“No, it’s nothing like that. It’s the voices, you see. The ones belonging to those who believe in the power of wishes.” Caelian rubbed lightly at her temples. “I hear them now, clearly, and they’re begging me to listen.”
He nodded slowly, a line of concentration knitting across his brow, like he was trying to make sense of the fact that she heardvoices in her head. “Then what do you need? What can I do for you?”
Caelian smiled, grateful for the care he showed her, for his desire to help. “I need to grant them. Or at least the ones worthy of being granted.”
Kjeld arched a brow. “Worthy?”
“Yes.” She adjusted herself on his lap, turning around so her back was pressed to his chest. Tucking her legs under her, she continued to straddle him so his erection fit perfectly between her thighs. Stifling a giggle, she held out her hands, eager to explain the workings of her magic. “My mind is filled with thousands of voices daily, which was why when the stars took back my power, the silence was stifling. The quiet was so loud it almost drove me mad.”
“Mm.” He kissed her shoulder. “No wonder you were so desperate for conversation.”
“Exactly.” Leaning back against him, she stretched out her arms before her. “But not all of the wishes I hear can be granted. Some of them are absurd, others are born of anger or deceit, and those I ignore until they fade completely.”
“So, there are good wishes and bad wishes.” Kjeld draped an arm casually around her waist, his thumb tracing idle circles across her stomach. “Is that what you’re saying?”
“More or less. Out of the remaining wishes, I must listen to each of them and determine if I can grant them.” She sighed, opening her hands as beads of stardust began to bloom in her palms. “They must come from the heart, from a place of kindness and integrity. And above all, they must bring goodness into the world.”
“I see.” His fingers tapped an idle rhythm against her abdomen, gliding gently over her scars. “And you’re the one who decides?”
Caelian grinned. “I am.”
Kjeld’s teeth scraped her earlobe, and he licked the pain away with his tongue. “Does that give you a little bit of a goddess complex?”
She swatted at him. “Of course not. I am always fair.”
He trailed his tongue up the length of her pointed ear, the wet heat of it causing her blood to simmer. “And what of when I wished to fuck you all night?”
She snorted. “That was just me being nice.”
His answering chuckle rumbled down her spine. “Very well. Grant your wishes then.”
Caelian closed her eyes, focusing on the whispers floating through her mind. It wasn’t a loud cacophony of sound, instead it was more like a soothing harmony of lyrical prose. The words came in and out of focus, some were stronger while others were more half-hearted and weaker. She sifted through them like she was searching for shells beneath the waves, picking and choosing ones born out of hope, need, and love.
Her magic crested inside her, a dizzying rush of power that sent tingles of energy shooting through her. She was vibrating, alive with an aura of celestial balance. Starlight crackled in her palms, sizzling, ready to take flight. Finding her center, she pulled wishes toward her, plucking them out of the swirling chaos like wildflowers from a field.
“This isn’t who I am, I wish I had more patience.”
A mother in need of grace.
Caelian released a star into the night sky. Granted.
“I wish I didn’t feel so alone all the time.”
A child in need of friendship.
Another starburst soared overhead. Granted.
“I love seeing the fruits of my labor, but I wish I was better at gardening.”
A Druid in need of guidance.
Caelian’s blood hummed and power poured from her, answering her call. Granted.
She sorted through the whispering voices, sending out wishes of fulfillment in a steady stream, careful not to expend too much of her magic. Her eyes fluttered open as radiant stars streaked across the moonlit sky. The bedlam of her mind calmed, quieted to a symphonic murmur.
“I thought you were beautiful before.” Kjeld’s rough voice scraped past her cheek. “But that was nothing compared to how you look now.”
“Oh?” she asked, teasing. “And how is that?”
