Page 55 of The Lord of Whispers

“Alarie, there’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you since we arrived at Breakpoint.”

I waited for him to explain.

“My powers, they’re back,” he declared.

I gasped. “Jay, that’s—”

“Well, not entirely,” he interjected. “But they’re stronger than they’ve been in years.”

I was elated by this news. “When?” I asked excitedly.

“In the carriage, on our way here. Right after you told me that you loved me,” he said with a glint in his eye.

“Why didn’t you tell me before now, Jay?” I demanded.

“After so long… I wanted to be sure,” he said.

I nodded, already focusing on my next question.

“But how? Why now?”

“I don’t know, love. Lately, I’ve felt stronger, like more of my power was at my disposal. But in the carriage, it was like the floodgates opened. All the whispers just rushed back to me.”

“So, when you say you sent Lord Tildon a message, you mean…”

“Just a whisper,” he said, smugly.

I was slightly aggravated that Jay had stepped in with Lord Tilden. I could have handled a small-town brute like him. But I was too excited about Jay’s powers to stay annoyed.

“How does it work?” I asked excitedly.

I felt the same wisp of wind that I’d felt earlier that night, and then, as if Jay were standing over my shoulder, breathing along my neck, I heard him say, “Come here and find out what else I can do.”

The hair on the back of my neck rose. His magic felt strong and commanding, just like him. It demanded my attention. All my senses stood to attention, as if eager for and tied to his every word. I bit my lower lip, almost involuntarily rolling my head to the side to offer him my neck, even though he still stood feet away from me. I blinked, and he was next to me. He moved his lips to my ear.

“This is going to be fun,” he whispered, sliding his leg between mine.

27

Jay

We finished dinner at Alarie’s favorite restaurant in town, Atala’s, and went for a stroll along the waterfront in town to walk off some of our fullness. Alarie wore a white linen dress that showed off her ankles, paired with a pair of blocky cork heels. It looked amazing against her golden tanned skin and the beachy curl in her hair.

I was dressed significantly less formal than my usual attire, sporting a tailored blue suit with a white button-down with the first two buttons undone and no tie, a stark contrast to the tuxedoes I commonly wore at the High Court.

“How long have Cress and Oliver been with you?” she asked.

I knew Alarie had noticed how differently I acted and everyone acted around me here versus at the High Court. At the High Court, everyone acted like they were frightened to take a breath in front of me. Here, Oliver acted like my younger brother, talking shit one minute and idolizing my every move the next. And Cress, she played the role of the doting mother over the two of us. The people in town were also friendly, appreciative of the freedom I gave them to run their businesses and the town as they saw fit so long as the Azurinium production was maintained.

“Since the end of the war…” I trailed off, indicating there was more to the story.

“They… fought in the war with you?” she asked.

“No. Neither did,” I replied, stopping to stare out at the water, still holding Alarie’s hand.

She squeezed my hand, I knew, urging me to tell her more. Inhaling the salt of the ocean air, I began to tell her my story.

“Cress’s husband was a good friend of mine. We lost him in the war. And she’s been a part of my House and my family ever since. She’s done more for me than I have ever done for her, honestly. The way she runs my household at Breakpoint leaves me free to focus on things at the High Court without the slightest concern as to what’s going on at home. She helps with arranging the sales of the Azurinium as well,” I explained.

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