Page 51 of The Crownless King
Amaya glanced around the room. Lined along all three walls were lighted shelves. Some held weapons…a lot held weapons, but some were walled off with glass, varying artifacts and antiques displayed behind the cases. Power thrummed throughout the room and it took her breath away. Levi stopped walking and stood to the side. In the center of the floor was a waist-high cabinet and on it sat the Akachi stone. It was on top of some kind of cloth. Amaya narrowed her eyes and studied the cloth, realizing it was supposed to serve as some type of dampener. She shook her head and gave Levi a small smirk.
He returned her smile. “Blame it on my arrogance. Firefly warned me.”
Raven sighed behind her.
“Is this where you want to keep it?” Amaya asked, gripping the small bag of shielding sand.
At his nod, she upended the bag of sand in front of the meteorite. Immediately the stone flared and power pulsed out.
“Shit,” Bas cursed, stepping back. He pulled his mate back with him.
Blocking them out so that she could concentrate, Amaya spread the sand around the small stone until it was completely surrounded. She infused the sand with her power, building the shield up until the power was walled inside. Raven and Sebastian breathed easier behind her; even though the power still resonated throughout the room, it had gone from a roar to a whisper.
Next, she worked on the meteorite itself. Probing its power, she saw the tendrils connecting Levi to the Akachi. The ropes were thick and bright, the vampire’s power feeding the stone as much as it was feeding Levi. She’d never seen anything like it. Her magic flared to dig deeper and Levi grunted. She sent him an apologetic grimace.
“The watch,” she requested, holding out her hand.
Levi placed it in her palm, stepping closer to her.
“I need you to touch the stone, please.”
He didn’t ask questions and for that, she was relieved. She didn’t think she could quite explain what needed to be done. Taking a deep breath, she lowered her mental walls to take advantage of the blood bond she had with the king. It made this next part easier.
Carefully, she worked to untie and separate the tendrils connecting Levi to the Akachi. There was some resistance, places where their magic was so similar that the power was fused together. Amaya lost track of time as she worked, but eventually, she was able to remove the traces of the Akachi from Levi’s mind. His sigh of relief brushed her temple, but she kept working, moving on to the next part of her plan.
If she took even a moment’s breath, the Akachi piece could reach for him again, or worse, one of the others in the room. Most likely her as she carried the same type of power within her. Biting her lip in concentration, Amaya fed the Akachi’s magic into the heartstone. It heated in her palm, glowing softly as it absorbed it. The crystal was capable of taking a much bigger magical load, so the small stone in Levi’s possession wasn’t too hard.
Her breathing was labored as though she ran a mile flat out, but she pushed past the exhaustion and continued to feed the power. When the crystal was saturated, Amaya tapered off her magic. The once opaque heartstone was now blood red, the color swirling with gold. Levi removed his hand from the stone, his shoulders slumped, sweat on his brow. As hard as it was for her, she knew he’d also gone through it.
Rolling her shoulders, Amaya turned her attention to Levi, handing over the pocket watch. He was staring at her with awe on his face.
“What happens next?” he asked softly.
“Keep this on you. It’s tied directly to you, so even if someone tried to steal it, the heartstone won’t work for them.” She wiped her forehead and closed her eyes to steady her body. “From what I can discern from the mages who use the heartstones, it amplifies their power. It should do the same for you, without the madness.”
Her eyes popped open when Levi pulled her into his arms. He kissed her, and unbidden, her heart soared. With the protections down around her mind and her body vulnerable due to the expended magic, Amaya couldn’t fight the feelings swamping her. An ache built within her, her stomach clenching, and a thud started between her legs that matched her heartbeat. His kiss swept her under a tide of need and the whine that left her mouth was the closest she could come to begging him for more.
It wasn’t until Raven cleared her throat that Amaya remembered that they weren’t alone. Levi stepped back first. Amaya’s knees were weak, so she clutched his arm tightly, keeping herself upright. Levi laid his forehead gently against hers.
“I owe you, baby doll,” he whispered against her lips.
She started to ask him if the price was her freedom, but something stopped her. Where would she go? Back to the life where she struggled and her mother deteriorated under the stress? Amaya stepped back, conflicted with what her heart wanted and what was right.
“Whose journals are these?” Raven asked, breaking the moment between them.
Amaya straightened her clothes, gathering her wits together.
Levi cleared his throat. “My grandmother’s.”
“Can I?” Raven ran her fingers over the spines of the worn leather books.
Levi nodded, and Amaya watched her friend, just to keep from getting lost in the king’s eyes. She was precariously close to breaking apart. Her emotions were raw, her mind conflicted. She tucked away her magic but was too exhausted to erect the walls over her thoughts. Her hands shook as she brushed one down her face.
“Levi…” Raven looked at the king with wide eyes. “Your grandmother was Bria Cauly?”
Levi gave Amaya one last lingering look before giving his attention to Raven. “Yes. The journals are hers. There were more, but they were all I could save when war with the Buru ran us from our home.”
“How many do you have?” Excitement threaded Raven’s voice.
