”
He smiled, daringly. “Watch this.”
His eyes flared as his voice deepened. “Take off your nightie.”
Lucy stared at him and started laughing.
He tried again, louder this time, but she only laughed harder.
“What the fuck why isn’t it working?” he muttered, frustration creeping in.
She tilted her head. “Maybe it’s because I’m… royalty.”
Before he could reply, her voice whispered straight into his mind:
Take off your pant.
Byron’s body jerked; his hands moved before he could stop them. A heartbeat later his trousers hit the floor. His eyes went wide, somewhere between outrage and awe.
“Lucy!” he hissed.
