Caiden appears in the doorway, a proud smile on his lips. “Well done.”
“Now what?” I ask.
He steps into the room. “Now, we work on calling them, and then sending them away. If you can’t summon them when you need them, they’re no good. It’s worse to have magic with no control than to have none at all. If it comes at the wrong time, it’s just as likely to cause harm to you as it is to protect you.”
“Alright.” I spread my fingers wide, then call the shadows back to me. They’re reluctant, as if they want to stay and play. I find myself promising them they can return soon. That I’ll bring them out more often.
They seem to like that, and they begin to dissipate.
Caiden assesses me with lifted brows. “How did you do that so quickly?”
“I told them to return,” I say.
“That was it?”
“Is that wrong?”
“No, that’s excellent. I think I was right about you. You’re going to be extremely powerful. I don’t love the fact that you’re not really on my side.”
My chest tightens. “You could let me go, you know. When Anya’s better, we can leave. You know I’ll disappear and leave you be.”
“No, I can’t do that.”
Can’t,notwon’t. I wait, but he doesn’t elaborate. “Why? You know this isn’t a real marriage.”
“I don’t need to tell you everything, Taylan.” His tone is blunt but there’s a hint of frustration. “Besides, we both know Anya isn’t the only one you care about keeping alive.”
“Thank you.”
His brow furrows. “For what?”
“For reminding me who you are. I almost forgot. Almost started to see you as someone you’re not.” My fingers tingle and that darkness returns in my chest. Only this time, it’s a slithering, seething thing that’s begging to come out. I shove it down, concerned about how different it feels from the shadows I just released.
“Believe what you want to about me. Just know two things,” he holds up a finger, “I am not my father,” then another finger, “and I will explain everything when I get confirmation that my evidence is accurate.”
“If you want someone’s help, it’s better to include them,” I say.
“Like you include me?”
“I was sent to kill you, remember?”
He grins. “Oh, I remember. How’s that working out for you?”
I scoff. “I think we’re done here for today.”
He moves in front of me and I sidestep him, but he moves again. “We arenotdone. What you just did shows me how powerful you are.” He steps so close to me, I can feel the breath from his words. “It might not look like much, but that little show of yours should have taken weeks to accomplish. You don’t learn to master this and next time you lose control, someone could die.”
My heart thunders against my ribs. I tell myself it’s because of his warning and not because of how close he’s standing to me. I back up, giving myself some distance. “Fine. But none of this is for you or your plans. This is to ensure my friend’s safety.”
“Of course,” he inclines his head in a small bow, “whatever you say, little raven.”
I scowl at the nickname. It’s been a while, but I think I prefer it to the far too personal use of Taylan.
“Now, let’s see if you can do that again.” He gestures toward the crate. “I recommend sitting while you summon today. It can get overwhelming.”
I almost refuse, just to prove a point, but if I get hurt it only harms me. With a sigh, I return to the crate.
“Go on, then. Maybe this time you can use your hatred for me to motivate those shadows.”
