These Twisted Bonds (These Hollow Vows, #2)(55)

I take a deep breath and stare out at the crowd beyond the gates. With half a thought, I cast out night over them. I make it soft—a blanket of black velvet instead of the abyss of nightmares. Above them, I hang stars so bright they feel close enough to touch. Shivers run up my arms and down my spine—not just because I, too, love the image I’ve given them, but because it feels good to use this power that’s trapped in my veins. Especially when I’m around Finn and I feel so filled with it.

A hush ripples through the crowd as they all look up. I give it everything I can, feeding details from the beautiful nights in my memories—at the beach with my mother, the tail of a shooting star easing my worry. And then I slowly pull it back, letting the sun creep back in as I wind my power back into my center.

When I look at Finn, he’s watching me slack-jawed, something like wonder in his eyes.

“What?”

He shakes his head, and that cocky smirk reappears. “You are . . . incredibly inefficient.”

I gape. “Excuse me?”

He waves into the distance. “What you just did there? That should barely skim the top of your power, but instead of using what you need and saving the rest, you throw it all out there. Like dumping a vat of wine over the whole table just to fill a small glass.”

“I’m so sorry that the way I use my magic isn’t to your liking.”

Finn grunts. “The way you use your magic is wasteful, bordering on irresponsible.” He presses two fingers to the center of his chest. “It comes from here and should be used with focus and precision. You’re spilling energy from every inch of you. It’s like wielding a battering ram when you only need a needle.”

“I haven’t exactly had a lifetime to practice, like some people,” I grouse.

He steps closer and crouches until he’s eye-to-eye with me. “You don’t understand what I’m saying. Magic is life. You need to conserve it. It’s self-preservation.”

“I get it,” I snap.

His expression softens. “I’ll teach you. If you’ll let me.”

I look away from the tenderness in his eyes. It’s too confusing. “Why bother? This is temporary, right? Mab will tell you how to take it from me, how to reunite it with the crown?”

“I don’t know,” Finn says. “I’m counting on her for a solution, but it’s futile to predict what that might be.”

I fold my arms. Futile as it might be, Finn’s clearly bracing himself for Mab to put Sebastian on the throne. He’s said too much for me to believe otherwise. And if Sebastian’s going to be the ruler of this court, we need to let him in on its secrets. “I want to tell Sebastian,” I say. “About the sickness, about the dying court.”

Finn’s jaw goes hard. “That could be a mistake.”

“It’s not. He cares for these people. He is more like you than you know. Trust me on this.”

He closes his eyes. “Princess—”

“I don’t need to tell him that you plan to see Mab, but let me explain how dire the situation is.

Then you’ll get your temporary bond. You’ll be able to keep your priestess’s location a secret. But the rest Sebastian deserves to know.”

He meets my eyes. “Do what you think is best.”





Chapter Fourteen

The dining room is empty when I arrive, and rather than sit and wait at the table, I melt into the shadows and enjoy the moment of quiet. My head spins with the games Sebastian and Finn are playing.

I understand Finn’s reasons for wanting to take over Sebastian’s bond with me for our trip into the mountains, but I can’t pretend I’m looking forward to being bonded with another male, even temporarily.

Sebastian enters the dining room right on time and closes the double doors behind him. “I know you’re here, Abriella.”

So much for my shield. I wonder if I would’ve had any chance of remaining undetected in the throne room if he hadn’t been distracted by Finn.

I let my shadows fall away, and he gobbles me up with those sea-green eyes, looking me over again and again, as if he’s afraid I’m not real. Tension stretches between us. It reminds me of when I was young, going fishing at the creek with my father, the way the line drew taut as we reeled in the catch. Tighter and tighter the connection grows through this bond. But I’m not sure which one of us is on the hook.

“I’m so glad you’re here,” he whispers. He takes a step closer, then stops himself.

I swallow. “I’ll be leaving with Finn in the morning.”

“We need to talk before you go,” he says. “I’ve done as you asked. We dismantled the camps, and I’m glad for it, whether you care or not.”

“I know. I’m grateful.”

“You never came back,” he says.

“There’s more work to be done. The Court of the Moon is in danger.”

“You think I don’t know that? I don’t have to be sitting on that throne to understand what’s happening outside those gates. We can’t afford a civil war now any more than Oberon could when he returned from the mortal realm.”

“Then you understand how important this mission is. How important it is that you and Finn present a united front.”