"I can't believe there's been zero progress with Trevor." I groaned as I walked at Zach's side as we headed to the gazebo mid-morning. "We need progress or we'll never figure things out. I do not want to be stuck training 'just in case' forever."
"Relax. Just because he's our best lead doesn't mean he's our only one to follow."
"It's the easiest." I kicked the ground and, when Zach laughed, rolled my eyes.
Even though my body had screamed to go to bed when I'd gone to the gazebo last night, I hadn't been able to leave once I checked in with Calin and he responded. It felt amazing to talk without a filter. The happiness of that lingered and I'd checked in on Trevor from the room with the wall. It didn't help. Now, I felt even more exhausted from getting a teaser of a good nights' snooze, and it left me in a bad mood made worse because I had to wander to find Zach in the burial site. It was too hot to traipse around the building.
"Are you scared?" Zach asked.
"What? Of Trevor? No." I kicked the ground again, the toes of my white shoes staining green from the grass.
"What about in general?"
I shrugged. "Dunno. I never feel scared here. I guess we'll find out soon."
"You look tired."
"Because I am."
Zach continued beside me, staying silent from the front to the beginning of the path lined with statues. When we stepped back in the grass, he said, "Let's hope you slept enough for the spell to work. It helps protect you in addition to eradicating what wasn't natural."
"If Onyx growls and I feel fine, I'll assume it worked."
"It isn't a joke."
"No, but we need some levity. Constant gloom and doom will make me such a basket case. No book of spells will fix it."
When we reached the gazebo, the unknown feeling I couldn't identify multiplied until the kinetic energy it seemed to be made of caused my body to vibrate like a massage machine set on low. Just a slight vibration and zero shaking. On the upside, even though I felt like I could sleep standing up, it kept me awake.
"Are you ready?" Zach walked through the gazebo to stand on the ledge of the floor opposite of me. "Where are the dogs?"
"Likely running and chasing their tails. That's what they were up to last I saw."
"You should have her with you when we leave the Kingdom."
"Why? You are coming and Opal likes having a friend."
"She's trained to protect you."
"Well, I am not helpless. If the two of us can't take care of whatever your big bad villain does, Onyx isn't going to be able to help except to warn us." I shrugged. "Let her stay."
"You'll come get her when I leave?"
"Sure. If I don't, I'm sure you will bring her to me." I smiled wide and pulled out my phone to text Calin we were on our way back. Keeping it in my hand, I crossed my arms.
"We could stick around for a few hours and still be at Celestial Java for closing."
My phone buzzed in my hand. I unfolded my arms and looked at the notification. It was too long to read in full in a bubble, so I unlocked it, snort-laughing when I read Calin's response.
"What?"
I darted my eyes to Zach and back to my phone, using both hands to text out a response.
"Are you using social media or whatever?"
"Or whatever?" I laughed, finished my text, and hit send. Straightening, I folded my arms again and looked at Zach. "No. It wasn't. I was messaging Calin. He has my car, remember?"
"He's meeting us at Luna's."
"But—"
"You can go relax after and hopefully catch up on your sleep. I'd hate if we fixed one thing only for another to arise."
"That's my life in a nutshell."
"Pardon?"
"Never mind." I shook my head and pulled my phone back out. I'd laughed when he responded to say he was hanging out at the library until I returned and he could sneak upstairs. Now I felt like an ass telling him to go to Celestial Java after already agreeing to hang out first.
"Are you ready?"
I hit send and glared at Zach, dropping my arms to my sides. "I hate you."
"I can't make you go to Luna's first."
"Oh, I know. You can just make me feel too guilty not to."
I can plead guilty to that."
"Oh, ha ha. " I rolled my eyes and gestured to the floor. "Since you're the one who wants to decide our destination, you can do the portal stuff."
"Seeing as you're annoyed, that's fair. I wouldn't want to end up where I guarantee you are still thinking about."
I shrugged. "I'm not hiding it. Luna is going to be busy and I think it's a waste of time. I mean, I could be going for a nap."
"I thought you wanted to see Calin?"
"So? He can nap too. Besides, it wouldn't be the first time he's watched me sleep if he doesn't want to take a nap."
"I doubt your mom would find that appropriate."
"Says the guy who advocated for child marriage." I rolled my eyes. "First, I'd like to talk to her about not taking appropriate actions—we both know she has me beat, and that doesn't even include all of the secrets she kept. Second, I'm independent now. Lastly, Calin not only makes me stronger. Having him nap beside me would ensure I was calm. That's good if the spell is still trying to work, right? Besides, it definitely helps me restore my energy, which you lectured me about doing and have no business judging how I do it."
