“You look dangerously alluring when you win an argument,” he murmured, tucking a strand of my hair away from my face. His gaze flicked to the towel, and I—
I absently toyed with the buttons on his shirt, savouring the taste of his admission and feeling as if I were playing with fire.
“You look transparent when you’re trying to dodge questions,” I replied.
Reagan let out a low chuckle.
I was pretending. Pretending as if staying this intimately close was of no consequence. Dancing around what had happened in Erisea and pretending to be unfazed by it. But his presence was quickly affecting the beat in my chest.
“I asked for Finnegan because you’ve seen how Varian is when it comes to humans. If it’s you, he’ll just...” There was a deep sigh. “Let Finn and me handle Varian. I’ll make sure to share more information with you so you’re not caught off guard.”
Our breaths mingled. His eyes dropped to my mouth. And I stood there, suspended between worrying about Varian and remembering his words to me in the pool.
It would take just a slight lowering of his head for us to kiss. Just one soft tug on my towel to leave me standing bare before him. But—
This wasn’t about touching. This was about him briefing me, at least minimally, as an emissary. It was about refusing to yield blindly to orders and making a point.
I took a step back, his arms falling limply to his sides. “Thank you. I’ll see you at dinner.”
I didn’t wait for his reply. I simply turned and went back into my washroom.
???
After what happened in Erisea, I had even more reason to focus on my sparring lessons with Gwinifer. The fear I’d felt with those Scions still lingered in my mind, and I pictured their faces with every swing of my fist. I practiced daily, sometimes staying longer in the training room after she had already left for patrols. Other times, meeting Finn in the study for the same purpose.
“This is so uncanny,” I gasped, eyes wide as I looked down at myself, my body completely hidden, utterly invisible.
Finnegan chuckled. “And you didn’t believe it was possible.”
No one would. This kind of witchcraft was exactly the sort of bizarre feat that made them completely unbelievable.
“I’m usually proved wrong by you lot all the time,” I noted. “So, if you enchanted it, does that mean I’ll be drawing power from you?”
He shook his head. “No, it only took a bit of my power to enchant it. You should be able to wear it for years.”
I untied one of the knots on my burgundy cloak, leaving two still in place. The rich fabric reappeared before my eyes, breaking its camouflage against the background.
Two knots, visible. Three knots, invisible. And possibly safer.
It was a relief, knowing I wouldn’t have to sap his power simply by wearing the cloak. “How does that work? Using your mana. How much can you use?”
Finn sat on a chair in the study as I removed my cloak. “It’s different for every person, so we need to learn to read the signs and limits that our bodies are telling us. At first, we feel tired, our energy drops, and then headaches set in. It gets worse from there, when you might not even be able to stand.”
“And then you have to rest?” I asked, taking a seat on the chair next to him.
“We rest, or, if necessary, we replenish by pulling from other sources, like nature or even another person.”
My eyes widened. “How do you take it from another person?”
“It’s done through a Siphon Charm, but it is used as a last resort, since you can’t siphon so much mana from someone. Some say you can transfer more with skin contact. The more, the better.” He grinned. “I see the idea makes you uncomfortable.”
“Am I blushing?” I asked coolly and shrugged. “Is it possible to use all your mana? What would happen then?”
“Exhaustion can leave one drained mentally and physically. Using it past exhaustion can be harmful. It can cause injury, or at worst, death. We would have to be without choice to reach this point.”
I nodded. “Thank you for enchanting my cloak.”
Finn bowed his head and suggested a few books that might interest me, sending me to wander along the aisles. I was still scanning the shelves when a title caught my eye. The cover indicated it was a study of the legal foundations of the mage folk, including the consequences of misusing their powers.
