Page 79 of Elex

“What the hell was that?” he demanded, shaking his hand. “It seems to happen every time we touch.”

I suppressed a shudder. He’d felt it, too!

“I think the Goddess is trying to tell us something,” I said, sighing, looking at my little Mageia. I reached out and took his hand. The zap was less this time, but I felt his power rising and humming over my skin. This wasn’t like it had been with Ri. This wasn’t quiet and comfortable. It was powerful. Stinging. Insistent.

“What—” he paused to wet his lips, which seemed unexpectedly dry. “What do you think She is trying to tell us?”

“That our powers could Bond,” I said, moving shaking fingers across Kat’s hand, tracing patterns across and through his power. It was like stroking your hand through hot bathwater. It had a bit of a sting to it but was relaxing at the same time. It felt so damn good I couldn’t bring myself to stop.

“Is it like that with any Mageia?”

I shook my head.

“If your powers aren’t a match, you wouldn’t feel anything. The better the match, the stronger the reaction,” I said. “I’ve—never felt anything quite like this, though.”

He shuddered visibly, eyes closed as his lips parted slightly, as if my fingers were tracing over something far more intimate than his hand. I was overcome with the desire to close the distance between us and see if his lips were as soft as they looked.

I had just started to move when a laughing, lilting voice echoed from the doorway.

“Gee, guys, should I come back later?”

I groaned, dropping Kat’s hand like it had burned me.

“Welcome home, Betts,” resignedly I stood and turned away from Kat.

The interloper was dressed in black pants with silver buckles and multiple weapons secured on her person. She ran forward and jumped into my arms, wrapping her leather-clad legs around me and placing kisses on my scarred cheek.

Betts was Ri’s younger sister, and I’d known her since she had been born.

“Hey there, sexy!” She laughed as I spun her around. Betts was one of the few people who had treated me exactly the same both before and after Ri’s death.

“Careful with the heels!” I growled mockingly before setting her down. “You’ll put someone’s eye out with those things!”

She laughed, the braids tied in her dark hair whipping back and forth.

“Hasn’t happened yet!” she said, laughing as she stood. “Who’s your friend?”

“Kat, this is Betts,” I said, introducing the hellion to the Mageia.

Kat was still frozen where he’d been sitting, a slightly dazed look on his face. Betts tended to have that effect on people. He blinked a few times before standing, nodding gravely at her, glancing from her to me and back again.

Betts turned toward Kat; her head cocked sideways like a bird watching an insect.

“Ooooooh! He’s a pretty one, Hel,” she purred. “Can we keep him?”

“Leave him be, Betts,” I warned. She pouted, but I’d been resisting her pouts since she had been a baby.

“See if I sharemynews with you now,” she muttered.

“What news?”

“TheChrysaliswill be here in about two weeks!” she burst out, grinning like a child.

I sighed. TheChrysaliswas the ship that took Mageia to Illyria, and Betts was its Captain. We usually had it in place before the drop occurred for the Machi. Either the Elusians had sped up their timetable or we had miscalculated somehow.

“It’s also bringingyourreplacement,” she said, poking my chest as I scowled.

“Replacement? Why?”