Page 71 of Restored

“Go run a few laps. You can come back when your raging hormones have calmed.” His eyebrows lift suggestively in Ledger’s direction. I grit my teeth, willing the heat from my cheeks as we walk over to the track.

Mia is running and when she sees me, she runs to me, engulfing me in a hug. “I can’t believe it worked! I never doubted you for a second!”

I hug her back.

“Thank you, Layla, really, Callum is like a father to me, and I don’t know what I would have done if his condition didn’t improve.”

“You’re the one that found the answer. All I did was provide my blood.” I smile at her.

“I hope this doesn’t mean you will be leaving soon?”

My heart drops with the knowledge I will have to go back. “I will stay another day or two, to ensure the King is recovering as he should.”

“Let’s make the best of it then.” She grabs my hand, and we start to run. I focus on the contracting of my muscles and the burning in my lungs.

“How did Ledger’s mother die?” I ask the question I’d been wondering, trying to keep up as she runs faster.

“Has no one told you?” I shake my head, and Mia considers me for a moment as if debating what to reveal before continuing.

“Ledger’s mother was able to mimic powers or borrow them. She didn’t use it often and thought of it as a violation. The night Lilly was born, she wasn’t breathing. Her heartbeat continued to weaken until it stopped altogether.” I stumble as my legs burn with effort, eager to hear more.

“One of her handmaidens had the power to create life. It was supposed to be used for crops and plants, never for a human. Ledger’s mother was desperate, so she channeled power into Lilly.” Mia’s movements are lithe as she speaks.

“It worked, but she used a dangerous amount of power. Lilly’s heartbeat returned as she took her first breath. His mother was thrilled, but that night, after extending so much forbidden power, when she fell asleep, she never woke again.”

My heart sinks. “Gods above.” My legs burn from the effort. No wonder Ledger wanted me to stay in his rooms the other night after I had burned through so much of my own power.

I run and run long after my conversation with Mia in hopes my head will blissfully empty. It doesn’t. I can’t get her words out of my head. Can’t shake how much I ache for the boy Ledger once was.

When I make my way back over to Archie, he is talking to Cam and Ledger, who is mercifully now wearing a shirt. Ledger’s eyes find their way to me and run the entire length of me, sending a thrill up my spine.

“Layla, are you ready now?” Archie asks.

“Ready as ever.”

“Actually, would you mind if we tried something?” Ledger asks. “I’d like to test your powers.”

I shrug, looking over at Archie. “Be my guest.” Archie gestures to me and steps back.

“Actually, Archie, we’ll need someone for her to practice on.” Ledger looks at him expectantly.

“Meaning I have to be the test dummy? Why can’t she practice on you?” he questions. Ledger gives him an expectant look. “This is because of the whole grape thing, isn’t it?” Archie asks, and when Ledger doesn’t respond, he concedes. “Fine, but my perfectly symmetrical face is off-limits.”

I raise a curious eyebrow. “What are we doing? Did Archie get a nasty case of chlamydia?”

“That’s an incredibly rude assumption, but since you’re asking, I do have this mysterious bump on my?—”

“Alright, Archie, not today.” Ledger grins, and I avert my eyes so I don’t get swept away by it.

“Explain to me how your power works,” he asks.

“Not this again, Ledger.” I turn from him, ready to walk away, when a root comes up to wrap around my ankle, stopping me.

“Sutton, this isn’t that kind of lesson.” He approaches me, his chest brushing against my arm. “But for the record, if you need more practice with that, I’m more than willing.” His lips brush my ear making my knees weak.

“Now, let’s try this again. How does your power work while it heals?” The roots release me and disappear back into the ground.

I sigh, thinking. “When my power enters someone, I feel their body respond to me. I picture bones fusing back together, skin mending itself, blood pumping at the right pace through veins, and their bodies complying. Other times, I think of things that make me happy. Things that make me feel good and let my power do the rest.”

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