Page 69 of To Bleed A Kingdom

Griffin stares ahead, pointedly ignoring me.

“Griffin,” I warn, having long lost my patience with his evasiveness.

Blowing out a breath, he spins to face me. “She lost control of her Gift.”

I rub my brow with my fingertips. “Her Gift?”

He nods. “She’s an empath.”

I frown. That can’t be right. She’s human. An extraordinarily beautiful human, but human nonetheless. They aren’t granted Gifts by the gods, and even if the divine had chosen to take pity on her race, Lena would’ve been born with jewels. I’ve seen no sign of her possessing a single one.

“You’re wrong.”

Griffin shakes his head. “I’m not. I don't know why or how, but she is an empath.” Brow furrowing, he glances off to the side, appearing deep in thought. “I remember my father telling me stories when I was younger of humans with Gifts. Gifts that could rival an immortal’s. But that's all they were: Stories. I never thought there was any truth to them.”

At the mention of his father’s findings, my skepticism lessens. Laeon wasn’t the Queen’s advisor only because of the circumstances of his noble birth. He’s a scholar. Nose more often than not buried in ancient scrolls or the newest book, there’s not a question to which he can’t find the answer. He’s one of the most knowledgeable males in all of Vanyimar. If he told Griffin these stories, even in passing, the likelihood that there’s some truth to it is more probable than not.

I scrub my hand along my jaw, pondering Griffin’s revelation. This would explain everything about Lena and her companions. How they behave and dress. How naive and secretive they are. The defensive, deadly air they all exude. Then I think of why they would be so defensive. Why they would feel the need to be so closed off. Of what could have happened to her to create such suspiciousness, and anger burns at the back of my skull.

“The night we met them, you thought they were running from someone. Could this be why? Could someone be hunting Lena for her Gift?”

“Yes.” Griffin’s lips tighten. “Especially if you consider how powerful she is.”

“And how powerful is she?”

“More powerful than any other empath I’ve come across.” Eyes widening, he shakes his head in awe. “She hides it well, but I was able to get a glimpse of it before she suppressed it.”

The conversation with my mother pops to the forefront of my mind. Of how she thought it possible Lena could be working with Brecca. “Are Lena’s intentions malicious?”

He smiles softly. “Not at all. She’s a good soul.”

“Are you sure?”

“Auras don’t lie,” he replies, giving me a droll look.

Having trust in Griffin and his Gifts, I need nothing more to convince me of her intentions. But that won’t be good enough for my mother.If she finds out about Lena, she’ll kill her. Or worse, keep her for herself. She won’t allow Lena to fall into her enemy's hands.

“We’ll tell Kace about this,” I say. “But no one else.”

Griffin agrees with a grunt. Then he stares at me for a moment, opens his mouth as if to speak, and hesitates. “I saw something peculiar when I was looking at her aura.” His brows snap together. “A connection between the two of you. A bond of some sort.”

Dropping my head back, I blow out a breath in relief, a knot unraveling in my chest. “I can feel her emotions. I thought I was going crazy, but I truly do feel her.” Placing my hands on my hips, my gaze wanders to his. “Have you ever heard of such a thing?”

A shocked guffaw bursts from him. “Never. But it's real. I can actually see it.” He stares down at my chest, looking like he’s searching for it. “The bond has an aura all to itself. A mixture of you and her.” A soft smile tugs at his lips. “Almost like you're fated for one another.”

I scoff. “I don't believe in fate.”

“That doesn't mean it doesn’t believe in you.”

I groan, not in the mood to listen to any of his stories of fate or the Stars. I lost my faith in them long ago. If I were to place it in anyone or anything, it’d be the gods. At least with them, I've seen their presence. In my Gifts, my jewels, even with the Gods Cursed and their Soulless. But their touch is rare beyond that. Their hate, their love, their involvement with us lesser beings is fickle.

Accustomed to my aversion to speak on his spiritual ideals, Griffin adds nothing more on the subject, but steps forward, an earnestness to his eyes and a somberness lining his face. “You need to be careful around Lena. She has no ill intentions towards us from what I can see,” he reassures. “But your reaction to each other is extreme. For the both of you. Your emotions are heightened and more volatile around each other. I’m afraid that if you don’t learn to manage the bond, it may cause you to do something you’ll regret.”

Manage it? I don't even know what I’m managing.

Turning away from him, I go to join the others near the fence when I stop in my tracks at the new arrivals.

Kace hunches over himself, clutching his ribs as Zander rubs soothing circles on his back. Trip flails his arms around, babbling to Amara and Tristan who both sit on the top rail of the fence. But the only person who holds my attention is Lena.

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