Page 115 of The Sky Pirate's Stowaway
My mouth opened to gape at him for a few seconds before I snapped it closed and cleared my throat. “They do mine for them. Fluxstones are the only ones that can transfer my magic into energy that powers other things, but I can charge any stone at all. Fluxstones hold onto my magic, so they don’t really explode, at least not easily. But if I overcharge other stones, I can sort of do this… extra boost, I guess, and it makes them explode.” I shrugged because that was the best explanation I had.
Max blinked. “Really? Any stone?”
I nodded.
“Huh. No one’s ever said anything like that to me about fluxweavers. I guess because you guys are rare, and the Sunada royal family really keeps things quiet.”
“They don’t want anyone else controlling the fluxstone business, so they don’t let any information get out, I guess.”
He nodded, then cleared his throat. “I’m sorry you went through that, Kas.”
“Thank you.”
He leaned forward and kissed my forehead, letting his lips linger there for a few seconds. The sweet gesture made my eyes water again.
Earlier, he’d been so pissed off at me, so hurt, and I didn’t think he’d ever want anything to do with me again. Let alone for him to hug and hold me, comfort me, like this, and then to kiss my forehead so tenderly.
Phoenix tails, he had such a good heart.
When he pulled back, his eyes searched mine, and I couldn’t stop a tear from escaping. Max cupped my cheeks, wiped away the tear, and pressed a soft kiss to my lips. It made me sniffle, and more tears trickled down.
“Shhh. It’s okay.”
I shook my head. “No, it’s not. I never wanted to hurt you, and I… I’m so sorry.”
“No more of that, okay? It hurt, yes, but I understand why you did it. Especially so close after what your friend did to you.”
I nodded and reached up to grab his wrists, not wanting him to let go of my cheeks. “I swear I was going to tell you.”
He sucked in a breath. “I believe you.”
That made me close my eyes, and a moment later, he pressed his lips to mine again. I hummed in approval and deepened the kiss, savoring his flavor even as it mixed with my salty tears. The kiss was soft and filled with so much meaning, my heart swelled with it.
When he broke away, he rested his forehead against mine, and I closed my eyes, so relieved and grateful he was here with me right now.
He whispered, “Don’t worry about anything tonight, okay? We’ll figure it all out in the morning.”
“As soon as I go to my hammock, they’re going to bombard me with questions or…”Or just beat me up.
“You’re staying here tonight. I won’t let them hurt you.”
I kissed him again, this time with more force, and he held me tight.
I wanted to push him back on the bed and undress him, but I wasn’t sure if he’d forgiven me enough for that yet. But then again, maybe it would help. Although I was so tired, I wasn’t sure I could do much of anything anyway. It had been a very long and stressful—and emotional—day.
Before I could make a decision, I felt one of the fluxstones in Max’s prosthetic reach out for me, begging me to recharge it before it ran out, and I sucked in a breath.
Should I tell him? Would he want to know?
He wished I’d told him about my magic sooner, but did that mean he’d be comfortable with me using my magic around him? Would he want to know I could feel it every time one of his stones ran out of energy?
“What?”
I blinked and found him staring back at me with a curious expression. “What, what?”
“You’re making a face.” He tilted his head to the side. “Tell me. Whatever it is, I can handle it.”
I blew out a breath and gave him a firm nod. “I can tell one of the fluxstones in your prosthetic is about to run out of power.”
