Page 49 of Jinx

“Why is there blood on yours, Prince?”

I offered her my hand, and hers was cold and trembling when she took it. “My brother and I had a disagreement,” I said, flicking my gaze at Rami. He’d understand. I sank back into the couch, pulling her closer.

She came easily, curling into my side with a soul-deep exhale that I echoed. I threaded our fingers together and rested my head against hers. If I closed my eyes, I might’ve been able to pretend like we were in our meadow under the stars, just the two of us. But three wary gazes were watching our every move. Stoic as ever, Rami said nothing and turned his focus to examining my injuries.

“How is this happening?” Pixie’s soft voice was still colored with disbelief. Then she gasped and bolted upright. “Oh my god, am I dead?” She looked over at Bellamy with real fear in her eyes. “Did she—” The words were cut off behind her teeth as she snapped them shut.

“I promise, this is very real.” I reached over to cup her cheek, needing her to feel me. To believe that this was no trick. I sucked a sharp breath between my teeth when she sought the truth for herself, but stayed still while she dragged her fingers through the blood covering my chest to press her palm against the heavy thump of my heart. There was something else there now, glowing and dancing in my chest. It was the heartstring that bound us.

Her full lips quivered with that tiny smile again. “It is, isn’t it,” she whispered. “All this time…Please tell me what this is.”

At that moment, Rami probed an area of intense bruising over my lower left ribs, drawing a shout from me that made Pixie flinch. When the string of Finnish curses followed, I knew it was bad.

“You’re hemorrhaging,” he said, a hint of panic lacing his words.

Pixie stiffened, and I squeezed her hand. “It’ll be alright.” Hopefully the next few minutes wouldn’t make me a liar if my friend’s gift proved unreliable. An ambulance would never get out here in time.

“I’ll do what I can,” Rami muttered, stealing my focus back. His expression was grave. “There was an…incident. I may need more time.”

I stared at him, trying to read the answer in his eyes.

“There is blood on her face.”

It was all the explanation I needed.

“What?” Pixie’s electric blue eyes bounced between Rami and me, and her alarm writhed in my chest. “Wait, me? You can’t fix him because of me?”

“He can do enough,” I answered quickly to calm her fear. Now wasn’t the time to explain the limitations of our abilities. Without being fully bound to our Heart—to Pixie—our gifts couldn’t be trusted. They were unstable. “Stay here.” I guided her back against me. “It’s better when you’re here.”

She pressed her forehead to my bare shoulder, snuggling closer. “I’m not going anywhere.”

Rami placed a firm hand on my sternum and bowed his head a little. He was going to have to work for it. His ability should instinctively target the worst damage first, but if we were particularly unlucky, he wouldn’t be able to summon it at all. I let slip a sigh of relief when the warmth of his gift seeped into me. It concentrated in my mid-abdomen, but Rami started to flag too soon.

“Hey, that’s enough,” I warned him, but he shook his head even as the strain creased his brow.

“There’s more bleeding. I have to stop it.” He pinched his eyes shut to protect them from the sweat beading on his forehead.

Pixie surprised us both when she placed her delicate hand over his, and a brilliant pulse of power made my back bow off the couch. I couldn’t breathe while it rushed through me, the sheer force of it like a riptide. Bones creaked and snapped as they moved back into place. My skin felt itchy and too tight while it knitted back together. And there was a hot prickling in the back of my skull that revealed where the other source of bleeding had been.

When it was done, the magic slid away with their hands and left me panting. All we could do was stare at her. She didn’t understand, but what she’d just done—not only stabilizing Rami’s gift but boosting it—was unheard of unless a drift was soul-bound to their Heart. It took practice and dedication and the deepest of connections. Yet Pixie did it as naturally as breathing, without instruction. My heart swelled with wonder.

“Come here.” The words were a rough wheeze, and I pulled her into my arms again. She came willingly, unconcerned by the blood still staining my skin. I buried my face in her neck, drawing her ginger and jasmine scent into my very soul. Gods, all I wanted was to kiss her senseless.

All those years, knowing my Heart was out there—knowing it was Pixie—and knowing that I’d never be able to feel her skin on mine, catch her scent in the air…it was torture. Hiding the truth from my brothers made it so much worse. I got to know our Heart while all they’d known was the hollow ache in their souls. I’d done it to spare them. To protect her. But everything had changed now.

Bellamy’s angry voice interrupted my spiraling thoughts. “Can we talk about whatever the fuck this is now?” Pixie shrank, a strange guilt crossing her features, and I leveled a glare in his direction. He swallowed with a chastised look, and his jaw ticked. “How do you know Cordelia?”

I looked again at the goddess in my arms. “Cordelia.” Her name fell from my lips like a prayer. “It’s nice to finally meet you,” I teased with a grin, nuzzling back into the delicate column of her neck. “I’m Alaric.”

33

CORDELIA

I was freaking all the way out. Not two hours ago, I was attacked by a dead-eyed monster wearing someone else’s face. Yeah, it was terrifying, but I already knew there were scary things in the world. I could also accept that Rami had magic too, although his was so much cooler than mine. Even the fact that I apparently had a supernatural bond to five men was starting to sound exciting. But then Alaric came through the door. My Prince. In the flesh.

Battered, bruised, bloody flesh.

As soon as I saw him, it was like my entire soul lunged at him, dragging my physical body along with it. A profound sense of need drilled into my bones, all the way to the marrow. My heart swelled, and my lungs grew tight, my magic buzzing and frantic. I didn’t even try to stop the urge to reach for him. I was all instinct. He was all mine. We crashed together like wild animals, desperate and grasping and lost to anything but each other.