Page 49 of Petals for Deadly Power

Ciaran’s biceps brushed against Hope’s arm as he moved to read the golden ink he had received. Hope read Lenna’s handwriting on his forearm and inhaled sharply.

Ciaran didn’t move for a while, and when he finally lifted his hand, dark green sparks left with his reply.

It was almost ante meridiem when Hope climbed the stairs to the deck of the navia. She needed fresh air, and she really enjoyed admiring the shadows of the courtrades pushing the massive vehicle across the Radel Sea.

At first, the shadows of Stevian, Nyraxa, and Ciaran seemed all the same. By now, Hope had observed—analyzed—them so much that she was able to differentiate them.

Nyraxa’s shadows were lighter, less dense, to the point that sometimes one could see through them, but they were also faster, more agile. Stevian’s were sturdy and elegant, their shapes always whole, never a loose streak. And Ciaran’s . . .

Ciaran’s shadows were pure, lethal night, the darkest shade of black, and they never faltered.

Hope stepped outside, the red-tinged moon welcoming her. She inhaled the night deeply, the salty smell of the sea breeze filling her nostrils.

Stevian smiled when he saw her, the deep wrinkles around his blue eyes warming Hope’s heart. “Good darkness, young lady.”

“Stevian.” She bowed her head, smiling. “Is the wind behaving?”

He chuckled. “Behaving badly, if we let it do as it pleases.”

“Good blessing you have it under control.” Hope sighed, looking at the indistinguishable horizon. “Are you doing all the hard work by yourself?” She had offered her help many times before, but the courtrade always declined politely, with the deepest gratitude.

“Ciaran was here a moment ago. Llunal allowing, I’m sure he’ll be back shortly.” His hands moved, and trails of shadows flew towards the peaks of the crescent shape. “I was thinking, right before you came, how cruel your goddesses are.”

Hope looked at him, expecting disapproval, judgment, or disgust towards the Cardinals, but she found none. Stevian looked at the sky, his white hair bright in the night, as if he was talking to Hope but also to Llunal’s stars.

“Do you know how Thyria and panom magic works?” Hope asked.

Stevian tensed his lips, his blue eyes glittering so vividly, to the point Hope thought she’d seen a tear.

“I had to learn many years ago,” he whispered. “It’s beautiful and powerful, the way your magic works. It’s unique and devastating, that panoms live and die for balance, andbecause ofbalance. It’s tragic and unfair that your goddesses built a nation where something as precious as love doesn’t prevail above balance.”

She had managed to rein in her tears in since her ordeal, and that had been an achievement.

Now, Hope bit her bottom lip to keep from crying, but it wasn’t enough. She buried her nails in her skin, clenching her fists.

“No one should ever be ashamed or guilty of feeling,” Stevian said.

She clenched her jaw harder, her inner castle of self-discipline threatening to go down with her.

“Have you ever been in love?” Her voice left her lips before she could stop it. The weakest question she had ever asked.

The tears from his blue eyes fell freely on his wrinkled skin. “I fell in love, and my life changed. We lived, we loved, we suffered, we laughed. We built a family, we grew, we learned. Then the darkness took her away.” Stevian didn’t take his blue eyes away from the starry night, his smile widening. “I’ve never stopped loving her and I never will. For as long as I breathe, I will love her in this world, and when Llunal claims me, I will rejoin my love in the stars.”

Hope covered her mouth with a hand, her cheeks wet as her body shook. Stevian looked at her, dire sadness in his eyes and voice.

“There is nothing more heartless than your Cardinals forbidding love between panoms because of the blood in their veins. They will find balance in the land, but nowhere else.”

31

Lenna

Nothingandnoonecould change Lenna’s mind about five things.

The first, it had been a terrible idea to sign up as the striver of the Taking ordeal.

The second, that she progressively worried more as each day passed, and she now was officially in a freaking-the-royal-shit-out permanent state.

The third, that Jake being possessive had been an unexpected, massive turn-on.

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