Heart of the Wolf Prince

Chapter 30

I'm stalking down the hallway to my bedroom, furiously wiping any trace of tears from my cheeks. I don't know where Kohl went, nor do I care. Part of me suspects he's going to go court one of the girls and give her the best fucking news of her life by telling her he's going to marry her. Definitely wasn't something I wanted to hear. Nope, never.

"Naomi."

I whirl around at the sound of my name, my hand just inches from my doorknob. There, standing just a few feet away is Kairi. She's wearing a light-blue dress that seems to float in the air, and my stomach twists as I take in her beauty. Will Kohl pick her? Or will he pick one of the other girls?

"Yes?" I ask, not bothering to mask my impatience. Kairi seems to hesitate for a moment before stepping forward.

"We need to talk."

I frown. "About?"

She takes in a breath as though she is about to speak, pauses, looks left and right, then lunges forward and grabs my arm.

"Hey—" I protest, but I don't manage to say anything else as she drags me into my room and locks the door shut behind us. She lets go of me then, her eyes wide and wild. Her bewildered expression is enough to silence any demands that rise to my tongue.

"I know what you are," she blurts. My body turns to stone. I stare at her for a few, long moment, and she just stares back, those deep blue almond eyes almost haunting.

"I don't know what you mean," I say, though I fail to mask the shock in my voice.

"There's no need to pretend," she insists, stepping forward again. I step back, and she pauses, as though trying to think of a better way to approach this. "I know what I felt when I pulled you off Althea. You burned me, and it suddenly all made sense. The fire on your bed—"

I shake my head. "No, that's not—"

"You can wield fire," she breathes. "You're an elementalist."

For a few moments, I just stare at her, my blood impossibly cold. I debate whether or not I should attack her, and my fingers itch with the need to beat her until she cannot say a word about this. It's a desire driven by fear, the need to protect myself, and though I like Kairi, I can't risk her compromising my identity any more than it already had been.

She must read the violence in my gaze, for her eyes widen in alarm. "But I need to show you my secret too."

She extends her arm, making me flinch. However, any and all fear is replaced with awe as I watch fine tendrils of water wrap around her wrist, coiling in her palm like a snake. Then, the water expands, until it is coating her entire arm like a layer of armour. She flicks her hand and it is gone, banished to nothing.

"I am just like you," she says, her eyes drilling into mine. It takes every ounce of effort I have to rip my gaze away from her arm, my mouth still hanging in shock. "And I have the feeling we can help each other."

"When did this start?" I blurt.

She shifts uncomfortably. "The water started appearing a year ago. At first, I thought I was crazy because none of my other siblings had it. I was scared. One day I was just your typical Invalid and the next I'm sensing the currents of streams and able to summon water at will. One night, I went to my family's old archives for answers, and that's when I found it. About the elemental magic that used to exist within the noble bloodlines.

"When I came to the Queenstrials, I was looking out for any signs that the other nobles may have it. But no one ever did aside from you, and seeing as Agnarys was known for summoning fire, it didn't take me long to put two and two together."