Chosen (The Warrior Chronicles #1)(62)

“Like-Gifts with like-Gifts often had two or three.” Shanti cut in. “One family, both parents with the Warring Gift, had four. It was the record. Non-like-Gifts but still having a Gift was less. Usually one, maybe two. A Gift with a non- Gift had one if they were lucky. It was why my father didn’t think he’d have a child. It was why my grandfather hated the match with my mother—until I came, of course. Then my mother rubbed it in his face constantly. Until—“ Shanti cut off and swallowed. No need to go down that road. They both knew what happened; Shanti didn’t need to voice it.

Without sitting up, eyes still closed, Cayan spread out an arm and put his hand on her knee. The touch vibrated, and the power shifted deep within, but it continued to simmer rather than explode. He left his hand for a second, the spicy feeling igniting, then removed it back to his flat, bumpy stomach. Aside from potentially city-damaging behavior, the gesture, however small, was welcomed. It had helped for the moment, which was all she could ask for with a history like hers.

“I…suspected,” Cayan said in a reflective tone. “I wondered if anything materialized. I mean, I could miraculously bend people to my will at times. Nothing immoral, just… And I occasionally had this extra awareness. But my Grandmother thought my mother would be around to identify any potential. To train it. Since she wasn’t…”

“All you had was wondering.”

Shanti couldn’t guess what that must’ve been like. Possibly having such a wonderful, necessary element and having no way to really know. To work with it, or use it. She couldn’t imagine not having it.

“Did like-Gifts see a flux in power?” Cayan asked with his eyes closed.

Shanti thought back. The Warring family had all been very strong. Both Jacinti and Franie could cripple from many spans away, but they were older. She hadn’t known them before they’d connected. Although—

“It shouldn’t matter if they were together,” she said out loud, voicing her thoughts. “We aren’t mated, but the power reaches for the other half. We always had like-Gifts training with like—I had always assumed it was because they needed to learn within their element. But maybe the power fed off each other, too. Women have always fought and trained with men, so both halves were always present.”

“Maybe that’s why women have always fought in your culture...”

“Or maybe it is a bonus for having the foresight to understand that women can be effective if trained correctly.”

“Maybe.” Cayan’s mouth turned up in a toothy grin just visible under the large bicep thrown over his eyes.

He was taunting her. If anything, it made the proximity more awkward. Business, okay fine, she was getting by. Playful…no, absolutely not. As Sanders would say, they weren’t friends and they weren’t screwing, so they didn’t need to have a potluck. And because they weren’t friends or screwing there was no way he should be still lying—not even sitting after an invitation, but lying—on her bed! Her bed! On which also lay some deep purple undergarments that she’d ordered from the dressmaker. They were silk and shiny and luxurious, not to mention small so he probably hadn’t unnoticed, but…some intimate areas had rubbed against the fabric currently against his thigh. How embarrassing was that?

Shifting in her seat, she thought about making a grab for that fabric. But more important was trying to get this conversation over with as fast as possible. “So, there might be more of me? Us?”

“In theory.”

“But it’s unlikely they’d have the full range of ability.”

“Maybe it crops up when it is needed. Like in a time of war. Now, for example. But regardless,” he took his arm away from his face and met her eyes, “you only thought there was you. Now there is us. There could be more.”

Shanti sighed. “Well, there is us for now.”

He nodded. “There is us for now.”

“And that’s all you have?”

“Um, yes. I thought it would make a bigger impact.”

“Uh huh.” Shanti felt drained even though the power lay in wait, simmering just below the surface. “Interesting that I would end up here.”

“Not really. You tend to gravitate toward the thick trees. Your people made a dwelling in a forest even though sometimes you had barely enough. Maybe the trees call.”

“They do.”

“Then is it so strange you headed for the trees where someone else with the same ability might reside?”

“Yes.”

He smiled again. “Right, okay. A cynic.”

“If what you say is true, the Graygual can only breed you if they have me. So you will be useless.”

“Unless they find others.”

“Yes, there is that.”

“Or don’t believe the legends.”

“That, too.”

“Now it’s your turn.” His eyes were hungry and wary at the same time.

It was slightly reassuring, knowing that he couldn’t create little war monsters on his own. It settled her turmoil somewhat. However, they could never get caught together, which meant they should separate. At the same time, they were stronger within the vicinity of each other’s power. It was a complicated problem with no easy solution. Currently, she was too tired to try and unravel it.