Page 26 of Flowerheart

“It was my mother’s,” I murmured as the book swiftly replaced itself. A pit formed in my stomach at the thought of her—and of him, accepting payment from me yesterday as if we were complete strangers.

He set the ring flat on the oak table. “Thank you,” he said, his voice gentler—no longer teasing. “Your turn.”

He left it there and approached the bookshelf nearest the fireplace, running his finger along the spines. I ambled towards the emptier desk, where a sketched family portrait sat in a silver frame. Three smiling girls, hugging their embarrassed, blushing brother.

“What sort of blessing did you give Inés?” I asked.

A stack of books thudded on the desk at my side, causing me to clutch my chest.

“Sorry,” he murmured. He held out the chair for me, and I sat.

I fanned the books out on the table. Each was jewel-toned, worn at the edges, and bore a title in silver print:A Complete Guide to Blessings and Curses. A Critical Study of the Power of Voice and Intention. Speak No Evil.

Xavier leaned over my shoulder, laying his long fingersagainst the cover of the latter. His sleeve brushed mine, and his hair hung down as he bent his head. My face prickled with warmth as he leaned by me. He smelled of oranges and cloves, like a nice, wintry tea.

“I blessed Inés with courage,” he said, drawing back the cover and flipping through pages.

She’d always been quiet, even around her own family. Xavier was the one who could always make her smile. Now that they were apart... it made sense that he would want to give her the gift of bravery in his absence.

He pointed to a chapter heading:Visualization.“I pictured her talking to strangers. Walking fearlessly through the marketplace. Standing up to bullies. In my mind, I could see the scenes vividly. I could smell the night air, hear the crowds, feel her heartbeat. It was easy to imagine it being the truth. I held her hands in mine and felt that intention flowing from me to her.”

Even now, he spoke so tenderly of her. He glanced at the sketch on the desk and sighed.

I hated seeing Xavier so sad, especially in this room. Although he’d changed a great deal, it just felt... wrong.

We had laughed in this room. We’d read here for hours and hours. I remembered my stomach aching from lying on the rug for so long. The smell of the pages, the sound of them whipping back and forth as he and I read as fast as we could. The crackle of the hearth and the heat of the fireplace against our cheeks.

“Do you remember the contests we used to have?” I piped up. “To see who could read the fastest?”

As I’d hoped, he looked back to me, raising a brow. “I remember you cheating.”

A laugh burst from me, far too loud in the big room. Little sparks fizzled in the air, so small and quick I wondered if I’d imagined them. “Icheated? There’s no possible way you finished a five-hundred-page novel in thirty minutes.”

“Nor was it possible foryouto have read an entire textbook about using root vegetables in potions. Including the footnotes and appendices.”

I bit my lip and primly turned my attention back to the textbooks before me now. “Perhaps I skimmed a little bit. But I couldn’t let you win.”

“Oh, I know.” He lifted the ring from the table opposite from mine and examined it in the lamplight. “Did your father ever tell you anything about your mother? You... didn’t like to talk about her, growing up.”

Magic twisted my stomach like a wet rag. My smile faded. Istilldidn’t like talking about her. But I’d made a bargain. “Papa said that she used to pray that I would grow up to be a witch like her.” I swallowed to hold my nausea at bay.

Xavier nodded slowly, glancing towards the door. He absently reached into his pocket and procured two small pearl earrings and then my tiny bag of coins. He laid them all beside the ring.

“I shouldn’t have taken these,” he murmured. “You’realready giving me enough.”

A shiver rolled down my back. I was paying him with my magic, after all. And that was a good thing, I promised myself. I wouldn’t miss my magic. Iwouldn’t.

Delicately, I cradled the earrings in my hands. Papa had given them to me for my birthday, along with the sweetest, softest lemon cake.

When I looked up again, Xavier was nearly out the door.

“Thank you, Xavier!” I called.

He didn’t look back. “Best of luck with your studies, Miss Lucas.” And he shut the door behind him.

Leaning in my chair, I scowled down at the earrings. “What an odd man,” I muttered. He was kind to give me back my possessions. But he hadn’t offered to let me keep my power after the blessing was complete. A gift more precious than gold or jewelry, most said. I’d offered it up so easily.

And he’d accepted it just as easily.

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