for only the second time.
He felt when it burnt her. Felt the shock and unease ripple through her emotions. Felt when she recognized the link, reached out, and…
It was like looking across a crowded room full of strangers and unexpectedly meeting the eyes of someone he knew.
She reached through the bond, and she saw him. Or at least she saw his presence. Not his physical form, but the truth of his power and his heritage—the magic that scalded his very bones, straining to be free.
And he, in return, saw hers. Oh, she scrambled to hide it. After that initial moment where her mind blazed up in recognition, her presence seemed to stagger away from his, reeling with shock.
But they were too closely linked now for her to hide from him completely.
He could almost watch as her magic tucked itself into a ball and rolled into the corner of her mind, out of sight, feigning harmlessness.
Naturally, she didn’t want him to know she was a mage.
But there was more—more than shock, fear, or the desire to protect herself.
The Raven felt a new emotion swell and burn as it grew and overwhelmed her fear.
Rage. Like a quiet fire in her mind. Not at him, which, for no reason he could name, struck him as amusing. She was angry at Vaniell, for giving her the gem. For linking her to someone without her consent. And she was furious with…
She dropped the gem, and the link with her mind faded. Too soon. The Raven experienced an unreasonable sense of irritation at his inability to determine exactly who she’d been most angry with.
“Thank you for your concern,” she said finally, almost mechanically. She was obviously still disturbed. “But I’m quite well, as you can see. Merely distressed by all the interruptions to my rest.”
The princess had an odd definition of “rest.”
She was also pretending nothing had happened. Hoping, perhaps, that he was unaware of what she had just experienced?
Before the Raven could decide whether to challenge her further, the sounds from the hall outside came to a stop outside the door. The princess’s fingers tightened in her dressing gown, just as whoever was out there decided to use their fists to indicate their desire to enter.
Lady Piperell winced, but glanced at the princess for instructions before moving.
“I suppose you may let them in,” Evaraine said with a sigh.
She appeared calm, but her grip on her dressing gown had not eased. Probably wondering whether the guards would insist on searching her room. Especially once they discovered the Raven had returned to confront her himself.
The moment Lady Piperell opened the door, a handful of guards pressed in, almost causing the older woman to stumble with their abrupt entry. The princess took a step back, as if frightened by their armed presence. Then again, she probably was. With as many secrets as she had to hide, it was a wonder she could face them so innocently.
“We believe there may be an intruder hiding somewhere on this level,” one of the guardsmen said, addressing himself to Lady Piperell. “We’re searching all the rooms, and we’ll need to question Her Highness.”
“I do not give permission for you to violate my privacy,” Evaraine objected, her voice shaking audibly.
The Raven did not think she was pretending—the stench of her fear was growing stronger. Still, her face revealed nothing but what might be expected of a shy yet determined princess who’d been pressed past what she was willing to endure.
“I am a guest, and princess of Farhall,” she continued, “and this is the second time I have been importuned this evening. If His Majesty’s guards continue to treat me with such discourtesy, I will have no choice but to make official objections. I’m sure my father would not wish me to be subjected to such an unseemly uproar.”
Technically, His Majesty King Melger could do whatever he wanted. He’d already proven that many times over.
But the Raven couldn’t help but feel some reluctant admiration for her audacity. She had no allies here, and she was hiding secrets so explosive, they could easily result in her death. He guessed she could not afford for them to search her room, but there was no one she could count on to take her side.
She’d seen him on the balcony. She had to be wondering whether he meant to betray her secrets.
And he could. Perhaps he should. But again, that curiosity raised its head, and the Raven found himself reacting in the strangest way.
He pivoted to face the