Page 55 of Dark Princess Ascending

Putting the teacup on the coffee table, Morelle rose to her feet. "If you will excuse me for a moment, I need to use the restroom."

"Of course, my dear," Annani said. "You can use the one in your old bedroom."

"I'll go with you." Brandon stood as well. "I need to go too."

If Annani thought it strange, she didn't say anything.

When they closed the door of their old room behind them, Brandon wrapped his arms around Morelle's waist. "I know that you want to tell Annani, but I think it's better to do this once, with everyone present."

She turned in his embrace. "I'm meeting Amanda tomorrow to continue testing my ability, and I need to tell her the truth about how it works so she can help me. Shouldn't I tell Annani first?"

Brandon studied her face for a long moment. "You're right," he said finally. "Annani should hear it first. She's not just the Clan Mother—she's your sister."

When they returned to the living room, they found Kian and Syssi sitting on the couch with the sleepy-looking Allegra cuddled in her mother's arms.

Morelle's steps faltered. Having Kian there made everything more intimidating, but then she felt Brandon's steady presence beside her, his quiet strength bolstering her own.

A sudden thought struck her, and she grabbed his arm. "Do you feel weak?" she whispered in his ear. "Am I drawing energy from you without meaning to?"

"Not at all." He covered her hand with his. "I feel perfectly normal."

The relief that flooded through her nearly made her knees buckle. At least she wasn't unconsciously draining him.

"Oh, here you are." Annani waved them over. "I caught Syssi and Kian on the way home the same way I caught you. It is a great advantage that we all live in such proximity to each other."

"You could've called me," Kian said. "There is no need to have your Odu stand by the window and wait for us to pass by."

Annani laughed, the beautiful sound sending chills up Morelle's arms. "But this is much morefun, and you cannot come up with an excuse and say that you need to go home because Allegra is tired or something of that nature."

"I would never." Kian feigned offense.

Taking a deep breath, Morelle cleared her throat. "Actually, it's good that you are here because I need to tell you all something important, and it will save me having to say it twice." She ran her fingers through her short hair. "Three times, in fact, because I will have to tell Amanda about it tomorrow."

"Would you like me to call her?" Annani asked. "She could come over and save you the need to repeat your story."

"That's okay." Morelle cast her a nervous smile. "I'd rather just get it off my chest now."

Annani's expression turned serious while Kian straightened in his seat. Even little Allegra seemed to sense the shift in mood, lifting her head from Syssi's shoulder to look at Morelle with curious eyes. "Illy?"

"What is it, dear?" Annani asked.

Morelle's throat felt dry. Where should she begin?

How could she explain without making herself sound like an energy thief? Or worse, a parasite?

She felt Brandon's hand settle, warm and reassuring, on her lower back and drew strength from his touch.

"It's about my ability. The telekinesis and thenullifying power are connected, but not in the way we thought. I draw power from others to fuel both of these actions. I'm not blocking others' abilities, I'm preventing them from using them by draining their powers, and to move things with my mind, I have to draw energy from everyone around me." She looked at Annani. "If you hadn't been there to supply me with a potent boost in energy, I don't know if I could have swatted that stone aside. Everyone else's power together might not have been enough for me to move such a heavy object. I didn't mean to do that. I didn't even know that I could. I reacted on instinct."

"Then I am glad I was there," Annani said. "I thank the merciful Fates for putting us both in the room so we could save Darius."

Morelle felt like hugging Annani for the heartfelt response. She would have said the exact same thing if she were in Annani's place, and it was good to know that she and her sister thought alike.

"That makes a great deal of sense," Kian said. "It would explain why you were so exhausted afterward—you were processing and channeling an enormous amount of energy."

"You're not concerned by what I can do?" Morelle asked.

"Why would I be?" Kian frowned. "You saved a child's life, and you were the only one in that room who could have done that. I'm grateful for your ability."