I reach behind me and hold the tree, seeking the grounding stability of nature that continues to fail me. I can’t quite believe the man that was just inside me is now a dozen feet away on his ass, still exposed and hard. The tree erupts with light, blinding white energy streaming up and down the trunk and through the roots. And me. I can’t tell if the magic flows in or out, or if we’re only one, sharing. Connected.
And I panic.
Eli must see it in my face. He scrambles to his feet and tucks himself into his pants. “Never!”
But it’s too late.
The tree trunk splits down the middle with a longcreak. Each half falls, ripping roots from the ground on either side of me. I’m just as uprooted, just as fractured. Dirty rainwater sprays my entire body upon impact. I spit it out.
Eli takes me into his arms, hooking one behind my knees and hugging me close. And I’m safe. Calm.
“Look what you did.” He smiles, but it droops into a frown. “Can you do those things again if you have to? Could you fight Vaile like that?”
“Not yet. I have no control. And Vaile have magic. But I could try if you didn’t mind risking every tree ending up in shreds while I kick their asses.”
“I wouldn’t mind.” He returns me to my feet. “Vaile only have magic once they’re linked, but most of them can’t do more than imbue stones or other minor stuff. Only some gifts are powerful.”
“I don’t see how that matters right now.” I look at his crotch, at his length, still hard and fighting for release from the constraint of his pants. “It’s your turn to come.”
He kisses my cheeks. “Put your pants on. You’ll owe me.”
I grab my underwear and pants, now soaked and coated in mud, and pull them on. They hang off my hips, heavy and stretched. Maybe the tree was too much for him. Maybe he thinks I’ll split him down the middle too. Or maybe this savage beast of a man wants to chitchat. I can do that. “What kind of powerful gifts?”
“Start fires with their hands.”
“It’s almost always wet in Sonnet. What else?”
“That doesn’t matter here. Fire is immune to water.” He reaches down and folds my waistband over itself twice so it sits snug on my hips. “Some Vaile can take away sight or hearing temporarily. It’s used to punish kids.”
“That’s messed-up. What else?”
He runs his fingers through his curls, gripping a handful tight before letting go. “Moving water. Breaking stone. Reading thoughts. And Sola’s gift, matter shifting. It’s not rare, but it’s useful—turn wood to ash, water to steam or ice.”
“Isn’t reading thoughts dangerous for you?” I ask, taking my necklace from my pocket and pulling it over my head.
“All gifts require hand contact. But I can block magic, remember?”
“So what do you need me for?”
He jerks back and slams his hands over his ears, his mouth open in a silent yell.
“What happened?”
“It’s nothing,” he says, ears still covered, but apparently that does little to stop sounds with his level of hearing.
“Nothing?”
He drops his hands, pain still evident in his turned down brows and tight lips. “That noise in the Underbroke—I heard it through Kelter, but much louder.”
I rest my hands on his chest. I don’t want to think about Kelt.
Eli rubs my ear between his fingers, quiet for a bit. Then snaps out of his thought at the voice behind us.
Chapter 42
EVER
Was now really the time for that?” Milo stands two trees away, arms crossed and head ticked to the side. His brows arch halfway up his forehead.