Zach raised his hands in surrender. "Points taken."
"Okay." I nodded to the floor. "Let's get going so I can have the nap I'm already dreaming of."
Zach nodded, laughing. "When we are done at the cafe, you can go for a nap—to sleep—and I'll come get Onyx for you."
"Deal." I nodded, too tired to smile, never mind laugh. "Let's go."
*****
Zach put his hand on the door handle of the back entrance of Celestial Java. A click sounded and he opened the door while I was still looking for my keys. Zach stepped aside and gestured for me to enter ahead of him. Dropping my keys into my bag, I rolled my eyes as I passed him.
"I have a key, you know," I said, turning my head to look over my shoulder as I continued down the hall. At the door leading to the back room, I rested my hands against the wall for balance as I used one foot to kick the shoe off the other, then switched. I once again looked to the side at Zach. "You didn't need to use magic to break in."
Zach shrugged. "It wasn't hard."
"Says the one still recovering."
Zach shrugged again. "Speaking of recovery... How are you feeling now?"
This time, I shrugged. "It's... different here. I haven't had time to figure out what I feel."
"Any fear?"
"Not that I have noticed."
"Nothing?"
"We just got here! Literally. We haven't even seen anyone, Zach. What should I be afraid of? You?"
"I don't know. Think of something you were afraid of."
"That isn't a great way to figure it out—there are obvious fears."
"Then let's go into the cafe around people. See if you feel anything."
"That sounds like child abuse."
"It would be if it could hurt you."
"Trauma is trauma, even if it isn't physical."
"Come on," Zach said, barely holding back his amusement. "You can have a coffee."
"Fine." With a sigh, I slid my feet into my shoes, not caring that my heel bent the back down because I didn't have time to put them on properly if I wanted to follow Zach. I needed to, though, so I could tune into him if the customers overwhelmed me.
Since leaving the Kingdom, I didn't feel fear. I felt the same current that had manifested after the spell, only outside the Kingdom it was a thousand times more powerful. At first, it overwhelmed me—I literally couldn't speak to admit it was present because all of my concentration was on not tripping over my own feet walking while I tried to tamper it down. Once I did that just before reached the back door, I started trying to make sense of.
How could I explain what I felt?
It didn't make sense.
I seriously felt like I'd jacked myself into generator of magic. I couldn't sense an individual signature. Instead, I felt multiple. Had my empathy grown without whatever fear the spell took away? I felt everyone now? Or just those within a specific range?
It was too confusing, and I didn't want to analyze it with anyone else until I figured it out for myself.
We exited the hallway and stepped into the space behind the counter. My eyes roamed the cafe, noting only a handful of customers left, and paused when I found Luna laughing as she served a familiar face sitting alone at a booth.
"I didn't know Luna was friends with Mr. Corbin," I said, glaring as his hand brushed against her arm.
"I think she tries to be friendly with all her customers so they come back." Zach laughed. "It's a small community."
"Yeah. Sure." I forced myself to look away, hoping Zach was right. If they were friends, I had to believe Luna wouldn't betray my trust.
"Are you okay?"
"Fine." I nodded, realizing it was true—I had suspicion but not fear.
The ding of the door drew my attention. My eyes darted to the entrance and a smile split my face. Excitement fluttered from my stomach into my chest. I pushed all thoughts of Luna with Mr. Corbin out of my mind.
"Go on. Say hello." Zach nodded to the door and chuckled. "Just don't leave until we all talk."
"Deal." I glanced briefly at Zach, then power-walked across the cafe, meeting Calin midway to the door. Before I had the chance to launch myself into his arms—I missed him enough that that is exactly what I planned to do—he wrapped his arms around me and squeezed me against him until my breath was stolen.
"Hi," Calin said into my hair.
I wrapped my arms around his waist and tilted my head back, smiling. He grinned, showing off his dimples, and leaned down. I stood on the tips of my toes to meet him halfway, savoring the chaste but not too short kiss that lit a new fire under the butterflies in my stomach. He pulled back, grinned, then gave me one more quick peck before pulling back completely to tuck me into his side, his arm around my waist and hand on my hips.
It was really too bad we weren't alone.
"How are you feeling?" Calin asked, guiding me to the counter where the coffee was found.
