Chapter 36

Ursula arrived a few minutes late for their second magic training session, and she hurried across the stone floor. This time, she’d worn a soft velvet cape to keep her warm. As before, Bael sat in his onyx throne, cloaked in shadows. Bael gazed down at her, his pale eyes piercing the shadows. “You’re late. Take off the cloak.”

“Why?”

“I need to see how your body uses the magic.”

She swallowed hard, untying the cape and letting it fall to the floor. She wore another of Cera’s creations—a purple silk gown, with slits cut all the way up to her thighs.

She cocked her head. “Would you like me completely naked, or is this good enough?”

A low growl rose from his throat, and for just a moment, his eyes darkened before returning to gray. “That will be fine. We’ll start with you standing there. I’m going to let the shadow magic wash over you once again. See if you can root your body to the ground. Use the basalt at your feet as an anchor. Feel it beneath your toes, and let the night magic inch slowly up your legs, up to your hips, and don’t let it fill your chest until you’re in control.”

She nodded. She wasn’t entirely sure she knew what he was talking about, but she’d give it a shot.

“Close your eyes,” he said.

She did as instructed, and in the next moment, she felt a wave of powerful night magic wash over her, spilling through her body like ink. An image rose like the flames—the old man, his wrinkled hands handing her an athame. Bael, pressing a knife into her heart.

The wall of blackness slammed into her, knocking the life from her chest. Darkness threatened to consume her from the inside out.

“Ursula!” Bael called to her.

Shivering, she opened her eyes. Bael had pulled her into his lap, wrapping his arms around her. His warmth enveloped her, and she could feel his heart beating hard against her body. Once again, he pressed his hand between her breasts, drawing out some of the magic.

“That didn’t go well,” she said through chattering teeth.

He shook his head. “You let it happen too quickly. The magic completely overtook you, like it was drawn to you. Whatever you are, Ursula, the darkness wants you.”

“Aren’t I the lucky girl?”

“I’m going to try it one more time, allowing through only the smallest amount of magic. I’m going to see if I can help your body control it.”

As his body warmed hers, her pulse began to speed up.

“I could see your muscles tensing when you stood there, like you were scared of it. Maybe if you don’t resist so much, you’ll have greater control. Are you ready?” His breath warmed the shell of her ear.

She nodded, straightening.

Bael allowed the tiniest wisps of magic to curl from him. With his arm wrapped around her back, his fingers rested on the hollows of her hip. Her back arched.

A soft, electrical buzz kissed her ankles, moving up her leg. A delicious vibration—cold, but thrilling at the same time.

“Where do you feel it?” he asked.

Without realizing what she was doing, her legs parted slightly. Her bare skin peaked out of the slit in her dress. “It’s moving up my legs.”

“Good.” Bael’s hand hovered just over her leg, not touching her, but guiding the magic. Under her dress, the magic caressed her bare skin.

“Let the magic move slowly,” he said. “Take control of it.”

As his hand moved in the air above her legs, silky shadows worked higher up her thigh, and she felt her knees falling away just a little more.

She turned to him, her eyes on his perfect lips. Gods, she wanted to press her mouth against his.

His thrilling magic had moved all the way up her inner thigh, and her breath came fast. If he keeps going, I will lose my mind. If he doesn’t keep going, I will also lose my mind. She was supposed to be focused on the magic, but all she could think of was that hand hovering just over her thighs. How she wanted him to touch her skin, to slide those powerful fingers under her silky underwear. Her breath hitched.

“Do you have control?” he asked.

“Not even close,” she breathed, her chest flushing. What the hell is wrong with me?

His gaze met hers, and he leaned in, his mouth just inches from hers.

In the next instant, his muscles tensed. “I’m sorry,” he said.

Ursula’s jaw dropped. She couldn’t quite remember how to put a sentence together. “It’s fine.” Her cheeks burned. What just happened? She wasn’t entirely clear why he’d apologized.

A look of confusion—one she’d never seen on Bael’s face before—had overtaken his features. “This isn’t working. Maybe me acting as a conduit is interfering with your ability to feel the magic. Maybe you should try it on your own. If I see you losing control again, I’ll stop it.”

She nodded. “Of course. I think I’m ready. That all...totally made sense,” she blustered.

She jumped off the throne, mortified that her flushed chest gave her away. Stupid pale skin.

Bael rose, walking down the steps. “The second I see you losing control, I’ll pull you off.”

She nodded, still lost in a daze, then sat in the throne.

As soon as she sat, cold magic thrummed over her legs. As Bael had instructed, she concentrated on moving it slowly up her body, inching it up her legs. Inky shadows flickered over her skin, seeping into her pores, climbing from her calves upward. Magic thrummed up her thighs, her hips, filling her body with raw power. As it raced into her chest, filling her ribs, a wave of blackness slammed into her. For just a moment, she stood in a burning room, and an ancient hand passed her a knife. I need to think of a happier time. The walls of her apartment in New York came to her—a field of blue and gold wildflowers under an azure sky. Home.

Her eyes snapped open again. Bael had been reaching for her, but the look in her eyes seemed to stop him.

She looked out on the world through new eyes, her senses sharpened. As she gazed around the cavern, she could see shadows flickering in the crystals, could smell the warm earthy scent of the mushrooms. And the sound of Bael’s beating heart filled her ears.

“Now,” she commanded from the throne, her voice resonating off the rock. “Teach me to move the way you do.”