Page 8 of Her Warrior Fae

I put my hand on Deron’s chest and grinned at the little guy, who looked at me with cobalt eyes. He had Ren’s hair and pale complexion, but his eyes were Ellie’s, even though both his parents’ eyes were blue. There was no doubt that the powerful Queen looked back at me when I looked at Deron.

I pulsed my magic into him, and he dropped his bottle. He squirmed and whimpered.

“Hi,” I heard Ren say, and when I looked up, Nylah had appeared.

She looked at Deron, her face filled with concern.

“What are you doing here?” I asked.

“Ellie asked me to come to him,” Nylah said. Her eyes were guarded. “I couldn’t say no. Is he okay?”

The question was aimed at Ren, who only shook his head.

She let herself into the pen, and I was hyper-aware of her closeness. Her attention was completely on Deron—so much that she forgot to be hostile toward me.

Her presence was soothing. When Nylah was around, her power danced on my skin, a warmth that pulsed from Terra herself. Nylah was the high priestess, and her magic could be felt by something as small as being in the same room as her.

“Come on, little prince,” Nylah said in a soft voice. “Let’s get over this thing, huh? We have to beat it.”

She reached for him, and I felt her magic rise around us like a tide. It grew hot, like steam. Deron calmed under her touch, her magic. It was the opposite of his niggling when I’d tried to help.

Despite the power, nothing happened. His cheeks remained red, his eyes glassy.

Nylah sat back on her heels, and her arm brushed against mine. At the contact, my power flared up and joined hers.

She looked at me with sharp eyes, brows knitted into a frown.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“It’s not me,” I said. “At least, it’s not on purpose.”

Our magic intertwined, wrapping together into a braid of power I’d never felt before.

We looked at each other, and as if we had one mind, we both reached for Deron.

We each took one hand, and the power that had sprung to life between us pulsed and hummed. It grew bright, as if it was a source of light all on its own.

Deron squealed, his face twisted in a smile of pure pleasure, and he kicked his pudgy legs. He wriggled on the floor, and then he erupted in a fit of giggles that skipped around the room.

The magic that poured from Nylah and me seemed to take hands with Deron’s laughter and skipped around with it, until the laughter died down.

Slowly, the power faded.

Nylah pulled Deron upright, and he sat steadily. His cheeks had returned to a normal color.

I glanced at her, and our eyes locked. We were wrapped in a bubble, the aftermath of our power, and electricity hummed between us. She swallowed and rolled her lips. I was hyper aware of the small movements, the way he lifted her hand and touched her hair, the way her eyes drooped a little and her lips pursed together. I wanted to kiss her.

The thought rocked me to my core. Nylah had always been a part of my life. We’d always had an attraction, but this was different.

It was like we were in sync. When I moved my hand, she moved hers. When I made to stand, she did the same—a mirror image.

She cleared her throat and turned away from me, breaking the synchronization, breaking the tension.

“Oh, Goddess,” Ren gasped, and he hurried into the pen with us.

I snapped back to reality. Ren felt Deron’s forehead, first with his hand and then with his cheek, just like a concerned parent would. Relief flooded his features, and he hugged Deron tightly.

Deron squirmed to get out of the tight grip.

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