Page 77 of Beg the Night

He put his hands up in surrender. God, he was only trying to help. I knew that. He’d been forced into this shitty situation just like I had been.

“You said you had a plan.” I stepped closer, my voice lowered in case there were guards nearby listening to us. Spying on us. Surely someone was watching. “What is it?”

His eyes flickered with a rebellious light. “I’ve felt your power before, Athena. I know I have. When we were drugged, and again in the shower. They say we have to perform the claiming in order to share our magic, but…”

Holy shit. “You think you can do it without completing the ritual?”

His dark eyes locked on mine, his expression earnest. “Yes. And I think if you truly accepted the gift you wield, it would be even stronger.”

My heart stumbled. “How would that help us, though? Even if I did have power, I can’t summon it at will. I have no idea how to use it, how it works, anything.”

“That’s the thing about the claiming,” he whispered, standing and stepping closer. “You won’t have to know how to wield your power. I can wield it for you.”

It hit me then. The most terrifying emotion I could possibly feel in a situation like this one.

Hope.

“That could work.”

“And they still have no clue what your power can do. Sure, your sister prattled on about it, but they won’t take her word for it. They have to see it to really believe it exists.”

I lifted my chin and swallowed past the lump in my throat. “Can you feel it now?” I asked. “My power?”

He stepped closer and placed a hand on either side of my face. I shivered at his touch. My nerve endings lit up, urging me closer. My every cell was pulled toward him. Whether because of the blood moon, the ceremony, or the chaos of this day, I didn’t know.

But I wanted him closer. I wanted more of him.

The sound of a mallet striking a large gong rang out across the forest, bouncing off the trees and startling me.

Sinner’s eyes widened, but he didn’t release me. “It’s time.”

“We have to do it.” I gripped his forearms. “They’ll know if we don’t. If you try to pull on my power without the actual claiming, they’ll know.”

His smile matched the fight in his eyes. “I’m an excellent actor. Do you trust me?”

TWENTY-THREE

sinner

The plan was risky. If this didn’t work, we would be punished for it, and Mags would be in danger. That alone made me consider ditching the plan entirely.

But if I gave in and did what they wanted, where would that put us? Would we ever be free of the Ministry’s grasp?

Mags was tough. Far tougher than she looked. She would be okay. And Athena was a fighter. I wouldnotbe the one to take that away from her. Especially not like this. I couldn’t fucking live with myself if I forced her to give any part of herself away.

I could already feel my magic reacting to her, the influence of the blood moon kicking in. This plan would work.

“We have to make them think we’re being intimate, okay?” I kept my tone low, ducking closer so we wouldn’t be overheard. “But I need you close so I can access your full power. Last time…” I cleared my throat. “I didn’t try to touch it, explore it. But it would have been easy. I’m sure of it.”

Hands still cupping her face, I ran my thumbs over her sharp cheekbones. Instantly, she softened. She always did, and it made me want to never take my hands off her.

“Okay,” she breathed. “But I don’t know how—I’ve never?—”

“Don’t worry.” I bowed my head, moving in until our lips were almost brushing. “I’ll take care of it. I just need you to open your power to me so I can access it. No more holding back, New Girl. No more hiding.”

She swallowed, averting her attention. “What if you hate it? What if it kills you?”

Oh, Athena.My heart pinched painfully in my chest. There was so much she had to learn about me still. So much she would learn very quickly if what I had planned worked the way I thought it would. “I’ll tell you a secret.” I lifted her chin, forcing her to look at me. “Nothing can kill me.”

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