Page 60 of Glow of the Everflame

He took a slow step forward, then another, then he rushed to me and threw his arms around my neck.

I felt his tears, warm and wet, against my cheek, or maybe they were my own. And I felt the tremors of his fear, the dying light of his hope.

Or maybe it was my own.

We held each other for a long time, weeping and processing, our hearts breaking in unison in the cavernous darkness. Under the weight of the exhaustion that had taken up permanent residence in my soul, all my walls splintered and shattered into a fine powder.

“I’m scared,” I whispered, half hoping the words wouldn’t reach his ears. “I don’t think I can do this.”

“If anyone can, it’s you,” he said roughly. “You’ve always been able to do anything, no matter how frightening.”

“This isn’t climbing a big tree or exploring some new cave, Tel. I’mtwenty years old. I’ve barely lived. I have no business being Queen.”

He pulled back and clamped his hands on my shoulders. His own eyes were wet and rimmed with red, but his voice was steady. “If Lumnos chose you, there must be a reason. There’s something she sees in you, something you’re meant to do. You have to trust her.”

“Since when do we trust a Kindred?”

He grinned and squeezed my arms. “Since she had the good sense to pick a Bellator.”

I gave a weak laugh between sniffles, feeling the crushing dread ease the tiniest bit. “I’m not so special, Teller. The Crown just goes to whoever has the strongest magic.”

“And who gets the strongest magic? They’ve spent centuries trying to breed the most powerful offspring, and it never worked the way they wanted it to. Look at Luther and Lily—they’re siblings, but he’s powerful and she isn’t. Maybe that’s not a coincidence. Maybe there’s a reason you and Luther got so much more magic than anyone else.”

I pulled away and dropped my face in my hands, overwhelmed by the glowing burden on my head. I’d done a fine enough job of putting on a grand display of swagger to the Descended, but alone with Teller, I felt like a child playing dress up in comically oversized clothing.

He pulled at my wrists. “How can I help?”

“No. I don’t want you mixed up in this world with these people. They’re dangerous.”

“Mother said the same thing to you, and look how well that turned out. Don’t give me that look, you know I’m right. Besides, I’m already in this world, and I have been for a lot longer than you. You’re the one playing catch-up.”

We exchanged the kind of smirk and glare that only a too-clever little brother and an exasperated older sister could fully appreciate.

“Let me help you,” he insisted.

I blew out a shaky breath and tried to summon confidence back into my bones. “I’m meeting with the heads of the Twenty Houses after the ball. Can you gather some information about them? Especially how they feel about mortals and half-mortals.”

A shadow of resentment drifted over his face. “That’s easy enough. Before you, the kids at school would remind me daily how their families felt about mortals like me.”

I froze. “What do you mean ‘before me’?”

“They know I’m the Queen’s brother now.” He saw my look of horror and shrugged with a wry smile. “It was obvious once every Corbois suddenly began treating me like their closest friend.”

I swore under my breath. “Do you think the news has reached Father?”

His smile dropped away. “Not yet. But you need to tell him. If he finds out from anyone else...”

“I know.” A lump rose in my throat. “Luther asked me to wait until after the ball. Can you keep Father away from town until then?”

“I’ll try, but...” He ran a hand through his dark auburn curls, avoiding my eyes. “He hasn’t been at home much. Ever since you two fought, he’s been spending his time alone in the forest.”

The knot inside me sank like a heavy stone. I needed to make things right with my father. The years we had left together now felt urgently fleeting.

“I should go.” I sighed, glancing at the stairwell. Somehow I felt safer and happier in the gloomy dark of the dungeon than the bright sunny hallways that awaited me upstairs. I pulled him in for a final hug. “Teller,” I started, and my voice cracked.

“I know,” he murmured, squeezing me with all his strength. “I love you, too.”

“Even if I’m a soulless Descended monster like the rest of them?” I whispered.

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