Chapter 54

“That was delicious,” I said, putting down my fork. I wasn’t exactly sure what we ate for dinner. It was some kind of meat with a tangy soup. After not eating all day, anything would have tasted good, but this was warm and comforting.

Ginger finished her meal and stood up suddenly, tossing her fork in her bowl, causing it to ring out. “I’m done. Clean up when you all are done. Don’t bother me for the rest of the night.” She walked out of the kitchen.

I jumped out of my seat and ran after Ginger, still holding my fork in my hand. There was something on my mind, and I wanted to talk to her about it before she left.

“Ginger! I have a question.”

She stopped suddenly and turned to face me. “Make it quick. I have things I need to get done tonight.”

“My familiar told me that Theron could sense where I am because we share b***d. Is that true? Should I be worried he’ll show up here for a surprise attack?” I wanted to be ready in case we were all in danger.

“You have a smart familiar, especially for neither of you having training. You should try talking to her tonight. Help her through the rejection from her soulmate. She needs you and you need her,” Ginger said.

I nodded, understanding. If Moon wasn’t going to talk to me, then I would have to reach out to her. “I will.” I waited for Ginger to answer my question, but she just stood there as if she already had. “So… Are we in danger of Theron finding us?”

Ginger cackled. “There is no way he is strong enough to find you here, especially if he hasn’t come of age yet. I have a protection barrier around my home. No one can sense magic. No one should have been able to enter, either.” She looked me up and down. “I still haven’t figured out how you managed to find me and get through my protection spell.”

I stayed silent, shocked by her words. I thought it was just a cloaking spell to hide the view of the cottage from the naked eye. But when I looked to the barrier, I sensed it. I knew it was there, and I just walked through. I didn’t do anything special, and I didn’t have any defense or explanation for Ginger.

“Well, I’m off now. Don’t be too noisy and get plenty of rest tonight. You’ll be training hard tomorrow, and I won’t go easy on you just because you were too busy doing the horizontal dance with your mate.” Ginger turned and walked away.

“Good night,” I muttered, grateful she wasn’t looking at me. My cheeks were flushed from her comment. I had no idea if that would even be happening tonight. Mark was still asleep. I was tempted to go check on him, but I didn’t want to accidentally wake him up. Instead, I returned to the kitchen to help Rie and Daniel clean up after dinner.

“Where did you run to?” Rie asked, piling the dishes into the sink.

“I had to ask Ginger a question. I wanted to make sure Theron wouldn’t be able to find us here.” I grabbed the rest of the dishes and started washing them.

Rie paused and looked at me. “What did she say?”

“She said we would be fine. She said we shouldn’t have been able to get in. I guess we were a fluke, but Theron shouldn’t be able to sense us.” I said. I wasn’t worried, but I felt Rie tense next to me.

“What if Theron finds us as a fluke too? We shouldn’t get too comfortable. We don’t even know if we can trust this lady. She seems a little off,” Rie said. She sighed and started scrubbing the pots used for cooking.

“She seems okay to me,” Daniel said. “She doesn’t seem to be the type to lie about things. I think she would let it be known if she had an issue with us.”

“Maybe that’s what she wants you to think. I’m just saying, I don’t think we should get too comfortable. Someone should keep watch tonight, just in case,” Rie suggested. I could tell she was frustrated by the situation by her aggressive scrubbing technique. Maybe she was only worried. A lot had happened over the past few days. First I was taken, then Mark. I didn’t blame her for being on edge.

“I can take the first shift, if you insist,” Daniel offered. “I want to write down some notes and thoughts from today, and I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep for a while anyway. I think we’ll be fine, but you are right. We shouldn’t overlook possibilities.”

Rie’s shoulder’s relaxed. “Okay, wake me up when you get too tired.” She turned to me. “You and Mark should rest tonight. If you are going to be training tomorrow, you need all of the rest you can get, and after what Mark went through, he deserves a peaceful night.”

I finished rinsing off the dishes I was washing and started drying them. “Are you sure? I don’t want you two to do all of the work.”

