Page 71 of Petals for Deadly Power

But that wasn’t the most impressive.

She had been using panom magic Giving wind.

Wind.

Wind.

What the actual Fifth blessing was that? Did a woman with such power truly need the Fifth power?

A flash of the Organ Mandor and his lovely Red and Black Lawful Stabs, of death and torture and endless pain, broke through Lenna’s thoughts. Okay, maybe Hope needed the Fifth power if she was to beathim.

The other panoms had tried to join her with their best efforts at moving the vehicle through the waves. Ayla’s eyes were sore and she couldn’t open them after a few minutes. Lenna had to use her magic like an old woman while sitting in a bloody chair as otherwise she was dizzy, and even doing that, she didn’t last long. Jake took a while until he joined his half-sister, but when he did, they were a marvelous sight of unhinged power, his silver eyes glittering as the sky changed above them.

Ciaran had been there from the beginning, and he was still there. Not using his magic constantly, as sometimes his shivering took over and his hands couldn’t aim properly. But he was still there, looking at Hope, drinking her in.

The men joined and stopped, rejoined and eventually stopped again. And Hope fucking Gave, Gave, Gave. What could someone’s inner scale be, so that unceasing, relentless magic didn’t seem to touch her? It was as if she didn’t have one.

The way Ciaran admired her, though. In all the years Lenna had known him, she had never seen the blue-eyed man be lost in another being. He looked at Hope as if she was everything that mattered, as if she was his guidance and his saving.

He didn’t leave her, not for a second. Every moment Hope Gave, he was there; anytime she accepted minimal rest, Ciaran took over, his shadows loose and more present than ever. Perhaps being surrounded by other courtrades, in a vehicle created by his dark god, had allowed him to embrace his shadows with freedom.

Lenna walked downstairs, looking for Jake, but he found her first.

“Here you are.” His eyes sparkled with something that could be excitement.

“I have questions.”

His side smile was challenging and amusing. “I love an interview.”

Lenna held his hand and dragged him towards one of the under-deck rooms. He closed the metallic, black door behind him and Lenna put her hands on her hips. “Can I mind-talk to you now?”

“You mean mind-annoy me? I don’t know, you tell me.”

That was not promising. “I’ve tried to tell you things multiple times in the past few hours, and either you’re an asshole who ignores me to annoy me, or it doesn’t work.”

His black hair covered his forehead when he tilted his head. “I haven’t ignored you. I would have loved to hear your inner monologue.”

Lenna’s brow furrowed. “It wasn’tmeantto be a monologue.”

His side smile didn’t move when his voice echoed in her mind.I know. I meant I would have loved to know what you so desperately wanted to tell me.

She snorted. “Well, there was a bit of everything, to be honest. A fewfor fuck’s sake just answer, someI know you’re listening, a coupleyou’ll never get rid of me now, and a very, very detailed description of how I would love your cock to fuck my mouth.”

His eyes darkened to a shade of grey immediately. “Very detailed, huh?” His hoarse voice and slow pace towards her made her core tighten. “Did it include how would I grab your hair in my fists while you do it? How I would fill you deeply into your throat until I made you gag? How would my cum taste in your mouth?”

“Yum.” Lenna grinned, the tip of her tongue sliding over her teeth as her golden eyes followed Jake’s until he towered over her. He put his hands under her thighs, lifting her until her back was pinned against the wall.

“I never want to get rid of you, sweet fire.”

His leathery scent and his strong body pressing against her were absolutely distracting and greatly welcomed. “I’m not sure I like to be called sweet fire anymore.”

“Why?”

“Nothing sweet about being too fucking stupid to burn myself and my ordeal with me. If anything, I’m fire-cursed.”

He shook his head slowly, his black waves brushing against her cheeks and neck.

His hand was on her jaw before she could blink, his lips meeting hers with longing and need. Her breath was ragged as their tongues collapsed in a dance that could last forever. It wasn’t only heated need, there was more.

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