He stepped beside me, hands in his pockets, tilting his head as he studied the array of materials. “You really work on this alone? Duke Alaric lets you?”
I shrugged, trying not to think about a certain overprotective Duke. “Alaric’s busy. And I can handle myself.”
“I’m sure you can.” There was something behind that grin now. Thoughtfulness. Maybe even respect. He crouched down, trailing one gloved finger along the chalk line. “Same sigils as the old grimoire?”
“Mostly. I tweaked them. Fewer shadow elements, more lightning.”
Lucien chuckled again. “Typical.”
For a while, we practiced in silence. I traced the lines, focused on holding steady power. He showed me how to balance mana between my palms, creating miniature shadow wisps without letting them crackle into full-blown spells.
The
