Page 71 of Fates Fulfilled
Lex glanced at Garrin, and another blush swept her face.
Isle caught the exchange and rolled her eyes. “You can use your senses to manipulate others’ powers.” She paced the alcove, and Garrin’s annoyance grew. He wished to be alone with Lex, not lectured. “You simply don’t understand what you are capable of.”
Garrin’s eyes narrowed. “How do you know so much about Lex’s ability? Few in our history have ever possessed it.”
Isle straightened, her chin tilting up in the same manner Garrin had seen Lex do. “I’ve known of my daughter’s power from when she was very young. I am her mother; do you truly believe I would not understand it? And no one is capable of puppet mastery the way Lex is.”
He looked at Lex. “You would have shown signs at a young age. We all do. Do you have memories of your ability?”
Lex shook her head. “Nothing. My memory is spotty at best.”
“You don’t need to,” he said. “In time, we’ll do everything we can to recover your memory.” Garrin would get to the bottom of the magic Isle had used to keep her daughter in the dark. His parents had their faults, but any Fae capable of wiping her child’s memory and abandoning her could never be innocent. “For now, we will focus on your power if you are beginning to draw on it. It should be safe here, away from the castle.”
Isle stepped forward and grabbed Lex’s hand. “Darling. What were you doing when you drew from the Dark Prince’s powers?”
Lex looked at Garrin. “Uh…”
“We were talking,” Garrin said. “Intimately.”
Isle glared at him. “I can imagine.” She turned to her daughter. “But what were you feeling?”
“Mom, I’d rather work with Garrin on this.”
Isle dropped Lex’s hand and took a step back. “I see.”
Lex stumbled forward. “Please don’t be offended. It’s just that I’ve spent a lot of time with Garrin.”
Isle’s gaze slid to his. “That is what I’m afraid of.”
28
True to his word, Garrin had held Lex as they grabbed a few hours of sleep. And that was all they’d done.
What in the hell? Now that her hormones had been activated, why did people decide to show up and ruin the moment? Lex had wanted to investigate these new sensations Garrin brought out in her. Only she’d accidentally shattered their privacy wall during her exploration.
Somehow, Garrin had managed to pass out after the entire cave caught Lex and Garrin in a compromising position. It had felt amazing to be held by Garrin as night turned to dawn, but whatever happened to men not being able to think of anything besides sex? Instead, it had been Lex who slept fitfully, aching to do more than sleep, and now that they were awake, she was still thinking about it.
Lex sat around the large firepit with Garrin and the others as they plotted their escape. But not everyone was plotting. Some were preparing in other ways.
The sound of swords clashing rent the air as Amund deflected a strike from Em while eating Allon bread from her parents’ house.
Em glared at the food in Amund’s hand and thrust forward with more force. “Keep it up, portal maker, and I’ll cut you into ribbons.”
Amund took another bite. “Still waiting for you to give me a reason to use two hands.”
Lex tilted her head toward Garrin beside her. “I’ve never seen Em upset.”
Garrin glanced up from the pebble and dirt map he’d been creating with Zirel. He took in his former courtier and Amund for the first time, and his brow lifted. “I don’t know Em as well as some of my other courtiers, but she’s not known to anger easily. I wonder…”
At that moment, Em must have reached her limit for patience because she growled like a wild animal, levitated, and roundhouse-kicked Amund on the side of the head.
He stumbled and shook his head.
Lex stood abruptly, along with Garrin and Zirel. All eyes in the cave were on Em, who was back on solid ground and smirking at Amund.
Garrin chuckled. “Told you not to tease my courtiers.”
A smile slowly curved Amund’s lips, and he threw his food aside. “No more playtime. Now we fight.”
