Page 60 of Their Chosen

He wasn't angry at me or the others, just the situation and the loss of control. There was nothing he hated more than not being in control or having the answers. Especially not after what happened to his family and people at the hands of my mother.

“I was across the room sorting through the weapons and trying to plan out how to further her training when I felt magic rise in the air. Almost as if she had triggered some kind of spell.” Arryn stated, his eyes haunted with pain as they met mine across her body.

“How is she? Will she be okay?” Baer demanded impatiently behind us, his usually energetic and bubbly self now pacing with his need to hold her.

“She's physically fine. No injuries, but her magic was almost completely burned out during whatever this was.” Arryn stated what I already knew. She had poured an inordinate amount of power through me, my own magic consuming it greedily and exhausting me in the process.

“Speaking of which, how exactly did you keep her power from consuming her, Lennox?” Arryn asked me, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. He was right to be suspicious. I had deliberately kept this from him and the others. From everyone.

Seeing no other way out of this, I knew I had to come clean with them. It would be the first time I would say this out loud, and I was nervous, but it wasn't because I didn't trust them. I was nervous about how they'd react. I had kept this from everyone, even my mother, for fear of how she would use me. I didn't trust anyone with this knowledge, at least until now.

I met his eyes. “I'm a soul sucker. I can consume the magics of others,” I said matter-of-factly as if discussing the weather.

“What the hell?” Baer exclaimed.

“I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone else about this. I've taken great care to ensure that it doesn't get out, so if you don't mind, please keep your voices down.” I glared at Baer.

When he nodded at me, thoroughly chastised, I turned back to Arryn. “I discovered what I could do when I was around ten, when my powers first started to show. I’ve made sure to keep them to myself, never having told another soul until now. I didn't want them to be used by anyone other than me,” I said simply, not wanting to go into the actual amount of fear I had felt at the time. I had been terrified that Mother would find out what I could do, and that she would turn me into her new executioner, even as a child.

Now that I was older, I knew that having a power such as this as a secret would also ensure my safety in this treacherous cesspool of a Court. By keeping this to myself, I could ensure my survival no matter what. I was giving that up now, trusting these men with my life, and I wasn't sure they fully understood the gravity of the situation. But as I looked at Arryn and then Callum, I saw that they understood completely, having grown up in the same mess I had. Not liking the empathy I saw there, I glanced back down at Rhowyn, my hand caressing her cheek almost against my will. I was drawn to her despite my desire not to be.

“We should take her back to our room. Hopefully, without being seen. We wouldn't want anyone to see her like this and to start asking questions. The fewer of those we have to answer, the better,” I stated. I would carry her myself, but I wasn't sure if I could even stand without assistance right now. She had taken almost everything I had; her magic had been so great. She was inexplicably powerful, and no one had any clue.

“I know a secret tunnel we can take that should deliver us to the guest hall, but we'll have to brave the hallway from there,” I told them simply. I tried to push to my feet, almost making it, but my muscles gave way at the last moment. Callum caught me before I could fall. His arm wrapped around my back and under my shoulders, supporting my weight easily enough. It wasn't like I was soft, but I also wasn't the bulkiest of men either. I preferred to keep my abilities to myself, including the fact that I was quite capable of holding my own in a fight.

Arryn picked up Rhowyn, cradling her to his chest protectively. I pointed to the far wall. “Over there, you'll find a hidden door behind the panel in the weapon’s closet.”

Baer rushed over to the room and opened the door as we all made our way after him slowly. “This is so cool!” he exclaimed as we entered the passageway.

“It's not cool. It's actually quite warm after that display,” Callum stated. Baer laughed at him, and I felt Callum stiffen next to me. “Why do you laugh at me?” he demanded.

Baer chuckled softly. “It's just that cool is a human term for swell or awesome. Rhowyn uses the term frequently, along with many other humans. It was one of the first terms I learned during my time on Earth,” he stated simply.

I had a general idea of the meaning but hadn't really known what it meant. Apparently, I hadn't been the only one. “Then why doesn't she just say that?” Callum asked as we ambled through the passages.

“Not sure. It's just something they all use almost without thinking about it,” Baer explained further.

“That's why she laughed at me earlier,” Callum mumbled to himself, so quietly I almost didn't hear it. I bit back a smile, imagining her laughing at the hulk of a man currently supporting most of my weight. He wouldn't have liked that much if he was still the same as I remembered. He never did like being the one outside of the know or the center of the joke.

We drew near to an intersection, and Baer paused in front of us, waiting for me to tell him which way to go. “Go left up here, but we need to be quiet from this point on, so we don’t draw attention to ourselves. We're next to a hallway, which is on the other side of that wall,” I told them.

We walked the rest of the way in silence, Callum moving more quietly than I had anticipated for someone as large as he was. We reached the end of the passage, and we paused together in the cramped space. Arryn whispered, “Baer, exit quietly while we wait here. Check out the area and make sure it's clear before coming back to let us know when to go.”

Baer saluted him playfully, the earlier scare with Rhowyn not seeming to affect him as much. If he only knew what I did, he'd feel differently. Once we were back in the suite, I'd have to let them in on what I had gathered during the incident.

He pushed the door out just far enough for him to get a peek and then slipped out. He shut the door behind him as he walked off. We stood there in silence, waiting for him to return, when Rhowyn let out a groan. Shit! She was starting to wake, and we couldn't have that just yet. We needed to keep this passageway a secret, which meant we needed absolute silence.

I looked over my shoulder at Arryn and Rhowyn. He was glancing down at her as she started to shift in his arms. “Arryn, you need to keep her quiet,” I hissed at him, praying no one was near enough to hear us. Before he could do anything though, the door opened, and I jerked my gaze to the door. Someone had heard us and found the passage. Shit!

I relaxed when I realized it was just Baer, and he stuck his head inside. “Come on!” he whispered. “There's a group heading our way, but if we leave now, we can beat them to the room.”

Callum rushed out the door, dragging me along with him, Arryn following with Rhowyn. Baer shut the door behind us again as we dashed down the hallway to our suite. I could hear the voices of another group drawing nearer, but we managed to get inside just as they were rounding the corner.

Thank goodness they didn't see us. Any Fae worth their station would use our injuries and issues against us in the trials to ensure they came out on top. We couldn’t afford that, along with everything else we were dealing with.

Callum led me to the chair opposite the couch as Arryn laid Rhowyn down, resting her head on a pillow. She looked so peaceful lying there when, not thirty minutes ago, she was on the verge of death. I couldn't think about how close we came without getting thoroughly pissed, so I asked Callum to get me a glass of water. I needed to focus on something else, anything else.

Arryn stood there, gazing at her sleeping form, Baer sitting on the floor by her feet, needing to be close to her. Those two had drawn much closer to her than Callum and I had, but I knew the only reason we hadn't yet was because we were both stubborn asses. I was beginning to realize it was only a matter of time before we all succumbed to her charms.

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