Oh my god.
Impossible.
Rime takes advantage of Leo’s momentary distraction, seizing him by the shoulders and swinging him around. He growls as he thrusts Leo against the adjacent wall. “Take off the glamour.”
In the struggle, first Leo, then Rime, gets the advantage. One shoves, the other shoves back. One grips, the other breaks free.
“Do it!” Rime commands.
I want to shout at them to stop, but my voice, mybreath, is trapped in my throat. And I could no more force them apart than I could part the sea. I cast a silent appeal to Topaz, hoping she’ll intervene, but all I get is a bored shrug.
There’s only one other way I can think of to end this: drain them. Energy hums all around me, so dense and heavy I can hardly stand. But bravely I wrap my arms around my stomach and draw it in, wave after nauseating wave of fury and fear.
“I remember the old days, fighting like this.” Rime manages a chuckle before he lets loose and whips Leo into a chokehold. “But that was before I chose the militia.” He snorts. “And you chose books.”
Leo twists and jerks and clutches at Rime’s arms, but he can’t break free. As he grapples, he grunts, “Put. It. Back.”
“As you wish.” Rime lets him go before passing a hand in front of his own face. “But she’s already seen me.”
Leo calls my name and holds out a hand. But my heart has stopped. It’s not only Rime’s eyes that have changed, so have Leo’s. The gold is back, even brighter this time. So bright that his dark brown irises look like the starry night sky.
And peeking out from among the wild tempest that is his hair...are the tips of pointed ears.
I shake my head, barely aware I’ve dropped to my knees. Drugs. Somebody gave me a hallucinogen. That has to be what’s wrong with me. Or maybe Leo did something to me when he healed me. Some sort of side effect.
“Betts—” Leo scrambles for me.
“What’s wrong with me?” I whimper. “What did you give me?”
I dare myself to peer up at his face. His cheekbones cast deep shadows on his strangely vibrant skin. The angles of his jaw and chin look sharper, his mouth fuller. It’s like every feature that makes him good-looking has been dialed up to ten. He’s so stunning I can hardly breathe. Rime too. I’m mesmerized by the both of them. They’re wildly,savagelybeautiful. Like wolves or panthers. Or rugged, snow-capped mountains.
Rime gapes. “She can see us.”
Topaz’s gasp comes from somewhere nearby. “But you two are glamoured.”
Calmly, Rime crouches in front of me. “What do you see, little psychic?”
“This can’t be real.”
“What do you see?”
They’re going to think I’ve lost my mind. “Your eyes—and your faces—they’re different.” I look back and forth between them. Golden eyes, red eyes, radiant skin, chiseled features.
Rime turns his head to the side and uses his long fingers to comb back his hair. “And these?”
I blurt, “Elf ears.”
He sucks in a sharp breath.
“You can see everything,” Leo whispers, stunned.
“They’re not real,” I insist. “They can’t be real.”
“They’re real,” Rime says. “Touch them.”
No way.
“I won’t hurt you, I promise.”
