Page 61 of The Nymph Prince

Her lips curved with a smile. “Yes. It’s an act that shows you both embrace who the other truly is.”

Reif stood not even five feet away, and based on his odd expression, I assumed he could hear us. Which made me wonder whathismerform looked like. Malik had an orange and green tail. Lorcan’s was blue, green, and had hints of violet.

“Lorcan thought you and I were holdin’ hands,” I whispered. “That fool. As if I could ever have eyes for anyone but him.”

Eva pulled a blue stone from the pouch she kept it in and examined it. A white rune was on the top of it; the symbol for magic.

She had explained that every mage started their teachings with one of the stones. It acted as a conduit for their powers, until they were mature enough in their abilities to use magic without them. Some mages, she had admitted, never reached that advanced stage and often had to use the stones forever. There were others that outgrew them during adulthood.

When Lorcan had found us, Eva had placed the stone in my palm and had her hands on top of mine, trying to channel my magic. My powers were of no value if I didn’t know how to use them properly. Although they were strong, I didn’t know how to call them forth, and so she’d thought one of the special stones might help since I was a beginner in the magical arts.

There’d been nothing intimate about it.

Yet, I understood how Lorcan could’ve gotten the wrong impression, especially if he was already feeling insecure about our relationship. Me confessing that I’d have to leave him someday probably hadn’t helped matters any.

“Crimson Nightyou say?” Eva abruptly exclaimed, turning almost all the way on the bench to face me.

“Aye. Have you heard of it?” Hope—and also nerves—flared to life within me.

If she knew of the ship, perhaps she also knew what had become of my friends.

Something dawned on her, and she lifted her hands to her mouth. “Although the world is large, it can still be so small. Were you injured in a battle at sea?”

That hope intensified, and I nodded.

“I’ve met your sweet friend Fletcher and his captain,” she replied with an awed expression. “They believe you to be dead.”

She then went on to explain how she’d cared for Fletcher in the town of Silver Falls. TheCrimson Nighthad made port there, barely staying afloat. According to her, it’d been fortunate that they’d even reached the town due to the severity of damage to the ship’s hull. Eva had tended to Fletcher’s wound and listened as he’d spoken of his friend being killed at sea.

“Are they well?” I asked, perhaps too eagerly. Weeks had passed, and during that time, I’d worried myself sick over their fates. Malik had mentioned that they were okay, but I never heard if Kellan had lifted his curse. “Do you know if the captain found what he was searchin’ for?”

“Both are healthy and well,” she reassured me, touching my hand. “The mark upon the captain’s chest is no more.”

I exhaled with relief. “He lifted his curse. How?”

Eva shook her head. “I know not. They journeyed to the cliffs one day, and when they returned they were changed. No longer did I feel the captain’s misery. Before I left Silver Falls to travel here, I went to check Fletcher’s wound and saw the captain by his side. They spoke quietly about the mark being gone and what they planned to do next.”

“Were they happy?”

“Yes.”

That’s all I’d needed to know.

“Let us continue the training,” I said, more determined than ever.

“What about Lorcan?”

Hearing his name caused a twinge in my chest. The hurt was too fresh in both of our minds. He needed time to himself, much like I needed the same. If I tried talking to him right then, I had a feeling it’d only result in an argument.

“I will speak with him this evening.” I stood from the bench and offered a hand to help her stand, as well. “For now, I want to learn as much as I can. I only have until spring to prepare for the ritual.”

Sliding her hand in mine, Eva got to her feet and placed the stone in the center of my palm. “What you need to understand about magic is not to let it commandyou.” She put a foot of distance between us and positioned her arms behind her back, reminding me of a general commanding their army. “Why do you smile?”

“No reason,” I said. “Please carry on.”

“Pirates,” she muttered before cracking a smile. Her medium-length blonde hair was pulled back in a braid and her manner of dress was more conservative than the rest of the people in the Avalontis. Probably because she lived in the surface world—in the north—and so she was used to dressing for the chilly temperature. “Each time your powers have surfaced, it’s been without thought. Because our powers aren’t tied to our minds, but to our emotions.”

“How am I to use my powers withoutthinkin’about using ‘em?”