Chapter 223: A Dangerous Theory (I)

Elara:

I tried to shake off the disturbing thought, but it was of little help.

All this time, I had been repeatedly telling myself to avoid making the same mistake for a second time whenever it came to Lorien Moonveil. I had decided that even if we eventually found a way to work together again, I wouldn’t make the same mistake of developing feelings for him. I had been hurt enough, and I had no intention of willingly placing myself in a position where he could break my heart again.

Unfortunately, it seemed I had been lying to myself. My feelings for him had never truly disappeared. I might have been angry about what had happened between us after the kiss, and I might have resented the way he had treated me, but that hadn’t stopped me from feeling that inexplicable pull whenever he was near. It hadn’t stopped me from finding him ridiculously attractive, either. And it certainly hadn’t stopped those rather inappropriate dreams in which he featured far more prominently than any respectable headmaster should.

Even now, the urge to reach for him, pull him closer, and kiss him as though my life depended on it was tingling beneath my skin.

I had to consciously remind myself that we were standing in an academy hall discussing a potentially dangerous magical anomaly, and not alone in some secluded corner of the Royal Palace. I focused on his question, trying desperately to keep my thoughts from wandering somewhere they had absolutely no business going.

But his calmness made it difficult.

Perhaps things had changed for Lorien. Perhaps his confession in the archive room had been his way of finally acknowledging his feelings, but he had since decided that his personal emotions and professional responsibilities needed to remain separate. Maybe he had made peace with the fact that I was involved with other men and had accepted that my choices were no longer any of his concern. Perhaps, to him, it genuinely didn’t matter whom I kissed.

The thought burned more painfully than I wanted to admit.

I quickly shook my head, forcing myself to abandon that line of thinking before it could ruin my mood completely. "Professor Fenrith asked whether anything else had happened between Reign and me that might explain why his Earth magic remained in my system. Other than our combat match and him using vines to restrain me, the only other thing that happened was the kiss."

I paused, watching Lorien’s expression carefully before continuing. "And I think the same explanation might apply to the Shadow signature. Before my practical examination, I spent time with someone who possesses Shadow magic. But there was no physical confrontation or direct use of Shadow magic against me that night. Yet the following day, Professor Stroll and Professor Elowen detected its presence in my spell."

I barely finished speaking when Lorien responded, his tone almost matter-of-fact. "Then you must have kissed Kairo that night."

"We did more than kiss," I corrected automatically, shaking my head. "I actually slept with K-"

The words died in my throat before the name could slip past my lips. For a full moment, I simply stood there, staring at him as my brain caught up with what he had just said. Kairo.

He hadn’t asked whether I had spent time with someone who possessed Shadow magic. He hadn’t asked me to identify the person. He had immediately named Kairo Greymark, as though the answer had been obvious to him from the beginning.

And I had almost confirmed it.

Worse, I had almost told him that I had slept with Kairo.

My mouth snapped shut, but the damage had already been done. I looked at Lorien, who was still watching me with that infuriatingly composed expression, and felt a fresh wave of suspicion replace my embarrassment. How could he possibly know? I had never told him about that night. As far as I remembered, nobody had been informed of what happened between Kairo and me, and I certainly hadn’t discussed it with my friends.

I narrowed my eyes, taking a small step closer. "Wait a minute." My voice came out sharper than intended. "How did you know it was Kairo?"

The corner of Lorien’s lips curved as he looked at me. "I wasn’t entirely sure before, but now I am."

His words left me even more stunned than I had been a moment ago. I stared at him, trying to understand what exactly he meant, but before I could ask, he continued as though he hadn’t just dropped another mystery into my already overcrowded mind. "Your reasoning does seem plausible enough to be considered, especially since Kairo was the only Shadow wielder you came into contact with around the time of your practical examination. And according to what you have told me, he never directly used his magic on you."

He sounded remarkably composed, as if we were discussing an ordinary magical experiment rather than the rather embarrassing circumstances surrounding my encounters with two of the most powerful and influential men in Starfall.

Lorien fell silent for a moment, his gaze shifting slightly as he seemed to be arranging his thoughts. I watched him, wondering what conclusion his brilliant mind was going to produce next.

"There could be two reasons for the considerable difference between the Earth and Shadow signatures recorded in your assessment," he eventually said. "First, the Professors detected the Shadow signature within a few hours of you acquiring it, whereas it has already been two days since your encounter with Reign. The amount of foreign elemental energy remaining in your body may have decreased over time. Second, the difference could be related to the degree of intimacy."

He paused briefly before adding, in the same perfectly calm tone, "You only kissed Reign, but you had sex with Kairo. Perhaps the amount of their elemental energy absorbed by your body depends on the level of intimacy."

I nearly choked on thin air. Sex. He had actually said the word as casually as someone might mention the weather. My eyes widened, and for a moment, I genuinely forgot how to respond.

The man was discussing the entire matter as though he were trying to solve an intriguing magical mystery - which, technically, he was - but that didn’t make hearing him speak so openly about my private life any less mortifying.

Honestly, I wasn’t even sure what bothered me more - the fact that my secrets with Kairo and Reign had finally been exposed to another person, or the fact that even after learning I had slept with Kairo, Lorien still showed absolutely no reaction. At least, not the kind of reaction I had secretly wanted to see.

There was no visible jealousy, no uncomfortable shift in his expression, not even the slightest indication that the revelation had affected him personally. He simply continued thinking about my magic as though I had handed him an interesting puzzle to solve.