Page 80 of Secrets and Starlight

It has to be enough.

And if it wasn’t, we’d flee.

“I hope you enjoyed your time away,” he offered, giving me the chance to small talk.

I’d been giving the same story all morning, and it was easy to respond. “There’s a beautiful cove to the western edge of the isle. I spent most of my time there.”

“All by yourself?” he asked.

“I was visiting a friend.”

“And your dog, too, I am sure she enjoyed the trip.”

“She did.” My throat tightened, and it cost me more than I wanted to admit to keep smiling. “She loved the beach. So much more comfortable than a palace for a dog, so she’ll be staying with my friend while I’m here.”

“What a kind friend you must have.”

“Indeed.”

He chuckled, his expression turning serious. “Please forgive me for prying, but assure me because I worry. No one has been hurt by your magic, have they?”

I swallowed nervously. “Unfortunately, my magic has been more of a hindrance than anything of merit.”

“I see.”

As we reached the visitor courtyard, I tentatively allowed my power to buzz at my fingers, light sputtering at random. Some of it was intentional, some of it not. Regardless, the Starlit King led me to the center of the courtyard as Rhett settled on a bench a respectable distance away.

The king looked at Rhett with a smirk. “Your cousin might be a pompous pain, but I don’t wish him any harm. Not at your hand.”

“Thanks again for your time. I’m sure you have plenty in your court who would be able—”

He shook his head. “There are none who could manage a situation like yours. Instruction in starlight is best given in childhood, when the power is still developing. You’ll need someone who can moderate your fully developed power in addition to their own.”

Fear rose in my glowing fingertips, and the Starlit King glanced down, the light shadowing his face.

My throat dried. “I don’t know how to control it. It glows when I tell it to stop, and vice versa. What am I supposed to do differently?”

“Palm up,” he instructed.

Power throbbing, I flipped my hand over and the starlight collected in my palm.

He extended his hand, placing it over mine and closing the distance until my light filled the space between. “Let me show you.”

There wasn’t a chance to stop him. To tell him I wasn’t ready. That no matter how kind and suave he seemed, I knew better than to trust him.

At his command, my starlight was shoved back into my body. My hand heated and my arm burned as the power wound its way into my spine. My body prepared to melt. My heart raced as panic rose in my chest.

Maybe this had been a terrible idea. Maybe he would kill me, making it look like a training accident for reasons I’d never understand.

And then, just as fast, the pain passed.

The starlight raced upward, through the crown of my head and became a pillar of magic, connecting me to the heavens. Through this link, the starlight ebbed from my body.

“There,” he whispered, stepping back. “I apologize if that was… intense.”

I exhaled. “Intense doesn’t begin to cover it.”

Rhett had closed half the distance between us. Zayne was barely containing the urge to leap from the shadows.

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