Page 53 of Princess of Bael

“Yes,” I admitted. “But that’s part of my gifts.” I walked around my desk to lean against it, placing me near where she sat on the floor. She seemed to prefer that over chairs. “Can your father sense power shifts?” I knew the answer but wanted to hear her response.

“To an extent,” she replied slowly, her expression pensive. “His ability is similar to how Ashmedai can track energy changes. However, they both rely on others to bring them proof.”

“While you don’t need the proof—you just know,” I pressed.

She nodded. “Yeah.”

“Like me,” I finished, waiting for her to draw the conclusion I’d already arrived at.You inherited your sense of the balance from our bond.

It wasn’t unheard of for mates to share gifts, but that typically required millennia of intimate bonding. And our link was quite the opposite of that.

“My abilities don’t all come from you,” she replied, her statement acknowledging what we both knew while also denying that her powers were all related to me.

“No, you’re the daughter of an Archdemon. With that comes natural energy that will always be yours. I’m just marveling at how my heritage has influenced your skills. It’s quite unique, to say the least.”

Rather than harp on that uniqueness, I pushed away from the desk and carefully stretched out my wings. Then I rolled my neck and glanced over my shoulder at the high moon.

“I want to bury Kristina at dawn,” I said, changing the subject before Kayla and I could go too deep into the discovery of our shared talents. “Will you join me?”

“In burying Kristina?” Kayla asked, sounding startled.

I found her gaze. “Yes.”

“But I…?” She trailed off; however, I followed her train of thought.

“Wecaused it, Kayla,” I corrected before she could finish her statement. “Andwewill make amends. Starting with the burial.”

Her expression clouded over for a brief second before she dipped her chin. Not a definite acceptance, but it would do.

I sauntered toward her and held out a hand. “Time for bed, little heiress. We need to rest, too.”

Either she was exhausted, or she had temporarily forgotten her dislike for me, because she nodded again and slipped her palm into mine. I slowly pulled her up off the floor, guiding her right into my chest.

She startled, her eyes flying up to mine as I palmed her cheek and wrapped my opposite arm around her back. “What are you doing?”

“Saying good night,” I whispered, my forehead meeting hers. I didn’t kiss her; I just closed my eyes and held her, my need to touch her overriding all my rational thought.

A sense of completion settled through my spirit, my soul rejoicing at having my mate in my arms.

“Hang on,” I told her, my grasp around her lower back tightening as I used my wings to lift us from the ground.

She immediately grabbed my shoulders, her shock rippling through us both.

With a quick shuffling of feathers, I took us into the night, choosing a quick flight over the house instead of walking down the hall to the stairs. I flew her up to the balcony off the room she’d stayed in last night and smiled as she shivered in response to our feet touching the ground.

No sounds or words.

No questions.

No callous statements.

Just a silent evening beneath the stars.

She didn’t move, her fingers digging into my shoulders as she held on to me as though she feared I might take off again.

We stood like that for several minutes, our souls embracing each other in a manner similar to that of our bodies.

A subtle breeze stroked my feathers and her hair, drawing her sweet scent to my nose.Lilies, I thought, inhaling deeply. She reminded me of the garden Kristina had kept near her home.