Page 172 of Blood Feast

“It’s difficult to do that, too, when his words hit a sore point. Lio frustrates me so much when it seems he won’t let me protect him the way he protects me. He was born to protect our people. But I chose to, and that is no less powerful.”

If Lyros realized she was talking about him and Mak, too, he gave no sign. She hoped her words had gotten through to his analytical mind, even if they hadn’t yet reached his heart.

Lyros drew himself up. “I’m sorry I let my temper get the best of me when we have work to do. Get some rest. We’ll start tracking Miranda tomorrow night.”

She arched a brow at him. “No more brutal training sessions before our next excursion, General Lyros?”

“You and Lio are dismissed,” he said. “Mak and I need the practice room until dawn.”

The glint in his eye reassured her that sparring was not what he intended to do with Mak for the rest of the night.

At the top ofthe tower, Cassia stood in the center of the ritual markings. The Rose of Hespera she had created from her ancestors’ nonagram glowed red in the dark room. She let herdual magic flow along the lines of the rose and down through the spell patterns of the tower to touch the letting site.

“I know I should look for Miranda first,” she said, “but there’s something else I want to try.Needto try.”

Lio spoke from just outside the ritual circle. “You want to infuse this letting site with your blood magic, too.”

“How did you know?”

Her senses were so alive with power that his voice seemed to fill the shadows. “I can feel your thirst to know what’s possible. I understand it, Cassia.”

“Experimenting with a letting site is like baiting a wild animal.”

His fanged smile flashed at her. “Then show it you bite back.”

That made her smile. His excitement for their magical experiment was infectious. “Thank you for being willing to try my dangerous idea.”

“You know I will take any risk in this world to help you become more powerful.”

She didn’t miss the implication in his words. He was thinking of her other affinities, as well. She let that debate lie and hoped it would not wake anytime soon.

She probed the letting site, and the Lustra rose, ready to come to her. “It feels like plant roots, made for pulling nourishment out of the soil. The channeling only goes in one direction.”

“But you know it can be reversed. Your experience at Paradum proved that.”

This time, she reached deep within herself. Her Gift was everpresent, permeating her bones and veins and skin, sustaining the plant magic within her. She pushed her dual magic down toward the letting site with all her might. Her feet left the ground, and she hovered on the outpouring of power.

She felt as if she dissolved into the wave of her magic and crashed down into the letting site. When she struck the Lustra,the impact slammed through her. Her blood magic rebounded, chased by a massive wave of Lustra magic.

Her back and head struck something solid, bringing her back to her body. Stars exploded on her vision, and her dagger flew from her hand. Then she was in free fall.

She landed in Lio’s arms, numb all over. As feeling returned, she felt pain. Everywhere. Where he cradled her head, her skin and hair were wet with blood.

His calm was like a sure grip on their Union, holding fear at bay. “Cassia, can you hear me? Try to answer aloud.”

She wasn’t human anymore. A blow to the head couldn’t kill a Hesperine. “I can hear you.”

He lifted her eyelids. “Can you see me?”

“Yes, you handsome creature.”

He grinned. “You’re going to be all right, I can tell. Have a drink so that nasty bump heals faster.”

She reached for his wrist, then hissed in pain. “I think my dagger hand is as broken as my head.”

He caressed her cheek, putting his wrist to her mouth. “Hesperine magical experiments can be rather damaging, but fortunately, we are very hard-headed.”

As his blood flowed into her, she let out a sigh. She could do much worse than lay broken in his arms with him gently feeding her till she healed.

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