Page 76 of Kingdom of Chaos
A coy smile spreads over my best friend’s face. “You think so?”
“Definitely.”
She straightens her shoulders and fluffs her hair. It’s streaked pink this morning. “As he should be. I’m a catch.”
“That’s right you are,” I laugh.
She places her hands on her hips. “I spilled. Now it’s your turn.”
I furrow my brow. “What do you mean?”
“You and Talon. What is going on there?” The look on her face isn’t exactly judgmental, but it’s not happy either.
“There isnothinggoing on between us,” I quickly assure her.
“Seriously, Lock? I may have been a little out of it yesterday, but I have eyes. Something is definitely going on,” she says with a frown.
“I’m not lying. There’s nothing going on between us,” I assure her.
Because I won’t allow it.
I think about the powers I’ve only just begun to understand, and how Talon helped me unlock them the other night. Guilt tugs at me for not telling her everything yet.
“At least not in the way you’re thinking,” I say.
She crosses her arms over her chest. “Oh yeah, and what am I thinking?”
“That I’ve forgotten about Becks and how much he means to me.”
Her gaze softens. “No, Lock, I’d never think that. I know how much you care about my brother. I know that you love him, even. But sometimes . . .” She sighs and gives me a pitying look rather than going on.
“What?” I ask.
“Sometimes feelings change.”
I shake my head, refusing to even entertain the idea that my feelings for Becks have lessened.
Have Talon and I had a moment or two over the last few days? Sure, but that doesn’t have to mean anything. It’s been Becks for me from the beginning. He’s my best friend. We’ve already been through so much. There’s no way I’m giving up on us. Especially not for what I’m sure is just a harmless flirtation and maybe a little trauma bonding.
“He’s teaching me how to control my new magic,” I confess, needing Ensley to understand.
“New magic?” Ensley asks, her brow creased with confusion. “What are you talking about?”
“Remember I told you that when I touched Shadow Striker I felt the power transfer from Talon to me?”
She nods. “Yes, but you said that cut off when the portal closed.”
“It did, but apparently there’s still a connection between us, and it seems like some of his magic is transferring to me. First, it was shadow manipulation, and then fire.”
Her mouth drops open. “You have shadow and fire magic?”
I nod.
She stares at me, clearly lost for words.
As we head over to the café and order drinks, I tell her about the times I lost control and used my new powers by accident. I also tell her about how Talon was trying to teach me to use them the other night, which is how we caught the members of the Order about to attack while they slept.
By the time I get done, we have drinks for everyone—paid with from money Imogen compelled off of someone the day before—and are headed back to the room.
