“Did I get that all right?” he deadpanned.
I glanced toward the nearest Cherub, briefly wondering what kind of threat it would take for them to rift me out of here.
I sighed and bit the bullet.
“Yep. Sounds about right . . .”
“All right.” David exhaled. “I’ll sort out the Shield King information later.” His eyes went laser focused. “But for now—how exactly did you break Lochlainn’s magic? And what do you mean you chained him?”
Some of the tightness loosened, sensing David wasn’t going to spontaneously combust. In fact, he seemed to be collecting himself. Impressive, honestly. I’d noticed it lately. He was getting better at that—was reallytrying.
“Okay, do note that I was planning on telling you . . . eventually,” I started, already rambling. “It’s been kind of a shock and I’m still processing that it even exists.”
David shifted, body going tight as a bowstring.
“I—I have a second ability,” I said, sheepishly.
David’s brows jumped up, a full facelift. Wyatt’s followed shortly after.
“It first appeared the night of the Dullahan attack.” My fingers interlaced, knuckles cracking. “It’s probably easier if I just show you. It’s happened three times now. Usually when I’m panicked or on edge.”
Wyatt looked over his shoulder, face scrunching as if gnawing on a thought. Then he turned back, walking to the pile of daggers and swords that littered the ground like silver sprinkles.
He picked one up, slicing it through the air in smooth, fluid arcs.
“On edge, huh?” he said, slashing the bladein a lazy X. “Let’s put that defensive ability to the test then.” His mouth curled into an amused smile.
David’s eyes didn’t leave me, he just extended a hand toward Wyatt.
“Allow me,” he said. The tone of it had the skin on my forearms prickling.
It wasn’t a request. It felt more like a pointed statement. Or warning.
The moment the sword grazed David’s fingers, it sparked to life—red, molten, electric with the weight of static thickening the air around us.
Or maybe that was just my own unease spreading.
“Heads up!” Wyatt called, launching another sword through the air. It speared the ground at my feet, tip-down and wobbled in place.
“Thanks,” I muttered.
My neck cracked as I stretched it from side to side, then rolled my shoulders loose.
With dramatic confidence I did not feel, I gripped the cold steel and yanked it from the dirt.
I closed my eyes and took in a breath that was so deep it scraped the bottom of my soul.
Ground yourself, Pogue had said, hammering it into my skull. So I did. I mentally reached, touching the world around me. The souls in front of me, familiar heartbeats. And the ones farther off, more animalistic, wild. But that was my Soulsayer ability. Not the one I needed. The Floramancy still felt foreign, like I’d grown a third arm with zero coordination. I hadn’t quite figured out how to summon it on command. Something to work on—starting now.
Wings flapped as the Cherubs shuffled closer. Honey looked oddly determined, fingers wiggling. They faintly glowed at the tips.
Oh, good. The paramedics were on standby.
My body was already sore from the last grueling hour of training.Fucking hell.
I whirled the sword once to warm up my wrist.
“Go easy on me, old man,” I called out, taunting.
