Page 113 of A Dance With Fire
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Valerio tookin a breath and stared at the darkness.
“Stare long enough and you will find the darkness staring back.”
He closed his eyes as if blocking his sight could block out the voice as well. Of all the Fae that could come upon him then, it had to be the one he wanted nothing from.
“Leave,” he ordered, his tone broking no room for argument.
But Weylyn could never do what he was told.
“You told her.”
“I do not see what business it is of yours.” He felt the ground shift as Weylyn stalked towards him. He despised feeling vulnerable, and there was no more vulnerable feeling than being around a Fae who could look inside his mind.
Everyone gave Weylyn a wide berth, but Valerio did not have that luxury. Not when Weylyn was Valerio’s father’s preferred Fae. It meant countless interactions, it meant learning to school his mind and compartmentalizing his thoughts whenever the other male was near.
Unfortunately, things still slipped through.
“You have not told my father.”
“Yet.”
Valerio’s eyes opened on a glare in his direction. It was smarter to hide what he was feeling, but he wastired,his patience thinning.
He was a prince, and Weylyn stared at him as if he were scum.
“Let me reiterate that.” He stepped forward until their chests were touching. “You have not andwill nottell my father. In case you have not noticed, he is not here. That means I am in command.”
If he meant to intimidate the Fae, it didn’t work. Weylyn’s lips curved into a sly smile, looking like a cunning feline ready to pounce. “You are truly a fool if you think you are in command. So long as the king lives and breathes, you will never be. Your desires come second to his own.” He lifted a hand and tapped a finger to his temple. “He is in here always. So let me ask you, my prince, what do you think your father will say when he discovers the real reason behind saving the Fire Dancer?”
Valerio gave nothing away in his expression, in the beating of his heart, or the rushing of his blood. He’d given away too much already; he wouldn’t give Weylyn any more.
“No?” Weylyn’s smile widened. “Let me help you. He will be furious. You are his son, and so immune to his wrath, but Shula will not be. The seer played you for a fool, and the king will not take kindly to you besmirching the Ashera name for her.”
“He wouldn’t. She’s too important for this war.”
“A theory. One that until disproven protects her. But what if she is not? Your father will give me the order. If and when he does…” He stepped back, putting space between them once more. “My blade will taste the blood of fire.”
* * *
The next morning,Shula got up and trained with Ryker before the sun even came out. They worked tirelessly, him coaching her as she molded fire, gradually making the figures she created bigger and bigger until exhaustion overtook her.
The figures died in a pile of ash at her feet. She slumped, dropping to the ground and heaving in breath after breath.
Ryker grunted as he sat across from her. “You need to build resistance,” he said. “Once you control it better, we can move on to learning to fight with your magic.”
She inhaled sharply and release the breath slowly. “Are you qualified to teach me that?” At his pointed look, she continued, “What I mean is, you’re a healer. How do you useyourmagic in battle?”
“I direct my magic to heal the Fae.”
Her brows pulled together. “Wouldn’t that weaken you, though? It doesn’t make sense to weaken yourself, especially if it could kill you. You’re the ones who say that every Fae life is valuable.”
“I know I am essential, but when it comes down to it, if it means my life to save countless others? I’ll use everything I have left in me.”
He said it with such conviction, she believed it was true. It gave her a glimpse at the man inside, at what he hid behind scars and a gruff demeanor. He was willing to die for what he believed in.
She remembered what Valerio had said, the name that Ryker had shouted for in his nightmares. She wondered if this willingness to die for the cause had anything to do with her.