"Okay." I glanced around, seeing nobody in hearing distance, and lowered my voice. "I'm exhausted, actually. We can talk more later, but yeah. I read from a family grimoire and woke up about an hour ago."
"So...? Different or just tired?"
"Well, the feeling like ants are crawling under my skin, so I guess you can say I feel better than when we left."
Calin squeezed my hip instead of responding as Luna and Zach approached. I forced a smile to my face even though I wanted to talk more with Calin. I wanted to tell him about the current I felt and what I assumed it was, and even that it was stronger than ever since we came into the cafe area.
I took the coffee Zach handed me, grateful to sip it and lose the smile that already had my cheeks hurting. I darted my gaze to Calin, then Zach, and then rested on Luna. Uneasy but not surprised she was already watching me, I refused to look away. The feeling I couldn't identify for certain intensified. Keeping eye contact over the rim of my cup, I took a long sip and slowly lowered it. Uneasy wasn't afraid, and I refused to show timidity.
Luna's eyes narrowed, studying me, though I couldn't help but wish she'd say hello before so openly dissecting me like an exhibit. I shifted my weight and gave in to another sip of coffee. I couldn't tell if it was intentionally given or because of my empathy—or maybe because of our alleged soulmate connection—but I concentrated on the calm he extended to me. Not that I needed to be calmed. I focused on it to distract myself from feeling like I was under a microscope.
"So?" Calin asked what I was thinking and squeezed my side again.
Luna nodded, not bothering to look away from her perusal of me. "Your fear has lessened. A lot."
I snorted, lowering my cup. I shuffled my feet, feeling a burst of the energy, and refocused on Calin. "Okay. I was more afraid yesterday. Of course, I was. I thought I hurt Calin. I've calmed down since. That's normal—expected even."
"No." Luna shook her head. "I don't think you can hurt Calin. You are connected through a blood exchange, thus protecting one another from the other, and you are soulmates, which also typically protects each other from the other."
"Right." I rolled my eyes and took a sip of my coffee, and then finally looked away to smirk in Calin's direction. "I doubt that's true. I mean, has it been tested?"
"I could be," Zach said. "Easily. Try hurt Calin."
"You're not serious." I whipped my head in his direction, dropping my hands to my sides and nearly spilling my coffee. "I will not do that in an attempt to prove it won't happen."
"But we can make sure he isn't."
"I said no." I glanced at Zach.
"You are different," Luna said, and I shifted focus back to her. "There's a clarity surrounding her now. I sense more power than before too."
"You're wrong about me not being able to hurt Calin." There was no way I could give into that kind of magical thinking.
"Try." Luna shrugged.
"I'm not trying to hurt him to test your theory!" My voice rose and I felt my magic stir. Not like a tickle of awareness but a tsunami of energy that rushed through me to burn out from my eyes, making them dry.
Calin squeezed my side. "It's okay."
"No. It's reckless."
Zach waved his arm towards us, the movement catching the edge of my vision. I glanced at his hand, then to where he pointed just in time to see the result of his gesture. Calin's entire body rippled like a think layer coated him. It faded quickly, somehow being absorbed by his skin instead of pooling at Calin's feet.
"What the...?" I closed my mouth and slowly turned back to Zach.
"You have an affinity for fire. I can step in and put it out if our hypothesis is wrong." Zach grinned. "Try touch Calin while holding fire. If it hurts, I'll ensure he's okay, and we can heal minor injuries when not for personal gain."
"But I don't want—"
"I'm curious, Nora," Calin said. "In the clearing, the fire you threw touched me, you know. I didn't step aside fast enough. I wasn't hurt."
"I zapped you." The spark that had lessened his grip came to mind.
"it felt like static electricity. More shock than anything since it looked like it should hurt."
"See?" Zach grinned.
I glanced at each of them, then sighed. Stepping away from Calin's touch. I took two paces and turned to face him. I brought my finger up between us and stared at it. Without having to overthink my desire, I pulled energy to mask my signature. A second later, a single flame flickered to life and danced a solo in the air.
"Fine," I said. "This is the only test we will do, and I will not make this fire any bigger."
Zach nodded towards Calin. "Whenever you are ready."
I nodded and took a step, my stomach twirling. Just before I reached Calin, I extended my arm and met Calin's gaze, and I whispered, "I'm sorry." Closing my eyes—I couldn't stand to see it go wrong—I put the finger holding the flame to Calin's forearm.