Page 34 of Of Pixies and Promises
His finger touched the spot on his cheek where the Guardian teardrop glowed. “Do you think it was my gift? You always talk about your mana depleting after you use it, but I feel the same. Am I supposed to feel different?”
Her lips turned into an O of surprise, and she patted herself. “I feel different. I feel like I shifted, even though I didn’t command it.”
“You think I borrowed your mana?”
“Or maybe…” Her gaze turned thoughtful as it landed on the metal weapon in his hands. Before he could stop her, she snatched it from him and gasped, her eyes wide and panicked. He thought she’d drop it, but then one hand latched onto him, and she exhaled in relief. Excited eyes met him, she gripped his arm and said, “I’m going to shift us back to full size.”
“But you can’t,” he said. “You’re holding the gun.”
In a dizzying instant, they were back to full size. Nyra grinned and handed him the gun.
“Your gift is sharing,” she exclaimed. “Do you know what this means?”
“I don’t have a gift?”
“It means that when we touch, you can borrow from me, and I can borrow from you. I could use mana while holding metal, but only when connected to you. My connection to the Well was cut savagely when I let go of you. It felt like I’d flown too high orhad walked over ancient ruins. It hurt, Sid. It hurt to be cut. But then I touched you and it was back.” Awe filled her eyes. “You’re the answer to the gully’s problem.”
“Fangs, I’m not following.”
“My mother is having trouble connecting to the Well with all this metal.” She gestured to the mined and spilled cobalt. To the bullets littered over the ground. To the trucks. “But if I’m connected to you, borrowing your gift to flow the mana around the metal, then I can do what she can’t. I can repair the damage the humans have done. I can bring the gully back to life.”
Sid could virtually feel the joy bursting from her. He lowered his lips and kissed her. She smiled and pulled back to say, “I’ll get my mother. We’ll start here where it’s worse.”
She was gone before he could protest, so he took a breath and shook his head, smiling to himself at how happy she was. His smile dropped when he walked toward Shade and Silver at the heart of the mining operation.
They had the situation under control. Those who weren’t dead were divested of weapons and huddled in a circle. Five, Sid counted as he walked closer.
Manabeeze floated lazily around the clearing, leaving ghostly streaks of light swirling through the misty darkness. Fae had been killed—Nyra’s people. His heart squeezed.
Shade’s hand rested protectively on Silver’s neck as she leaned over the group, snarling words at them Sid couldn’t hear. Shade didn’t seem worried. His dark gaze eased to Sid as he approached. His pointed vampire tongue darted out to lick the blood from the corner of his lips. Then he lazily toyed with the long braid running down Silver’s back, waiting for her to finish saying whatever she needed.
This might not have ended this way if Shade hadn’t been here to help. Colt was right, Sid needed to spend time at the Orderand train. Now that he had different weapons at his fingertips, he would have to relearn how to fight.
Sid’s bare feet crunched over rock and debris. He winced as sharp twigs stung. His adrenaline must have been too high to feel the pain before.
“Just kill them,” Shade growled impatiently.
“No,” Silver replied. “We have to give them a chance.”
“Some of them already had a chance,” Sid pointed out, nodding to the soldiers he’d faced and disarmed. Something familiar in their eyes halted him. Fear.
Sid was in their shoes once. He was who Shade had begged Silver to let him kill. But just like now, she’d stopped him. Even after that mercy, it had taken Sid months to change his mind about the Fae.
“But they need time,” he added, agreeing with Silver. “Change doesn’t happen overnight.”
“If we see you back here,” Shade snarled at them. “I’ll be drinking my fill.”
“Before we let them go,” Sid said. “Let them see Nyra and her mother bring this gully back to life. They need to witness it with their own eyes.”
Nyra returned with her mother and a collection of bloody, vicious pixie soldiers still twitchy from battle. Moss and the dark-haired, blue-eyed soldier were there. They wanted to kill the prisoners, but Sid and Silver convinced them to wait.
Queen Juniper’s expression was grave as she took her daughter’s face in her hands. “You were right, Nyra. The Well had a purpose.”
Her words came out breathless, as though she struggled to catch air. Her gaze skated to where Sid leaned against a tree, keeping a respectful distance. She beckoned him over. When he stood by Nyra’s side and curled his arm around her shoulders, Juniper gave him a genuine smile.
“Your love for my daughter is bright in your eyes. You will be a good consort.”
“Mother?” Nyra’s voice turned tight. “What’s wrong?”
