Page 82 of Joined By Magic

My eyes widened and my hands fell limp at my sides. “Return your power?”

Leo closed his eyes for a moment, longing etched into his face. “Yes. He thinks the process is reversible.”

No wonder he was prepared to work with the enemy. He must want it to be true with everything he had. But no. I’d seen the darkness in Adante firsthand, the sadistic joy he took in tormenting us.

“I don’t believe him. What’s the catch?”

“He wants the throne of Atar. For me to give up my claim.”

My rapid breaths strained against the bodice of my dress. “So, if you kill the king, he’d rule here?”

“Yes.”

“But—” I cut myself off. Why was I objecting to this? I hated Atar. If Leo returned to Dexia and swept in to save the day, surely they’d welcome us home. My heart twisted with longing at the idea. But . . .

“What about the people here? The way non-mages live? You could have changed things when you took over as king. They won’t be any better off under Adante than they are now.”

I’d seen the slums. Dexia was a paradise by comparison.

“I wouldn’t be too sure. He seems to care about his woman, and she’s a non-mage. Maybe she’ll be a good influence.” He gripped my hand and glanced toward the door, growing impatience in his movements. “And the king has to be stopped. I can’t do it like this.”

Of course. Without his magic, he couldn’t fight. Couldn’t rule anywhere. What would happen if I dug my heels in and insisted he reject Adante’s deal? We’d be imprisoned again, the king would probably win, and Leo would be executed. No. Even a deal with a monster was better than that.

I squeezed Leo’s hand. “Okay. What now?”

His eyes held desperate hope. “If everything goes as planned, I get my power back.”

We left the room. Adante waited, flanked by Talia, who was dressed in another extravagant gown. She gave me a once-over as we emerged. “Shit. That must have been uncomfortable to sleep in.”

I watched her warily. Did Adante care about her? Was he capable of it? They’d spent months together. How did she feel about him? I couldn’t imagine spending time with him, doing normal things, having conversations. Having sex.Ugh.The idea made my skin crawl.

“It was. Good thing I’ll never have to wear it again.” I couldn’t keep the sadness from my voice.

Talia smiled, and it lit up her face. “Do a repeat wedding once this is all over. You deserve a proper party.”

An odd thing to focus on, given the circumstances, but the thoughtful comment made me smile back. She seemed normal. Kind, even.

Adante stepped forward, a small device in his hand. A smooth black cylinder, unremarkable, like all magical tech seemed to be. He held it up for Leo to examine. “I’ve calibrated this to repair the damage I inflicted. Brace yourself. This might hurt.”

I tensed. The sight of Adante, weapon pointed at Leo, dumped oceans of terror into my veins. “Wait! How do we know this won’t kill him?”

“You’ll have to trust me.” Smooth amusement laced Adante’s words, and it scraped across my nerves. The bastard loved this.

“If he wanted me dead, I’d be dead already.” Leo squeezed my hand, then stepped to the side and squared his shoulders. “Do it.”

Adante held the device steady and let out a slow breath. Nothing appeared to happen, but Leo cried out, his body spasming. I clutched the skirt of my dress to force myself to keep still. I mustn’t interrupt the process.

Leo dropped to his knees, hands clawing at his chest. Long moments passed, but he calmed. His hands ceased their motion and fell to his sides, and his face lost its tortured grimace. With his eyes closed, he turned his face to the ceiling. Adante breathed hard.

I took a tentative step toward Leo. He seemed to sense the motion. His eyes flew open, pupils dilated, giving him a wild aura. He held out a hand and stared, as if it were an alien appendage.

“Did it work?” I whispered. Please, Zantus, let it have worked. If it failed, Leo might never get over the crushing disappointment.

In answer, Leo broke into a grin. Blue fire coated his hands, and flames reached twisty fingers toward the ceiling.

“Yes. It fucking worked!” Unrestrained joy.

My face split with an answering grin. These moments pulled me to him. The times his controlled facade slipped long enough for me to glimpse the wild boy he’d once been. He shot to his feet in a fluid motion and faced his brother.

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