Page 58 of Veil of Shadows

Quinn placed a key in his pocket, then closed his fist around another. He held his free hand out. “Lander? I know you’ve always wanted to hold hands with me.”

Lander didn’t even crack a smile, but he linked hands with Quinn. The others quickly followed, Lars and Phillen too, until all seven of them were in physical contact with one another.

“Alec’s going to be so jealous that he missed this.” Trivan snickered.

“Where is Alec?” Bowan asked.

“In a tree,” Phillen replied. “It’s a long story,” he added when Lander, Bowan, and Quinn all shared confused looks.

“Are you sure you’ll be all right?” Jax asked me again, his gaze still boring into mine.

All I could manage was another nod. Stars and galaxy, what this male did to my insides...

Bowan winked at me. “See you soon, Little Lorafin.”

“Try not to get into trouble,” Trivan added.

“Open key for thou I ask, I need a door for this new task.” Quinn finished muttering the strange words, and in a blur of magic, they disappeared.

CHAPTER 17

One moment, the seven males were in the royal’s private residence, and the next, they were gone.

I didn’t know how long it would be before they returned, but I knew it would be late since it was already evening.

My stomach flipped, thinking of what could happen. They could get caught, or worse, killed. But then I reminded myself that they did raids like this all of the time, and it was silly to fret.

To distract myself, I perched on the window’s ledge to look outside. Fae filled the streets since the Matches had brought in so many crowds, but my thoughts still turned to where Jax and his friends had just landed.Possyrose Forest.That was miles from here.

Sighing, I spun away from the window and flopped onto the couch. Above, the ceiling stared back at me, and I realized it was the first time since the prince had taken me that I was by myself and not locked inside a chamber. It was almost as if I was...free.

That thought hit me so hard, that my breath caught. I stood and toiled around the room, a laugh bubbling out of my lips. I could do whatever I wanted at the moment. If I wanted to draw a bath and soak in it for hours until they returned, I could. If Iwanted to summon the inn staff and ask them to bring me up a meal of whatever I chose, I could. If I wanted to hang my head out the window and stare at all of the crowds the Matches had summoned, I could.

A tiny smile grew on my lips. Jax trusted me to stay with them because I wasn’t a true prisoner anymore.Stars Above, I can do whatever I want. Well, not quite...

I’d promised to remain hidden after all, which meant I couldn’t let any fae in Leafton see me, but my magic was mostly free now, meaning I could wield nearly any spell.

My eyes widened. My tutors had given me a very thorough education when I’d been young, and that education had included complex illusion spells that most fae could never master without Mistvale power. But I was a lorafin. My magic wasn’t born of the kingdoms, and I wasn’t caged by where I’d been birthed in the realm. My magic wasother. More powerful, and I was capable of spells others weren’t.

My pulse thrummed when that heady realization hit me.

As an adult, I’d never tried wielding an illusion spell before, since my magic had always been caged by my collar, but now...

I rubbed my finger along my collar, and the cool familiar metal doused my spirits slightly. I might be free of my guardian and this collar’s suffocating hold, but I was still irrevocably chained to it. It would never come off.

Still, at the moment, I didn’t feel like I had any walls holding me prisoner. And if Iwasable to cast an illusion spell over myself, Icouldleave these walls and still remain hidden. Nobody would be able to see me in Leafton, which meant I could still keep my promise to Jax to stay out of harm’s way and prevent the incredibly unlikely chance of being captured by a Mistvale fairy.

That thought hit me like a million volts of lightning, and my collar vibrated subtly. Just as fast, it occurred to me that while Icould be traipsing through the capital, Jax would be enacting a dangerous raid.

A stirring of anxiety skated along my limbs at the risks Jax and the others would be facing tonight.

Right. Decision made. There’s no way I can stay here and stew about that. I’m going out. Alone.

I changedinto simple black breeches and opted for the purple sweater I’d grown to love. Even though nobody would be able to see my clothing, I wanted to feel comfortable.

Once fully dressed, I slipped into black boots and draped a scarf over my hair to help alleviate any chill the evening brought. Then I went to the mirror, faced it, and closed my eyes.

I pulled on a strong stream of my magic and whispered an illusion spell. The amount of magic it took to wield the spell cascaded over me, but my magic rose steadily within me given my loosened collar until the amount of magic needed was filled.

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