Rie gave me a look that told me she wasn’t having any of that. “If we are going to have to fight that brother of yours, we need any advantage we could take. Focus on training that magic of yours. We need to understand what Theron and that chick can do so we can guarantee we win that fight. I want that bastard to pay for what he has done to you.”

I smiled, grateful for her support, but I didn’t feel any happiness behind the pull of my lips. She was right. I wanted this fight with Theron to be over with as soon as possible, and as much as I hated the pressure of it, I was the key to making sure we could actually win against someone with powers. I just hoped I would be enough.

After we finished cleaning, I stepped outside for a moment. I felt the pressure of everything building again, and I needed a moment to breathe. Outside was peaceful. It was calm and quiet, but the longer I stood there, the more noises I heard. The crickets were chirping, and there was a toad somewhere in the garden letting off a long croak every couple of minutes. The leaves of the trees rustled in the wind from the small breeze flowing through.

It was chilly, and I wasn’t properly dressed for the cold, but I enjoyed the feeling of my skin cooling. It refreshed my senses and numbed my mind at the same time. The crisp air almost stung my lungs, but I took deep breath after deep breath, inviting the tingling sensation.

I thought about my old life. It hadn’t been that long since I was working at the coffee shop with Lana, living in that tiny apartment by myself. It was a quiet and lonely life, but it was mine. It felt like a lifetime away, and I didn’t miss it. It wasn’t a bad life, and it was easy compared to all of this, but I treasured every moment with Mark. I couldn’t imagine going back to a life without him in it. I wasn’t sure if I even wanted to go back to my old life at all.

I didn’t want to work at that little coffee shop anymore. Not only was it filled with memories of Haley, who I never wanted to see again, but it felt so mundane. The world was much bigger than I ever thought, and I wanted to know more about it. I wanted to know more about my history and sorcerers and the coven I was born from. I wanted to know what the full extent of my powers could be, and I knew I couldn’t do any of that working in a coffee shop.

The door suddenly burst open, and I turned around, coming face to face with a wide-eyed Mark. His hair was disheveled, and he was out of breath. There was a panic on his face.

“Are you okay?” I asked with a frown.

He moved over to me and grabbed my hands. “I woke up, and you weren’t there. I had this moment of fear that it was all a dream or that maybe he had taken you again. I just had to see you to make sure you were okay.”

I stepped forward and lifted up on my toes to give Mark a k**s on the cheek. “I’m okay. I promise.”

Mark’s shoulders visibly relaxed, and he grabbed my hand. “You’re freezing. What are you doing out here in the cold with such a light jacket?”

“I was just clearing my head. I’m okay though. It’s not that bad.”

Mark narrowed his eyes. He lifted my hands to his mouth and kissed them. “Your fingers are practically icicles. Come on. Let’s go inside and get you warm.”

“Can we stay out here just a moment longer? It’s so peaceful?” I smiled ridiculously big, showing my teeth. I knew it wasn’t a pretty smile, but I was hoping it would be cute enough to convince Mark.

Mark rolled his eyes. “Fine, but only for a few minutes. I don’t want you to get sick.”

I bounced, happy he agreed to stay out here with me a moment longer. “Thank you.”

I let go of Mark’s hands and turned around, so I could look at the sky. Mark wrapped his arms around me, pulling me against his chest. His body heat surrounded me, and the cold seemed so distant now.

Mark leaned forward and brushed his lips against my ear. “I only agreed to this so I could have the pleasure of warming you up later.”

My face heated even more at his comment. I kept my eyes fixed forward, afraid of him seeing my blushing. I didn’t want him to tease me. “Are you feeling better?” I tried to deflect.

Mark chuckled, and I could feel his chest vibrating against my back. “I feel like I could run a marathon.”

I closed my eyes and leaned back against Mark even more. “Good. I’m glad you’re feeling better. We have a big day tomorrow.”

Mark tightened his grip on me. He kissed the top of my head and whispered, “I’m so happy you’re in my life.”