Maybe, somehow, we got through to each other. A little?
We walk through the main room of my apartments. It’s still barren, and getting furniture slots higher onto my to-do list. It’s solidly underneath “figure out my magic” and “stop the cycle of the Human Queen.” But it may be more attainable than either of those goals and, moreover, having a furnished apartment might make me more comfortable during my—hopefully short—three months here. At the very least, it’d be nice to have an actual desk to read journals and take notes at.
We go down the same path to the throne room. Just like before, Rinni listens at the door before opening it. “Your Grace, Her Majesty and…Her Majesty’s wolf.”
Eldas stands before the great window behind the two thrones—one crafted by nature, the other by mortal hands. His hands are folded behind his back and his long silhouette is cut sharply against the morning light. I think I hear the echo of a sigh.
“Thank you. You may leave, Rinni.”
Rinni bows and departs through the side door we entered through.
Eldas turns to face me, looking down his blade-like nose. His face is so severe that I wonder strangely if it would be painful to kiss it. I already know his words are sharper than glass. Would his tongue match? I push the thoughts from my mind. I’m here to work.
His gaze shifts to Hook.
“The beast is still here.”
“His name is Hook.”
“Very well.” He shakes his head, resigned. “We have work to do, wolf or no.”
I summon my courage and say, “Yes, we do.”
“Come here.” He senses my hesitation and adds, “I’m not going to force you to sit on the throne.”
“Really?” This is already going much better than the last time.
“Truly. It’s obvious we need to start with the bare minimum. We’ll begin with you exploring your powers and becoming familiar with them. We need to learn just how much of the past queens’ strength you inherited,” he instructs as I cross over. “Close your eyes.”
I oblige him. With my eyes closed I’m somehow more aware of his presence. I hear his footsteps. I’m keenly aware of the exact moment he crosses the line of my personal space. He’s achingly close and the air shifts as he moves around me.
A low growl breaks the trance. “Hook, shh,” I hiss. Maybe Rinni was right about leaving him behind.
Is that a soft chuckle I hear? Eldas smothers the pleasant noise quickly. I peek through my lashes, but he’s not in front of me any longer.
“Reach within you.” The resonance of his voice behind me, nearly close enough to move the tiny hairs on the back of my neck, makes me shiver.
Get yourself together, Luella.
“Feel the power that’s there.”
“I feel nothing.”
“You’re not going to master anything with sixty seconds of effort,” he says dryly. I can’t help but smirk. “Try harder.” His hands rest on my shoulders, feather light. I shiver again as he trails his fingers over the velvet that covers my arms. “Feel the magic being drawn in through the air, the power that gathers in your hands. Feel it as your feet root to the earth.” His hand slips around my hip. I let out a gasp as his fingers spread across the flat plane of my stomach. It’s as if with every caress my magic activates, eager to respond to him, as if my power could arc from me to him. “Do you feel it? Gathering within you? A wellspring of life waiting to be unleashed?”
“I…” I feel something, all right.
“Shh,” he says, a little too gently. “Keep your focus, Luella.”
Why does my name sound so much better when he says it in that deep voice of his? I press my eyes tighter and try to shift my focus. The only things I’m feeling well up in me are dark desires I certainly am not about to admit to anyone—myself included—anytime soon.
“Breathe,” he whispers. I do as he commands. “Exhale.”
I’m putty under his hands. Breathe in, breathe out, focus. Eldas stands behind me, one hand on my stomach and the other resting lightly on the backs of my fingers. He breathes in time with me. And, slowly, the carnal urges he woke with his touch fade away.
We breathe together as one and, in the darkness, something new is blooming.
Power flows between us. My magic is more like a wide, shallow lake than a deep well; he stands on the far edge. We look toward different skies, broken by the other’s