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“That makes two of us questioning their magic.” I mused, leaning back to look at the sky.

He raised a brow. “So what happened?”

My lips sealed tight. Trembling, I forced myself to speak. “I saw Dusk. Not the land, but the deity herself. She helped me when Ninti…” I took a deep breath. “Ninti was trying to direct my magic as I drew power from her, but once it started, I couldn’t stop the flow, and… I drained her.”

Memories flashed. The dull gray of Ninti’s fur. The breaking of earth. The complete loss of control. And Dusk, disappointed, looking down at me.

Zayne reached for my hand, squeezing it. “It was an accident.”

I struggled to focus on the conversation. “Before she left, Dusk warned me. I need to learn to control my magic.” I swallowed, realizing Zayne needed to hear this next part. “For the sake of the isles, she said.”

His brow tightened with concern.

I glanced away, knowing he wouldn’t like what I had to say. “I want control as soon as possible, and to accomplish that, I plan to accept a lesson with the Starlit King.”

“Absolutely not.” Zayne shook his head. “Lessons are not an option.”

“One lesson,” I insisted. “Just one.”

“I don’t like it.”

“I didn’t expect you to.”

He leaned closer, the tether straining tight, a growl on the tip of his tongue. How he obsessed over me. I felt treasured and trapped, precious and furious, somehow all in the same breath. I stared at him, lost in his gaze and unsure what to say.

Suddenly, Vanessa’s voice resonated through the ship. “Hey, sorry to interrupt.”

Zayne turned and looked up, facing her crow’s nest. “What is it?”

“We’re nearing the outer coves of Mer, should I head for the port?” she asked.

I glanced at the island, the dark coastline now filling most of the horizon. “It’d be suspicious to arrive too early. Let’s anchor near the shore, and lay low in some still water.”

“Yes,” Zayne agreed. “Vanessa, think you can find something like that? Preferably near a deserted beach because we’re going to shore.”

“I’ll see what I can do.” Vanessa shifted course, and I braced against the railing as the momentum changed.

“We’re leaving the boat?” I asked once the sprite had been quiet for sometime.

Zayne nodded. “I have an idea to train your powers without askinghimfor help.”

“Oh?”

“And we’re going to test it out.”

Chapter twenty-three

Diverging

Zayne

Ayla looked over my shoulder as I loaded up a satchel, shoving in supplies in preparation for our visit to the nearby cove. Vanessa had found the perfect spot to test Ayla’s magic, tucked away from prying eyes.

Still, she didn’t seem convinced.

Ayla watched me pack, arms crossed and refusing to help. On the other side of the tether, her energy was irritably hot.

I tossed the packed bag over my shoulder and turned to her. “I need you to be safe. You’re what matters most.” I offered her my hand so I could jump her to shore. “Let’s go.”