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Then Lucian stepped back suddenly, right before I could get the last of it.

“You shouldn’t—Don’t touch me.”

At first, the words felt like a slap, but a look at his frown, his slightly lost eyes, and I understood he wasn’t telling me that a peasant like me couldn’t lay a hand on his noble self. And after all, just earlier today, he touched me himself to get rid of my exhaustion. I wouldn’t have believed it possible, but Lucian looked uncertain.

“I could hurt you,” he finally explained. “As you said, I’m not at my best, which means I’m not in complete control. My power’s not reliable, and I haven’t drained it today. I could—try to take your energy to heal myself, at this stage.”

His nose wrinkled in distaste, like his own ability repulsed him.

“Oh.” I smiled, understanding his reluctance. He wasprotectingme. “You couldn’t. I don’t think, in any case. I mean, try?”

I offered him my hand.

“Huh?” His friend grimaced. “You might regret that, Kleos. Getting zapped by him is not pleasant.”

I didn’t doubt it.

“I’m curious as to whether he could use it to hurt me,” I confessed.

“So, youarerelated to Gideon after all,” Lucian replied with a laugh. “Listen to Ronan. For once, he’s right. He just had a taste of it, and it took him half an hour to stop shaking.”

“You wish,” the dark-haired man snapped. Then he stage-whispered to me, “Actually I’m still fucking shaking. I just hide it well. Don’t do it, Valesco.”

I shook my head, baffled to find that not one buttwoof those posh gits were so pleasant from up close. I would never have guessed from the other end of a ballroom.

“Gideon’s an idiot, I’m not.” Again, I offered him my hand. “I’m shielded against harmful magic. It’s an innate ability,” I explained, in case he thought I believed a cheap charm or temporary spell could deflect his family’s legendary power.

It wasn’t completely accurate though. Innate abilities, or core powers, were the magic sorcerers werebornwith. By contrast, witches and wizardslearnedmagic. Sorcerers were just the way they were. In my case, I wasn’t born that way, but it didn’t change the fact that my powers weren’t learned, earned, or bought.

Up until earlier today, I never understood how I could have been so irrevocably changed, my very being rewritten by three runes. Deborah’s answer should have been obvious, if it hadn’t been so impossible to grasp, to accept.

I encountered agodwhen I was about to die. And he brought me back. It was still hard to wrap my head around the fact, but that was the only possible conclusion.

“I’d love to know if I’m immune to you. Please, go on.”

Slowly, seeming to regret it already, Lucian extended his hand, and ever so lightly touched the tip of my finger—a barely-there brush, so much quicker than this afternoon. I could feel him nonetheless, like the tiny space where his skin met mine was the center of my existence.

Yes, I felt him. But no pain. No change of energy. Just the awareness of Lucian Regis touching me for the second time today.

He was so strong his force tuned out the rest of the world, demanding all my attention. I no longer felt any of the headaches, stomach bugs, or shoulder pain that other people were always emanating. Only him.

“Am I supposed to feel something?” I checked.

Lucian’s jaw hit the floor.

“Yes. Yes, you are.” The light touch intensified as he actually took my hand.

Still nothing. I smiled. “You’re certainly not the first man with performance issues. Don’t sweat it, it’s perfectly normal.”

“Well, I’ll be damned,” Lucian whispered.

Ronan doubled over, cracking up.

Meanwhile, I attempted to stay in the moment, but my mind returned to the runes under my clothes.

This was the true reason the spell on my shoulders and arms freaked me out so much. The reason I wasn’t used to pain although I lived in Highvale and had been schooled with two dozen of my peers. Defensive magic—and consequently, being attacked—was a full part of our education, so plenty of students had attempted it in my practice classes. Peoplecouldn’thex me.

That didn’t mean I was immune to everything; if someone was chucking a boulder, a fireball, a rock, or a jet of water my way, I couldn’t deflect elements. I was also affected by potions. But hexes hadn’t been able to pierce my skin since that day in the library. I could take in good things, warming charms in the winter, impermeability when it rained, and whatever Lucian had done to me earlier. Nothing harmful.