Page 54 of A Touch of Stars and Stones (Kirrian #1)

thirty-one

. . .

Ever

T he morning arrives, although can you call it morning when it’s still dark? As I come around, I realise that, maybe for the first time since arriving in Kirrasia, I’m excited, a buzz in my chest and a smile threatening at my lips.

Calix isn’t here yet.

I listen and feel the quiet pressing in. The stillness.

My fingers wrap around the pendant of my necklace, and I’m surprised when I touch the gold—it’s stone cold, even though it’s been next to my skin all night.

Realisation blooms—I have been able to feel my magic.

My power. Even if I hadn’t registered it as that, it’s been right under my skin, and now it’s gone due to the new moon, I can feel the loss of it, like a piece is missing somehow or a cup needing to be filled.

I stretch, wash, tie my hair in a tighter braid today, and then I take my time to weave the strands together.

All the while, a small smile rests on my lips because today, I’ll be able to touch Ten.

Touch him without worry or second-guessing.

Run my hands over him and kiss him. Hopefully more.

I’m sure my body woke me up because of the impatience now loose within me to finish what we started last night.

As the first light of dawn threatens on the horizon, the fear of what life without touch might look like dissipates. And nothing can snatch away how happy that makes me.

The knock at the door even has me grinning.

“Hey, Calix.”

“You’re up?”

“It has been known.”

“Okay. I’m going to take it as a sign. Come on.

” He beckons, but I hop and fling my arms around his neck and hug him instead.

Maybe a little test, but I can’t contain the joy of being able to do this.

His arm sweeps my waist to hold me to him in such an easy motion that for a second, I panic that I got this wrong, and he still has his magic, but it’s just his natural strength.

He doesn’t need magic to hold me. “Thank you for helping,” I tell him, but don’t let go. Not yet.

“It’s only training. Do I need to remind you that I knocked you down? Hard.”

I give him another squeeze before I release him, and he drops me back onto my feet. “No, you do not. But even then, you did it to help. Thank you.”

“I’ll remind you of that when you’re cursing me in an hour. Come on.”

Despite the repeat of yesterday, I still have a smile on my face when we finish and come back for breakfast. I’m still all beams and delight, so I’m not expecting the usual mix of tired or even glum faces in the hall.

Nobody seems to be as excited for today as I am, which takes some of the shine off.

Maybe, if you hadn’t grown up with touch as I had, being able to offer a hug or a hand when you chose, you didn’t miss it in the same way?

Calix and I go to the servery first, and he again encourages me to load my plate before we take our seats.

Ten is already at a table, and we make our way over to him, but Crimson gets there first. I hadn’t even seen her in the hall.

She slides a hand over Ten’s shoulders, her palm caressing his back, and I stiffen as I watch.

But the smile on my lips returns as I see him tense, his body going solid, and the not-so-subtle shrug of his shoulders as she sits down next to him, Azur on the other side.

Crimson’s presence doesn’t halt Calix, who is still moving in the same direction, although he does pull back when he notices I’m not by his side. He looks at me, then at where I’m staring.

“Oh, you might want to stay out of their way today. You know.” He shrugs as if that’s explanation enough.

Fucking shrugs.

I will do no such thing.

My booted feet march forward, and I sit down opposite Ten before Calix has a chance to take that spot.

“Morning,” I smile cheerfully, refusing to look at Crimson.

Ten’s eyes lock on mine, and he smiles back, the girl to his side forgotten. “Hey, you. You’re still in one piece. Did she pull anything on you, Cal?” he grins to his friend.

“Nothing I can’t handle. She did try to climb me in greeting this morning.” He chuckles.

“A hug. Jeez, you can’t even distinguish the difference? Hugging is not climbing.” I spear him with a smirk.

“You can’t get enough of me. Admit it.”

“Knock it off, you two. There’s plenty of time for that later, right, Ten,” Crimson purrs.

But Ten ignores Crimson’s comment. He’s still staring at me, but his brows are creased between his eyes. If it weren’t a new moon, I’d guess he was trying to sense my feelings, perhaps.

“Calix won’t be touching Ever again unless he wants to lose a hand.” He shifts his gaze to his friend, although with the look he bestows, friend might not be such an obvious description right now. And then he shifts back to me. “And Ever will refrain from hugging other men,” he growls in command.

“Okay. What did I miss?” Calix asks, but I keep my eyes on Ten. He’s still staring, a dare in his eyes for me to even try and go against him. It’s intense. The heat that usually accompanies any of our connections, even before the Transference, sweeps back over my body and lodges behind my ribs.

