Page 99 of The Nymph Prince

Lorcan would be seen as a traitor by associating with me, and the conflict we’d barely avoided upon arriving would be imminent.

So it was best if I stayed out of sight.

Eva was proud of my progress. I could perform any task she requested of me; lighting fires, moving objects, and sending waves of energy toward her.

“Do not become arrogant,”she’d told me after our last session.“Just because you’ve learned a great deal does not mean you’re finished. Even the most powerful mages evolve and keep evolving.”

I no longer felt worthless. My powers didn’t control me, and even as I sat there on the bed—no longer grumpy from the pain in my head—I felt the power moving beneath my skin, waiting for me to make a command and bring them forth.

Yet, the power still frightened me. I had better control of it, but it felt wrong. Evil.

“Your body has grown,” Eva said, gliding a hand down my arm. Not in a sexual manner, but a curious one.

“Why is that?” I asked.

I’d noticed it, too. My magic was stronger, but so was my physical strength. My abdominal muscles were more prominent and my chest was wider. And where I used to be at eye level with Lorcan, I now had to look down a bit when face to face with him.

“I cannot say.” Eva examined me with questioning blue eyes. “Perhaps it has to do with your bloodline. You aren’t just any ordinary mage, Alek. You have the blood of the veryfirstdark mage. There’s power inside you that hasn’t even been awoken yet. To be completely honest, it worries me to think of all the things you could do if guided down the wrong path.”

It hurt that the people I called friends had so little faith in me.

“That won’t happen.” I flung the blanket aside and got out of bed. Only a slight ache remained in my temple, but it was tolerable compared to how it’d been before drinking the purple elixir. “I’d rather die than surrender to the darkness.”

“With good fortune, it won’t come to that,” she answered.

Troy and Eva stayed a while longer, mostly to talk about the feast that I cared nothing for. I had little interest in sitting at a table with King James and his ego, when I’d much rather slit his throat for all the harm he’d done to my kind.

Once my friends left, I cleaned myself in the washroom and chose an outfit for the day. My tunic fit more snug and my pants were almost too short. I shook my head at the absurdity of it all.

The servant brought my morning meal shortly after I dressed. She was a quiet girl who had frizzy hair and a face that reminded me of a mouse. I thanked her as she placed my food down, and she bowed her head in response.

“May I enter?” a deep voice asked from the doorway.

The girl gasped as she looked at the large man blocking the exit. Reif wasn’t as large as Malik, but he was still a beast. His armor and weapons only added to his intimidation. He moved aside, and the servant wasted no time before hurrying past him.

“You have a wonderful way with women,” I said with a smirk.

“Probably why I prefer males,” Reif countered with a smile of his own. He walked farther into the room before sitting in the empty chair across from me.

Not that I had a problem with his unexpected visit, but it confused me. Reif didn’t talk to me even when he was in my presence, so having him enter my chamber unannounced was unheard of.

“I see the struggle in your eyes, boy,” Reif said. “You’ve made mistakes in the past, big ones, but I want you to know that I believe in you. This darkness that you face, you will not face it alone.”

“I thought you hated me,” I replied once the shock had passed.

Reif shifted in his chair before snatching a cup from the table and helping himself to some water. “Admitting this goes against all I believe in, but I never hated you. I feared you. Never in my life had I ever felt as helpless as I did that day in the courtyard. My body wasn’t mine when you had control of me. There’s no fighting that type of enemy…one who needs no weapon but their mind.”

“I will always regret that day,” I said, feeling the weight of guilt.

“It helped open my eyes. Truly open them. The dark mages cannot rise again.” Reif’s dark-eyed gaze didn’t leave my face. “Magic is a wonderful gift, but when put into the wrong hands…innocent lives will be lost. It’s why we’ll fight and why wewillwin. We have to.”

I’d do everything in my power to ensure we did.

***

The feast was a bore. The dining hall was grand, but only the wealthy and those in favor of the crown had been invited. Fake laughter rang from every direction as glasses clinked against plates and people became merry with ale.

Troy was more talkative than usual as he drank glass after glass of wine. He sat to my right, switching from talking to me and to his sister.