Page 132 of A Legacy of the Light

I join him on the sofa after I have dried my hands.

“I don’t want this to get anymore complicated than it already is. And if we have sex, leaving is going to be that much harder,” I confess as I get comfortable.

He pulls me so I’m lying on his chest. “I know.” He frees my hair from the ponytail and runs his fingers through the long strands. “I understand. I’ll take whatever you’re prepared to give,” he says softly and kisses the top of my head.

Chapter 32

The next morning, I sit with Finneus in the library, unable to stop my mind drifting to the night before.

Tavish and I spent the rest of the evening curled together in front of the fire on his sofa. Sometimes talking, getting to know each other better, and sometimes comfortable in silence. We agreed to go on our next ride on Sunday since we didn’t get a chance before he left.

Tavish asked me if I wanted to stay the night with him but I said no. I only have so much self-control and last night was pushing it.

Instead, he walked me back to my room and kissed me at the door before saying goodnight. Did I sigh like a schoolgirl with a crush when I shut the door behind me? Maybe.

Okay, definitely.

Keeping Tavish away from my heart is going to be a challenge.

“Elsie, dear,” Finneus interrupts my wayward thoughts.

“Yeah. Sorry, what did you say?”

“I said, ‘are you okay’?” he repeats the question he must have asked me.

“Yes, I’m fine. Why?”

“I’m worried about you. You’ve discovered some pretty big things the last three weeks and I don’t think you’re processing them.” Finneus’s face is full of genuine concern for me.

I slump back in the chair. “I don’t know how to process it, Finneus. Until I can speak to my Grandpa and get some answers, I’ll just have to deal.”

Concern turns to sadness. “I know, dear. You can always talk to me if you need to.”

“I know, Finneus. Thank you.” I lean forward and squeeze his hand. “I would be lost without you.”

We go back to searching through the books we pulled from the chambers this morning. Since the Seòlta won’t help us again in those rooms, we have to search everything manually. It’s times like now I really miss the power of technology. We haven’t made any progress on finding information on the Dorche for three weeks and being able to Google some shit would be really fucking helpful right now.

“I do have some questions, though.”

Finneus looks at me over the rim of his glasses and patiently waits.

“How will I know if I can wield?”

“You would need to train. Normally we train Seelie in their early years in school. If they prove unable to wield, they take lessons in another subject.”

“What about light wielding? You said Granny could wield light. I read last night that the first manifestation is pretty big.”

“It is. Light wielders don’t normally wield that until they reach maturity around twenty-five. Has something happened, my dear?”

“No.” I pause. “Well, I’m not sure.”

“Go on,” Finneus prompts softly.

“In my first week, I saw a white ring around the edge of my eyes. And yesterday during training, I felt powerful and Reyne said my eyes had a ring around them.”

“Are you sure you’ve never wielded? As a child? That may have been covered up?”

“Not that I’m aware of. But given all the other secrets, this could just be another. Does it mean that I can wield light? Like Granny?”