Page 74 of Phoenix Falling
Her voice became even more troubled. “Risk’s gift… I’ve seen some pretty amazing things in my long life—like Kat—but this? I’ve never known a psych who could fashion glamours, much less make you believe in actions that never took place.”
“If it’s true,” I mused. “The glamours I understand—I’m a shape-shifter, after all—but how could Cale believe he’d had sex with her and not realize it hadn’t happened at all?”
Lyris rubbed at her forehead as if it ached. “I have no idea. I mean, the female could become anyone, make us believe anything, and we wouldn’t know the difference.”
“And yet,” I pointed out, “with a matebond, Sun would become the only one she can’t fool.”
“He could use the matebond to control her?”
I shrugged. It wasn’t ideal, but it was a reassurance. “Not control, per se. Their minds would be one. He wouldn’t have to invade to read her; he’d already be there.” With the two of them bonded, I didn’t worry about Risk using her gift against us. As things stood right now, I had a feeling we were on borrowed time.
A sharp curse left my twin. “What are we gonna do?”
I gripped her shoulder and squeezed, steadying her and myself. “We do our best to make him see sense.” As Imogen crossed back toward us carrying a small bag, I lowered my voice. “And pray she can find a way to forgive him.”
“I’m not sure I could,” Lyris admitted. “What he did…”
Much as I sympathized with my king, the idea of hurting my mate like that, drilling into her deepest, darkest secrets and seeing blood drip from her eyes, stirred my dragon’s and my protective instincts into a bubbling cauldron of tension. “I know.”
And then Imogen was beside me, taking my hand, and everything righted itself. I could breathe again. My anger stilled. I shared the feeling with Lyris, showing her what was possible.
Her shoulder relaxed beneath my hand. “Go on.” Her voice said she was tired, but I knew her well; she would watch over her charges as carefully as I would Imogen.
I bent to kiss her cheek.“Reach out if you need me, Valkyrie.”
She scoffed but patted my cheek with affection.
Imogen was quiet while we made our way through the deserted halls toward my suite of rooms. Only when we were locked inside, alone, did she speak. “Want to talk about it?”
I wasn’t certain if I did or not, but I found myself spilling the words anyway. I removed Imogen’s cloak, folded it, and led her to a seat. Got us drinks. And the whole time, I talked, maybe trying to make sense of it all myself while trying to make sense of it for my mate.
As I wound down, Imogen gasped. “His mate?”
I planted my elbows on my knees and stared into my glass, shifting the amber liquid back and forth. “I think so.”
“And what did he do to her?”
Her voice had gone hard, and I didn’t blame her. I rubbed at the ache taking up residence behind my breastbone. “The royal line has a particular gift.”
“A psychic gift, you mean. I thought males didn’t have psychic gifts.”
“We have basic psych skills like telepathy, but no, we don’t normally have gifts like you do,” I explained. “The royal line is different.”
“All of them or just Sun?”
“It is passed down from father to son.”
“So he…invaded her mind?”
That ache again. “He did.”
“Demetri…that’s like…”
I didn’t want to say it, but we were both thinking it. I nodded my confirmation. “It was against her will.”
The bright sheen of tears welled in Imogen’s eyes. “How do you come back from that? How could he do that to his mate?”
Thankfully his mate was one of the few safe from the worst effect of his gift, though I wouldn’t point that out to Imogen. Psychs—due to the way their minds were fashioned, perhaps—were usually not harmed. Solomon had used it repeatedly on his queen, though few outside the Warrior’s Council were privy to that knowledge. He’d also subjected his son to the gift again and again throughout his long life. Sun, having the gift himself, had come out all right; males who did not, however? Their minds were inevitably damaged beyond healing.
