Page 52 of Smuggler's Beauty

“If it makes the weight a little lighter for you, frankly, I’m happy to be a distraction. It’s not like I’ve been able to focus on anything but you for days, anyway.”

Evelyn gave a little unexpected burble of laughter at this. “You may want to rethink that once you find out what I have to learn to do in this room.”

She gave his hand a squeeze before extracting hers from his grip and leaning over to open the box. She could see the confusion on his face as she unloaded the box, item after item. Cheap electronic items littered the table: calculators, egg timers, alarm clocks, portable speakers, miniature robotic toys. Finally she unloaded a trio of small plants. She placed them on the corner of the table, gingerly.

“I know you think that I’m this selfless, brave person who gives too much of myself.”

She let loose the iron grip she kept on that part of her she’d always been told to hide. Her vision pulsated with the vitality of everything around her. For a second, she let herself bask in the calm, steady energy that radiated off Aiden, that sense of peace and rightness and home that she was sure would never really be hers to bask in. Not after this demonstration. She took a small music-playing device and turned it on, a cheerful melody filling the room. Then she maneuvered the display toward him so he could see the power level.

Here goes nothing.

Cradling it in her hands, she closed her eyes and concentrated on the music player’s energy. For the first time, she coaxed the energy from a device on purpose. The melody began to slow and warp as the power drained from the device. She felt the small spike of energy flow through her body, undirected and wild, as the device died in her hands in a burst of warmth. Opening her eyes, she blinked down at the results of the first deliberate use of her talent.

“I think I’m designed to take.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Evelyn stareddown at the music player in her hands. It had warmed them briefly when the energy had flowed into her body, but now it sat there, accusatory and cold. She didn’t want to look up from the device and see Aiden’s face. She wouldn’t be able to bear it if he couldn’t hide his disgust or fear from her.

She took a deep breath and ripped her gaze from the dead electronic in her hands, her eyes widening as she saw the look on Aiden’s face.

He was grinning at her.

She hadn’t expected that.

She didn’t know what to do with that.

Buying herself some time, Evelyn placed the music player back in the box and fished out the printed pages Corrie had left for her.

Figure out turning the devices back on. Then, move on to the plants. -C

When Corvinia had said she’d have homework, Evelyn had expected . . . well, more. Exercises. Meditation. This was barely enough instruction to fit on an index card.

She looked at Aiden again. He was still grinning at her.

“What?”

“Sorry. This is probably a super inappropriate response.”

“It’s a little disconcerting.”

“I just figured out how to break into, like, six different facilities we haven’t been able to crack security on. I didn’t think you could get hotter.”

Evelyn blinked. Aiden wasn’t freaked out. He wasn’t screaming in terror, running in the opposite direction. All her life she had kept her talent a closely guarded secret. Corrie had drilled it into her as soon as her abilities emerged that it wasn’t a safe thing to broadcast. That people wouldn’t understand. Maybe that was true on Tanalia as a member of the Royal Family.

But the rules off-planet were different.

Aiden gave himself a little shake. He took her hands in his and toned his smile down from a gleefully deranged grin to a reassuring up-tilt of his lips.

“Thank you for sharing that with me,” he said.

Evelyn shrugged, but she was staring at their joined hands in shock. He wasn’t afraid of her — to touch her. The dread that had been brewing inside her for the last day was dissipating, and the sudden shift in her reality had left her off balance. It spiked back up when she realized he may not have considered all the implications of her little display.

“I mean it. I know it sucks to be vulnerable.”

“Thanks for not running off in terror,” she said.

“What’s so scary about energy exchange?”