Page 62 of The Nymph Prince

Eva was patient with me and didn’t mock my questions. And there were many.

“You feel them,” she explained. “But you must begin small. You’ve tried to force your powers when your mind was panicked and you were too desperate. You must first calm your mind, feel the world around you, and make your will known.”

She made it sound much easier than it actually was.

By the end of our training session, I’d managed to lift a pebble from the dirt and hold it in the air for two seconds. Which was… anticlimactic. But we all had to start somewhere.

Knowing how to levitate pebbles wouldn’t help me defeat the darkness. Perhaps I could shoot them at the seer? Aleksander of Black Hallows, destined mate to Lorcan, and commander of pebble armies.

I chuckled at my own ridiculousness.

***

I was nervous as I walked to Lorcan’s chamber that evening.

What would I say to him? Nothing could change what happened in the courtyard. An apology, even when spoken with the upmost sincerity, wouldn’t take away the fact that I’d hurt him. That I’d heard his back crack against the pillar and that I’d seen the fear in his green eyes as he’d gaped at me.

Reif’s footsteps were nearly inaudible behind me. For such a large man, he could be so quiet. Stealth was not much required in order to be a general soldier, for they attacked in groups. No, stealth was needed for more personal attacks. And it made me curious about his past.

“Unless you wish to have your spine removed from your body, I suggest you stop where you are,” Malik growled once I was a couple of feet from the door.

“I’m not here to cause trouble. I only wish to speak with him.”

The progress I’d made with earning the guard’s trust was for naught. We’d reached an understanding of sorts, and he’d stopped being so leery of my presence. Not anymore. He glared at me just like he had that day on the shore when Lorcan had been bleeding from his wound.

No, he trusts me even less now.

Reif stood opposite of Malik. Both males scowled at me.

Malik’s orange eyes glowed and the black of his pupils swirled. “Leave my sight. The prince does not wish for company, especially not from the likes of you.”

“I’m sorry for hurting you,” I said, hating the tension between us. I’d grown to like the guard. “I didn’t mean for that to happen.”

“Precisely,” he hissed between clenched teeth. “You are but a child who hasn’t yet learned to control his temper. Impulsive and dangerous. What will happen the next time you’re angered? You could throw Lorcan into the tip of a sword in a fit of rage. Or maybe you’ll make him kill himself with his own blade, like you tried to do to me and Reif.”

“I would never!”

“Lower your tone,” Malik said, placing his hand on his dagger. “The prince is resting and shall not be disturbed.”

There was a creak as the door opened. Lorcan stood on the other side of it, casting a solemn expression my way. He wore no shirt and his pale hair was disheveled.

“It’s okay, Malik. Let him in.”

The guard looked as if he wanted to argue, but then he nodded and reluctantly stepped aside. His lethal gaze never left my face as I passed him and entered the room. There was no doubt in my mind that he’d be intently listening.

Lorcan shut the door before walking over to the glass wall.

Sconces were lit, illuminating the room in a warm glow. A rippling effect caused by the water reflected on the other walls, like glimmers of dancing light. The blue water on the other side of the glass was breathtaking. More breathtaking, however, was the nymph who crossed his arms and glared into the blue void.

Slowly, I approached him. My gut tightened when I saw the dark bruising on his back.

“Lorcan?” I touched his shoulder, and he shrugged me off. I withdrew my hand but didn’t step away. “There are no words that can change what I did. I hate myself for hurtin’ you.”

He flipped around to face me, his eyes glistening with tears. “I’m not sure what pains me most. That you tossed me through the air as if I was nothing or that you betrayed my trust by sneaking off to Eva.”

“Allow me to explain.”

Lorcan glowered. “I’m waiting.”