Page 141 of Between Wrath and Mercy

“Did you mean to do that?”

“Do what?” I didn’t know what he meant.

“Pull from my divinity like that?”

“What do you mean?” I still didn’t understand. I had felt the string, the divinity, the thrum, but I hadn’t pulled on it. Not that I knew of, at least.

“You couldn’t tell? You tugged from my divinity when you . . . when you lit up.”

“What are you saying? Do you mean the lightning?”

“That wasn’t lightning, Em. That was you.”

I shook my head. “Rain, you aren't making any sense.”

“Your eyes were white when you kissed me at the end. And then, when you finished, you lit up. Youglowed.”

I stared down at my hands. They seemed normal, the same pale ivory I knew. But they weren't glowing. I felt bewildered, and I was sure Rain saw it on my face when his eyes met mine. He leaned in, caging his body around me, searching my face before he kissed me softly, trying to calm me with his lips.

“Your eyes looked like Lucia’s, but I never saw her skin glow like that. Did you ever see her whole body glow? You—Em, you’re strong, stronger than me, I could feel it. You made the ground shake and the wind stop too.”

“That’s not true. Rain, that was thunder. And I—” I remembered the wind stopping abruptly, but it couldn’t be. “The wind stopped on its own. I couldn’t have done all of that, let alone at once.”

He shook his head quickly, adamance ruling his features as he looked at me, eyes bright. “You shouldn’t have been able to, but you did, Em, I swear it. Do you have a headache?”

“I think I’m getting one, but it's because you’re saying ridiculous things, not because of my divinity. Or the champagne. Maybe both.” There was no way I could have done those things, especially when I hadn't been trying.

“It’s not ridiculous if it’s true.”

“Lucia could only shoot those bolts of light out, Rain. And then the—the last time, before she—when she knocked down all those soldiers, it used up all of her divinity. All of it! That’s why she couldn’t fight—But I feel fine. You’re saying I lit up the grounds? Fromglowing? That’s impossible.” He just watched me, his face bleak. I couldn’t comprehend what he was trying to tell me. It made no sense.

“Has Elora ever done anything like that?”

“No. She’s never done that either.” I held my breath, wary over what he was getting at.

“So, you’re stronger than both of them.” I gaped at him, waiting for more outrageous things to spill past those perfect lips. He gave me a meaningful look, willing me to understand. But I couldn't believe that. If it were true, it changed everything. When his lips parted to speak, I stopped him.

“Don’t say it,” I whispered, unwilling to deal with the idea at full volume. Pulling me against his chest, we laid back on the bed, and Rain held me tight against him, his warmth attempting to permeate the chill that had settled over my body. We didn’t speak as he held me, and I lay there in shock. When he noticed I was shivering, he threw one leg over me, holding onto me as if I might fly away. His fingers tangled in my hair while he gently caressed my back, rubbing soft circles down my spine, comforting me.

“Faxon said my eyes were white.” The realization hit me sharply, and I jumped. I tried to remember everything else he’d said that I’d blown off as useless chatter from the mind of someone who wasn’t quite there. A seer had helped mindbreak him. Could the seer have known I’d have eyes like Lucia and Elora one day? Rain pulled me tighter, gently caressing me in an attempt to soothe.

“He said she wasn’t the prophecy either, Em.” I inhaled a breath, everything inside me tightening. It was unfathomable. If she wasn’t the prophecy, then—what did this mean? For me? And at the same time, relief. Unending, blissful, all-encompassing relief. I would give anything to take the burden from her.

“And the Myriad wondered about my divinity, too. They suspected . . . fuck, Rain. What about Elora? What if the councilors find out she isn't the Beloved? Will they still allow—”

“Fuck the councilors," he scoffed. "And if she isn't, and you are, it protects her. If she isn't the Beloved, it protects your daughter. It protects our daughter, dear heart.”

My heart warmed for a second before my world flipped on its axis for the second time. I remembered something else Faxon had said, something Faxon had said to Rain.

“Oh, gods!”

I suppose she’s yours?

He hadn’t been talking about me.

Chapter 45

Ijumpedupfromthe bed, wild-eyed and frantic. Naked, I looked around in a panic, trying to find something to wear while I made sense of the mess in my head. I needed to move, to walk, to think.

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