Lucien’s sharp blue gaze darts toward my sister. “Can you hear him?”
Saela shakes her head as I pull the Tear from the shelter of her top. “This necklace seems to have some sort of protective power,” she explains. “It blocks the connection.”
Lucien and Venna both study the necklace. A spark of recognition lights Lucien’s eyes.
“Interesting,” he murmurs. “I wouldn’t have thought… but then, how can you know for sure?”
“We do,” I interrupt. Saela doesn’t look nervous when I glance at her. “She was without its protection briefly. It’s been tested.” I can tell he’s trying to determine whether he should believe me, but I don’t have the patience. “What do you know about the Tears, Lucien?”
Lucien shuts his eyes and runs a fingertip along his brow as if smoothing away a thread of pain. Then he reaches down beneath his own clothes and lifts the chain around his neck with that same finger.
At the end of it dangles another Tear pendant, glittering with power. It’s a reflection of Saela’s, just as our crowns mirror each other.
A disbelieving noise escapes me. “I guess I wasn’t the only one withholding information. You didn’t feel like revealing this at dinner last night, when you were crowing about how the jewels have power?”
His smile turns sharp, and I know I’m going to hate what comes out of his mouth next. “I only like to show you mine when you show me yours.”
Venna rolls her eyes.
Childish prick. How did he make it a thousand years without someone getting irritated enough to cut off his head?
Ignoring his teasing, I ask, “Are you more powerful when you wear it? Does it enhance your Siphon magic?”
He rubs his thumb over it and bows his head in a nod. Then he speaks under his breath. “I wonder…”
Unexpectedly, he grips the stone, lifts it over his head, and holds it out to me.
Hesitantly, I take it.
The moment the jewel settles against my palm, my power rises in a writhinganswer to the stone’s silent call, just as it did when I tried on the other necklace at the war camp.
“Your intoxicated expression tells me it works for you,” Lucien says. His head is tilted to one side like he’s trying to find the right angle to see into me.
Saela, wide-eyed, is too busy digesting this new information to notice the interested gleam in Lucien’s eye. Venna clocks it, though. I make a mental note to discuss that with her later.
“So your crowns help you control your respective powers, the necklaces give you protection, and both of the Tears make your magic stronger,” Saela recites. “I wonder how strong a person would be if they had all the Tears on them at once.”
There’s another Goddess Tear, though. The one the Mother Priestess wears. Probably worth keeping that a secret from Lucien—for now, at least.
I hold Lucien’s necklace back out to him reluctantly. “I’m going to need Saela’s Tear if… if we’re going to face off against Killian and Alistair.”
We haven’t discussed his proposed ceasefire yet. He doesn’t know I’m going to accept it, although surely he must assume I will, given how favorable the terms are for me. Either way, when we meet Killian on a battlefield, I know we’re going to need all the strength we can get.
Lucien smiles as he slips his Tear back on. “If only you had a millennium of experience at your disposal to solve this little problem for you.”
Venna rolls her eyes again, and Lucien sees it this time, looking at her in curiosity. I get the distinct feeling he’s not used to people being unimpressed by him.
“Siphons tend to be particular about consent,” Lucien continues eventually. “Over the years, we developed items capable of blocking a sire’s power. Most commonly fashioned as jewelry, actually. Saela can simply trade what’s around her neck.”
“Another necklace?” Venna looks doubtful. “What proof do we have that this will do what you say?”
“Not to mention, I don’t know if I’m comfortable handing my sister enchanted Siphon jewelry she might never be able to take off,” I add, lifting my bound wrist for demonstration.
Lucien shrugs. “Consult your father if you require reassurance. They’re quite commonplace.” He leans his hip against the table, and the smirk comes back out. “It seems to me this is the only way for you to get your Tear back.”
“Is that what your ten centuries are telling you?” Venna says dryly.
“Loudly and clearly,” he confirms, and turns away from us, reaching for another manuscript.
