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Grey must have been pleased with my progress because he called everyone together to eat for the first time since we boarded the ship, his manner jovial and charming. He was delighted, making me conversely afraid. Clearly my mastering this ability was a crucial part of Grey’s plan, and the thought made me feel as if ants were crawling all over me.
I managed to sit through the meal, but as soon as people disbursed to either their beds or night duties above deck, I hurried straight for the hold.
ChapterTwenty-Four
Ialmost fell down the ladder, landing in Nik’s arms. He held me tightly, and I trembled, grateful he had been waiting for me. He was tense—I could feel it in his muscles—but he said nothing, allowing me to slowly calm at my own pace.
When I finally relaxed into him, his arms tightened even further.
“Do I need to go find Grey?” he asked, but he sounded like it was a joke. Mostly.
I nearly started shaking again but managed to hold it in.
“We should find a spot to sit away from the trapdoor.” I glanced upward to where our light must have been leaking through to the hold above. “I don’t think this will be a short conversation.”
Nik led me through the maze of supplies, taking me to the small corner he had claimed for his own. He had placed the spare planks so that they formed a miniature makeshift cabin, using his power to fuse them together. It was enough to block him from casual view, at least, and inside he’d laid out several blankets into a makeshift bed. Best of all was the orange shape curled in the center of them.
Ember awoke at my arrival, trotting over to me eagerly and allowing me to scoop her up. I kept her in my arms as Nik helped me sit on the blankets. He sat next to me, his arm and leg pressed against mine, rather than facing me as I’d expected. But I couldn’t bring myself to comment. I wanted him close as much as he obviously wanted to be there.
I told him everything Grey had revealed, detailing our practice session and my eventual success. He didn’t bombard me with questions as I expected, listening in shocked silence instead.
“Show me,” he said when I finally fell silent. His fingers wound through mine, holding my hand tightly and providing the contact I needed.
I took a moment to gather myself, not wanting to do it again, especially to Nik. But I understood why he needed to feel it for himself.
I stroked Ember’s back as I cast around for an easily broken lie. My hand stilled as an idea came to me. It wasn’t as harmless as the color of a tent, but it would be an effective demonstration of both the power and limits of this terrifying skill.
I took Ember out of my lap, putting her beside me on the opposite side to Nik and half covering her with blankets. She looked at me with bright eyes but accepted the arrangement, remaining still beneath my hand. I made no effort to disguise my movements, and Nik watched me with curiosity.
Once I was finished, and Ember was tucked out of his sight, I turned my head to face him. My power snuck gently into him through our still twined hands.
“Ember’s dead,” I said after a moment, letting my power implant the certainty of truth inside his mind. The ragged emotions of the day leaked out of my voice now that I was no longer trying to control them. “It was her heart. I tried to help her, but I was too late. Just like the eagle.”
“Delphine! No!” Nik’s eyes filled with horror as he stared back at me, not once questioning my statement or pointing out he had just seen me place Ember out of his sight.
He twisted, pulling me into a hug even tighter than the one by the ladder.
“She was still young, wasn’t she?” His voice sounded shaky. Was he crying?
Guilt clawed through me, and I pushed him back.
“No, no, she isn’t dead. I didn’t mean it.”
But Nik shook his head, accepting my rejection of the hug but taking both my hands in his.
“I know it isn’t easy to accept,” he said, and I’d never heard his voice so gentle. “But denying the truth will only prolong the pain.”
“No, she isn’t dead.” I said it with as much confidence and certainty as I could, but he merely continued looking at me with sad eyes.
Even I was shaken now, regretting my choice of example. This was different from the people standing in Grey’s cabin, smiling at the memory of a rainbow of tents.
Ember scrambled out from under the blankets, letting out a sharp yip.
Nik shouted, almost tipping backward in his violent reaction to the shock. Looking from the fox to me, his face was pale even in the light of the lantern.
“She’s…she’s not dead,” he said in a shaky voice.
My instinct was to apologize and comfort him, but I needed him to remember this—to understand the extent of it.
