Water House by Shelly Jarvis

Author:Shelly Jarvis [Jarvis, Shelly]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-06-29T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 18

Ros watched the blood as it spun in a slow circle in front of her fingertip. She asked, “How are you doing this?”

“The blood is responding to you, not me,” Cassian said.

“But I can’t control it. I don’t know blood magic.”

“Your father does,” Teague said.

Ros glanced to Cassian and asked, “How do you know how all this works? More secrets?”

He smirked. “Blood is your father’s specialty, secrets are mine.”

“I guess you think that makes you sound mysterious?” Zandor asked, rolling his eyes.

Cassian replied, “I don’t think it does; I know it does.”

“Uh, guys,” Rosalinde said, interrupting their hostile banter, “what’s happening to the blood?”

It was rising from the wall, reaching towards her finger. She pulled her hand back to keep it from touching her, but Cassian moved her hand forward again and said, “Let it touch you.”

“I don’t want to,” she said.

He wrapped his arm around her waist and said, “I’m right here and I won’t let anything hurt you. I promise.”

She nodded, swallowed hard, and reached her finger towards the blood. It moved slowly, as if it was searching for something, until it found her finger. As soon as it did, it rushed from the wall, slid up her finger, and rested in the palm of her hand. It was a perfect circle at first, but after a moment it tilted to the side of her hand, looking for all the world like an arrow.

“I knew it,” Cassian said, his tone colored with delight. “Your dad is a genius.”

“I don’t understand,” Ros said.

“He left his blood here on purpose, as a way to track him.”

“That sounds a little too convenient,” Zandor said.

“He’s the only Blood Healer around,” Teague said. “How could he know we’d be able to use it? Actually, how are we using it?”

“There’s more to blood magic than just healing,” Cassian said.

“Like what?” Beckett asked.

“I don’t know the details,” Cassian replied, waving a dismissive hand. He was pacing now, muttering to himself. Ros was only able to pick up one phrase, but it was enough: “He must’ve known.”

She said, “You think he was counting on you to find it.”

Cassian met her gaze and nodded. “It’s the only thing that makes sense.”

“In what way does it make sense that he would leave blood for a Night mage?” Zandor asked.

It wasn’t impossible, and Ros knew it. Her father had considered marrying Cassian’s mother. Even if it had been twenty-five years ago, that didn’t mean he would’ve forgotten everything they shared. Perhaps she had told him about her magic, or at least parts of it, and the king was counting on her son to be able to do the same thing.

Cassian could say something to that effect, could try to explain himself to them, but he didn’t. He didn’t answer Zandor, or even look at him. His eyes locked on Ros. She could practically feel him begging her to trust him, as if that was the only thing that mattered. And maybe, in that moment, it was.

She knew he was keeping another secret.

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