He focused his eyes on something behind me, and I turned to see an unamused Nevander and a fully amused Tarrin looking down at us.
“I see training is going well,” Tarrin said as he rubbed his neck.
Thaddeus let out a small chuckle. “Indeed.” He took Nevander’s proffered hand and hauled himself up.
Thaddeus took a step toward me, and Nevander tensed as if he disapproved, but the king swept his thumb across my cheek and said, “You did excellent,” a smile blooming on his face.
“She almost killed you,” Nevander said.
Thaddeus’ gaze didn’t leave mine. “You called it back, didn’t you?” he said, still speaking directly to me.
I nodded in confirmation.
“You learned its language, Nyleeria.”
It took a moment for his words to register. He was right; I had learned her language. The one I’d known for so long but hadn’t known how to use in this context. It wasn’t the language of the blind fury he was referring to; it was how I’d lulled it, calmed it, caressed it into listening to my command.
Wanting to see if he was right, I stepped a few paces away and conjured that ball of power, letting it float before me. I asked it to soften, be playful, and its shape morphed from a firm ball of power that could explode with a thought to a bubble that allowed itself to dance in the air, its shape fluid. I sent gratitude to it as I took my pointer finger and popped it—thousands of tiny embers cascaded harmlessly to the ground, then disappeared.
My body was exhausted and my mind was spent, but I wasn’t nauseous, not even a little. Had it really been that easy all along? Had I caused this turmoil by feeling separate from her? Was it truly as simple as allowing harmony between us to thrive?
As if in answer, I could feel that part of me purr once more.
Chapter 43
Testing Theories
The days blurred into one as I fell into my new routine. Morning breakfast together, followed by throwing and reading in the woods, magic sessions in the training facility, dinner, and then reading again until Thaddeus coaxed me to put the book down and place my attention elsewhere.
It was rare now when he didn’t stay with me until morning, and I savored waking up next to him. I could get used to this new routine. This new life. Him waking me with soft kisses and sometimes pulling pleasure from me before I was fully awake.
Accessing the spark had grown more instinctual, and I was beginning to understand its boundaries. Unfortunately, even though my powers were gifted by the fae, elemental magic eluded me, no matter what we tried. But my true strength was pure, raw power—untouched by the spells that bound Thaddeus’. Still, I delved deep into the art of spellcraft, learning its every nuance.
Currently, Thaddeus had me practicing what he’d playfully referred to asparlor tricks. The task was simple: make items vanish, or at least transport them to another room, and then summon them back like I’d seen him do countless times. In reality, my effortsproved…unpredictable. I’d lost alotof objects. Ava found a rock in the cutlery drawer, and we still hadn’t found Thaddeus’ favorite pen. He’d jokingly teased me about it, but he’d never had me practice with anything important after that.
I’d grown to discern the faint differences between casting magic versus spellcraft—the spark preferring the former compared to the structured commands of spells. Like an abstract artist being told to paint realism, she obliged, but she had no passion for such things.
Thaddeus continued splitting my focus between the two, eventually wanting to combine our efforts—my spark with his spellcraft.
The three of them returned every night empty-handed, unable to find any trace of the magical object, or discern where the fae realm began. Only the fates knew how long we had, and with every failed attempt, the air of tension they brought back with them was more taut than the day before.
Even after training day and night, the simple truth was that I still didn’t have full control or understanding of my powers—and no amount of time would catch me up to Thaddeus’ lifetimes’ worth of experience. I had the strength, and he had the skill. The question he’d posed at dinner one night was simple: Was it possible to combine the two?
As I walked to the training facility to find out, I felt a flutter of excitement, and wondered if a different kind of intimacy would form between the two of us by bringing our powers together.
I arrived before Thaddeus and lazily conjured white embers. Lying on my back, I watched the tiny floating specks bob as they floated above me. I’d taken to doing this as often as I could, connecting to the spark, playing with her.
Shifting the embers into a kiwi green, I smiled at how the color played against the blue sky above, appearing fluorescent against the backdrop. One by one, I added colors until counting them was futile. I pulled them into a tight ball and then threw it wide, then brought it back, like the rippling of water going out only to come back to its epicenter.
My thoughts drifted, and I mindlessly flowed the glittering wonder through my fingers, fidgeting.
I kept coming back to what Thaddeus had said in the study:Don’t think for a second they wouldn’t do the same thing to us, given the chance, Nyleeria.Were Caius and the Summer Court really our enemies? I had gone over what had transpired in the fae realm, every single detail. Had I missed something? Was it possible I’d naively misinterpreted their actions or words as kindness? But nothing seemed to indicate that Caius had any ill will toward me, no matter how many times I revisited our encounter over the weeks.
“Comfy?” Thaddeus’ soft voice jolted me from my thoughts.
Leaning over, he looked down at me, a bemused expression on his face. I let the sparks absorb back into me and smiled.
“I am, actually,” I said. I gave him a sensual look. “Care to join?”
