Page 66 of Nidev and Lyric

“First lesson. I sent you to the library.”

“Yes, you did.”

“Did you notice something wrong with the text?”

She considered it. “Well… you did akindof lousy job telling me exactly where to find that book.”

Two impressed raised brows. “Very good.”

“Youmeantthat?” she gawked.

“I did.” He took a spoon from the tray and brought it to her mouth. She drew her head back, eyeing it suspiciously. “Eat it,” he urged softly.

She leaned and took it in her mouth, her jaw freezing and her face crimping as that light in his eyes twinkled with his grin. “Sour,” she barely mumbled, swallowing, then giving a full body shiver, her eye twitching for five whole seconds.

His sexy laugh was worth the humiliation. “Sorry,” he muttered.

“So you…soured the instructions?” she wondered.

He propped his arm on his raised knee, angling his look at her. “That’s actually not a bad summary.”

“Butwhydid you do it,” she said, squinting her eye at him. “That’s the question, isn’t it?”

“It is.”

“Don’t tell me!” she shot out. “Can I guess?”

“Go for it,” he murmured, his tongue sliding across his lower lip.

“You…soured the instructions to… confuse me. Because…” Her brows drew together, head angling at him, watching the humor grow in his gaze. “Okay, I have no idea,” she mumbled, getting another big laugh that vibrated in all the right places.

“So… your gift,” he began, getting her excited attention. “It’s defined by your emotions. How you perceive things in regard to yourself. If what you perceive about yourself is… soured,” he said, raising her brows. “Then your powers will be too.”

She stared, frozen in thought about it, then sucked in a breath. “Oh my God,” she whispered, snapping her eyes to him. “Are you serious?”

“Very,” he said, the tip of his tongue doing something distracting.

“My God,” she whispered, shaking her head right as another realization hit her, one evenmoredisturbing. “So… if what I believe about myself defines my gifts and I’m believing lies, then… my gift is… spreading those lies toothers?”

He gave a tilted head nod. “Very good.”

“No, not good!” she gawked. “That’s terrible!”

“But understanding is critical.” He picked up the second spoon. “Next lesson,” he said while her mouth hung open in shock still.

He brought the spoon to her mouth, and she narrowed her gaze on it, worried. “Can I have a drink in case…”

He brought a bottle of water up and set it on the table.

She eyed it impressed. “You’re ready.”

“Always,” he muttered.

“Don’t get sexy with me.”

He lowered his grin then eyed her. “Take the bite.”

She opened and he slipped it in.

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