Page 82 of Petals for Vicious Secrets

Those were petals definitely floating into her. Right in between her breasts, where her panom mark had been. A silver, precious petal coming from Ayla. Ciaran’s petal was dark green, and Jake’s navy.

The colors of their souls, their inks and sparks. The colors of their own marks, coming to join what Lenna’s own golden core.

“May the Cardinals guide your soul,” Ciaran said.

“May the Fifth unleash your magic,” Jake said, another navy petal floating towards her body, warming her soul and heart. The emotion in his eyes met her own, and she couldn’t stop looking at him. She wasn’t sure she could ever stop looking at him again.

This man had no reason to help her. Yet here he was, helping her in all the manners that mattered. By apologizing for his fuck up with her book of Cause, teaching her to use the four Cardinal powers, being stabbed himself trying to protect her, Healing her in the cell, speaking up to his own father advocating for her, making her experience pleasure as intense as it ever had existed, and now, allowing her to be what she had always treasured most: a panom.

Maybe, and only maybe, what she treasured most had changed. Maybe, and only maybe, the emotion in her golden eyes wasn’t caused only by her original and recipient magic meeting and cherishing each other in her newly formed panom mark. Maybe, she realized what she felt for this man had a name.

“May the light enfold your strength. May the darkness accept your weakness. May the world cherish your mind. May the Cardinals guide your soul. May the Fifth unleash your magic,” the three of them said as a cardinal flew across the crystal dome and started circling her, lifting her in the air in that familiar-and-yet-not way. It was impossible to get used to a true cardinal bird doing dizzying circles around oneself, not when her blood was welcoming back the powers that the Organ Mandor had stolen from her, and golden light was irradiating from every single bead of her dress into the Cardinals Temple.

She didn’t need to look in her chest to know the donated petals had readjusted. For there was her golden, full panom mark.

Lenna Brachyan was a panom again.

53

Hope

The door connecting the antechamber and the dome room of the Cardinals Temple opened, and Jake and Lenna entered, their shoulders touching—or maybe they were holding hands or fingers—, followed by Ciaran and another fire-haired woman that resembled Lenna so much. But…

There. Her eyes weren’t the purified liquid gold of Lenna’s, but green like the purest spring fields of Verdania, and her hair, while equally intense in color, was longer and sleek. A curtain of fire.

The woman started when she saw Nina, as if she had been struck by lightning. If this woman dared hurt her friend, Hope would make sure the red-haired ended up worse than struck by lightning.

“Hurt her and I will end you,” Hope said, her voice low and calm. The woman looked at her, green eyes widening as she left both hands in a stance that usually meant someone was innocent. Except Hope was so done taking the word, or the actions, of theoretically innocent strangers. Even if she was just about to let five of them help her.

It didn’t sit well with her, but she didn’t seem to have any other option if she wanted to stand a chance to achieve her plan.

The muscled man pacing at the other side of the room was smirking.

“The brunette one can give you a run for your money, Lenna.”

Thane or something starting with T, if she remembered correctly from the rushed and brief introductions. A friend of Lenna, Ciaran had explained, with no trace of joy. The way he moved, though… That man was a fighter. Hence why Hope hadn’t taken her eyes off him for the past few minutes since Jake had moured them here.

Nina and whatever-his-name were the only ones not taking part in either of the Fifth Ceremonies. But they were here for what would happen straight after.

“Your turn.” Ciaran tilted his head towards Hope, opening the door for her.

Hope’s steps didn’t falter. They never faltered. And yet, overwhelming feelings were racing inside her.

It was happening. The revelation of her panom mark by the compassom back in Verdania had ended up with Hope about to become a full panom. She was about to be given access to whatever powers her blood silently held since she was born.

The blood that had caused the Organ Mandor to discard her. The blood that would make her the heir of the Organ House. The blood that she was determined to use to kill her father.

The transparent beads on her chest expanded slightly as she inhaled profoundly.

She walked until she was right under the gigantic crystal dome, and Ciaran, Sasha, Indianna, Carson and Brendon formed a circle around her.

This was happening. And it was happening now.

Hope’s eyes met Ciaran’s blue ones, and she nodded, trying to relax her tense body but not daring to close her eyes. The belts against her tights, chest and shoulders, and the weight of the daggers sheathed against her skin were extremely comforting. As they had always been. Ready to protect her.

Brendon started extending his arms in front of her, and Hope had a dagger in her hand before his hands reached the line of his shoulders.

His gorgeous face paled, and he swallowed before saying, “I’m just doing what Ciaran told us to do. Just my hands. Empty, weaponless, pretty much magicless hands. Promise.”

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