Page 11 of Within the Flames
"Malan," she muttered darkly.
Luc laughed. "Yes, him. Infuriating, isn't he?"
"That's one word for him," Cam muttered darkly from behind.
Macey ignored him and glanced at Jared who was looking at his cuffs with a curious expression on his face. She'd have to ask him about that when Luc had finished being as cryptic and infuriating as Malan himself.
"That still doesn't explain anything," she pointed out.
"Tell me, Macey, did you really expect seeing the lampads to be as easy as just turning up at their door?"
She sighed. "I'd hoped."
"That's a no, then."
"Let's just say past experience suggested it wouldn't be that easy."
"I thought as much. Incubus, I'd stop staring at those cuffs, you'll give yourself a headache," Luc said without even looking in Jared's direction. "Just trust me that you'll need them to keep blocking your powers."
"I can't say I care for it," Jared muttered.
"It's preferable," Rónàn responded.
Macey snorted. "Alright you two, stop it. If Lucien says it's necessary, then we need to take his word for it."
"And how do we know he's to be trusted?" Jared snarled. "Maybe he's blocking my powers for an entirely different reason."
His words echoed around Macey's head as they registered and she wondered if there wasn't some truth in them.
Lucien's head fell back and he let out a hearty laugh. "I guess you won't know unless you try and trust me," he teased.
Macey frowned, not sure what to make of it at all. Could she trust a daimon? She longed to ask Cam, but given the proximity of them all, there was no way she could do that without Luc becoming aware of it and her diplomatic training wouldn't allow her to insult anyone quite like that.
"I will trust you," she told him. "But I'm also wary. I'm not idiotic enough to let my guard down."
"Smart," Luc answered. "You can never be too careful in this day and age."
"You still haven't explained what this test is."
"You tell me, Princess. It's your mind that's conjured it."
"I doubt that," she countered.
"Actually, I wouldn't," Cam interrupted.
"What do you mean?"
"I've heard talk of the lampads before, they're an odd race and their magic can span far and wide. It's possible that their tests have extended this far and are already in the process of working out how best to test you."
"What the wraith said," Luc added.
"He has a name," Macey ground out, unhappy with the daimon's lack of respect for the people around him.
"Yes, yes, he's called Camdan, I'm aware of you all, Macey, Jared and Rónàn. I know your pasts and your secrets. Make no mistake of it."
"How do you know all this?"
"How does a butterfly flap its wings? There are some things we may never know."