“Just… don’t,” Ten’s tone softens, barely.

Images of what we did last night rush to mind, and I’m suddenly thankful that I don’t have my power. What if they slip into someone else’s mind? Like I did with Ten? My eyes skitter across the table, and I peek up at who else is in our vicinity.

I’m going to have to learn how to protect my thoughts.

“Morning, everyone. We’ll be working hand-to-hand today. Let’s see how your skills have progressed without your powers. Outside in ten minutes.” Rowan claps his hands together, and there’s a collective moan from the trainees.

Maybe today isn’t going to be so fun after all.

The training and pointers I’d been receiving for the last two days only serve to help me for about thirty seconds in the ring. Everyone else is stronger, quicker, and better than I am. Or at least that’s what my body is telling me after losing against everyone.

And I’m pretty sure that Calix went easy on me and, instead of fighting to win, used it as an added lesson.

They were all better because they had been taught and trained for weeks before I arrived. The bruises and contusions that now litter my body scream that they had. Luckily for me, I ran out of time to feel just how much Ascella or Crimson hate me, as Rowan calls it a day.

Perrin can’t help, not today. Nobody can help. He does offer me the tonic, which I gladly accept.

“What do you need?” Ten asks from beside me, his words tight. Everyone is sporting wounds today.

“A bath. I’d love a bath,” I breathe gingerly as I imagine the easing of my muscles in the hot water.

My whole body hurts, and I hold myself as rigid as possible to stop the throb in my ribs from punching through.

My shoulder’s been wrenched backwards, too, so I cradle my arm to my left to prevent the pull from adding any more pain.

Luckily, only one punch landed on my face.

“Do you want to see Kyra?” Micah asks from my other side.

“It’s okay. I think I need to rest.” He nods and puts a hand on my good shoulder, and I reach to cover his hand with mine. I don’t know what Ten’s command at breakfast was all about, but while it might have made me shiver, I won’t let him take everything that touch can mean away from me.

Gratitude and thanks are what I want to give, and I have no way of showing that. Sometimes words aren’t enough.

“You’ll be fine tomorrow. A little healing, and you’ll be all fixed like the rest of us.” Micah hadn’t fared too well, nor had Azur. “Want to go into The Court tonight?” he asks.

“Um, I don’t think so.” My head tips towards Ten after I answer. “I’m pretty beat. And I mean that literally.”

He squeezes my shoulder and then heads off.

Ten continues to escort me back to my room.

He doesn’t have more than a scratch on him, from Calix, of course.

Although Crimson sure as zuns tried. I bite down the burning knot of jealousy that is never far away when she’s concerned.

The remarks from Calix, her obvious belief she has a claim over Ten, and their shared history all mix in the pit of my stomach.

We arrive, and he pauses in that infuriating position just outside my door.

“You need to rest. Take a bath. And Perrin’s tonic.”

“What is it with you and orders today?” I grin.

“Oh, it’s not just today, Little Siren.” His lips twitch.

I wasn’t sure why that nickname made me feel powerful, but it did, and it set something off inside of me, which I’m convinced he knew.

“You don’t like me hugging Calix.” I state.

“Absolutely not.”

“Or Micah?”

“Nobody. Just because we can touch on a new moon doesn’t erase the importance and significance of it outside of training.

” I nod, understanding a little more and seeing it’s the opposite of why I want to offer it.

“I don’t want you sharing that with anyone but me.

Now, rest. I’ll come and see you soon.” He leaves, and I deflate.

Several hours later, I hear a knock on the door. My body wants to bound up to open it, but the aches force a gentler shuffle.

“Hey.”

“Hey,” I smile quickly and then look out into the hall as Ten just stands, leaning against the door. “Are you going to come in?” I ask, nerves dancing in my chest impatiently.

I soaked, took the tonic and enjoyed just…

being. Until I grew fidgety, trapped in my room with only my thoughts, which soon travelled to Lyle and what she would be doing.

But I didn’t want to dwell on things, so I went to collect my dinner from the hall.

It was empty. People were finding other ways to spend their evenings, it seemed.

And now he stands…

“Nope. Not yet. Come on.” He grabs my hand, my actual hand, wrapping his fingers through mine. I look down at them, joined together, and beam up at him. He’s grinning, too. “As good as that feels, will you indulge me, Little Siren?” he whispers in the shell of my ear.