Page 6 of The Dark Rises
Another thought occurs. “You know because you can wield this power. Did you give it to me?”
CHAPTER THREE
MERI
Cormal gives me a smug nod but merely admits, “I do possess a… similar magic. It’s how I accumulated so much power.”
Floored, I can only stare at him as the knowledge hits me. He helped me. Cormal gave me his magic when I was powerless. The ability to mimic. Emotion clogs my throat, and for a second, I can’t speak. All this time I thought him heartless and cruel, but at some point, he shared his magic with me, and to give me a power of that magnitude, he must have cared for me. A lot.
A minute ago, I wasn’t sure remembering the past would change how I feel. Suddenly, I want to know every detail. How we met. What we were to each other. Why he gave me magic. I remember having the ability to mimic other’s powers, but the magic I picked up from others never stayed with me.
What went wrong? Shadowy images from my dreams slide through my mind, but I don’t know what they mean. The only facts I know about that time came from Rivan. Leandra sent meto him to get a rune. Her original intent was to block my magic, but all he could do was limit my ability to wield it.
Slowly, I reveal my thoughts to Cormal, watching his face for any indication I’m right. Satisfaction replaces his intense look, confirming without words Leandra’s involvement. It makes me more determined than ever to remember my dreams. I slide a gaze to the clarity rune on my palm. I wonder if Arden has a spell to enhance it.
Knowing Cormal can’t tell me, I decide to ask him about the magic itself. “Can I mimic any power?”
“Not every power is available for me to grab,” he informs me with a ghost of a smile on his lips. Apparently, telling me about “his” power helps him get around his agreement with Leandra. “The origin of the power is black magic, and it isn’t predictable.”
“Black magic, huh?” I look at him speculatively, then I pull my hand from his and reach down to pick up my sandwich. Taking a huge bite, I chew for a minute while I think. “Is this the same magic that got your sister kidnapped?”
He glances away for a minute. “Yes. Ri´ created it.”
It sounds like he said “Ree.”
“Your sister?” I ask. When he nods, I continue. “Is Ree short for something?”
“Riona,” he tells me. “But we always called her Ri´.”
Taking advantage of his willingness to talk about her, I continue. “She wielded black magic?”
“Better than me,” he admits with a proud smile. “At the time, her magic surpassed mine a hundredfold.” Memories shine in the depths of his eyes, along with profound sadness. “It was her best and worst moment. Creating that power is what led to her disappearance. In her absence, I’ve used it to become more in hopes of finding her.”
More? Including his immortality? The past is opening doors between Cormal and me that I hadn’t expected. I open mymouth to ask him another question, but the knob turns and Madoc walks into the room, wearing clean clothes.
Stopping abruptly, his nostrils flare and a low growl slips from his throat. His eyes swing to the bed, and I realize he’s probably smelling Cormal and me.
Cormal chuckles beside me, and I glare at him before waving a hand to remove the scent of sex.
Madoc’s gaze swivels to lock on me, his stare intense and, shockingly, full of heat. Tension sparks between us. An image of us together on the same bed slips into my mind. His dark tousled hair and muscular, scarred body next to my platinum-blond, petite frame is quite the contrast. Inhaling sharply, I raise an eyebrow at him, wondering if the image is all in my mind or if I accidentally shared it with him like I’ve been doing with Cormal.
It’s not as if I haven’t noticed him. I notice every male around me, and I really appreciate the delicious flavor of them all. I silently laugh, thinking of my guards and how I thought of Neapolitan ice cream when I looked at them.
Madoc is different, though. Powerful, but that doesn’t mean much to me. Anger and revenge swirl in his eyes and the clench of his fists. There’s nothing light about him, which sort of explains why I find myself attracted to him. Dark is catnip to me, and he’s got more than his fair share.
His steel-grey stare never wavers from me.
Cormal growls, “Not fucking happening.”
When we both swing our gazes to him, there’s a huge scowl on his face, but it’s his eyes that worry me. They’re starting to turn black. Guess passion isn’t the only thing that brings the beast to the surface.
The sight of it makes me laugh. “Jealous?”
Madoc snorts. “Settle down, brùid. It’s not as if you could stop me. Besides, she can make up her own mind.”
The utter confidence in his voice is thrilling and a little scary.
I shiver and put down the sandwich. “Moving on from this rather boring conversation. Did you find your friend?”
