Oh God. This is more than just magic. This is connection…recognition. Like my power has been waiting for this its entire life.
No. That’s insane. I’ve only met him twice.
Just as I start to pull back, pressure builds inside me, like my body is a dam holding back an ocean of water. Golden light blazes under my skin, racing up to meet his darkness as if it’s been longing for him.
Just as his magic slides around my neck?—
My power explodes.
“Chelsea?” Emory says, her eyes wide.
Dallas turns around and her jaw drops.
My magic wraps around Eryx’s darkness like it’s dancing, intertwining with it.
And it pours out of me. Golden globs of power drip from my fingers, forming balls with the darkness, and where it lands on the balcony?—
Gold and black roses spring up from the stone, creating a blanket at my feet.
No.
No no no no no!
I stumble back, my heart hammering. The roses are everywhere—covering the balcony, climbing the walls, proof of what just happened.
And I can’t pretend I didn’t feel it.
Dallas reaches for me. “Chelsea?”
I flinch. I can’t let them touch me. I can’t risk my magic reaching for them, too.
This is darkness and light, two opposing forces, two opposing magics.
Two opposing people.
I shrink away from the roses, and instantly the magic stops. My power pulls into me, and the darkness vanishes.
Emory turns around and gasps. “Chelsea. Your magic—I can feel it. Oh my God. It’s him!”
“No.” I shake my head hard. “No, it’s?—”
“Is he hurting you?” she demands.
“No, it’s…” What is it? Fine? Insane?
Dallas’s gaze scrapes over the stone floor, the walls. “The roses are everywhere. Holy shit, Chels.”
“I need to go home. Now.”
Emory looks at me as if she’s never seen me before. “But shouldn’t you tell Ov?—”
“No. No one. I’m not telling anyone. I’m leaving. Tell them whatever you want. But not about this. Don’t mention this.”
Emory frowns. “Is this…because of him?”
“Yes. No. I don’t know. I have to go.”
Dallas takes my hand. “I’ll walk you home.”
