Encryption of the Heart (Love, Tech, & Magic #1)

Chapter Seven

CHAPTER SEVEN

Olline couldn’t focus at work. Her thoughts were giving her whiplash, careening from wondering if Casimir would show up, to berating herself over what a colossal mistake this was.

With it still being early in the day, far too early to take a lunch break, Olline sent a message to Lochan. She was prepared to send whiny message after whiny message for the rest of the day. What she wasn’t prepared for was her brother to send her a holo-call request.

Ugh.

For security, Olline again pinned the holo-video so the only thing Lochan could see was her face, and accepted the call. “What’s wrong with texting?” she grumbled, queueing up another batch of files to transfer.

“Nothing.” Lochan shrugged, dressed in his lab attire, getting ready to head to work. “But I’ve got the time to talk now, and I can’t message in the lab. So why not? Besides,” he said, leaning back and narrowing his eyes at her critically. “You sounded flustered. Even in writing. Which is quite the feat even for you, little sister. You okay?”

Olline blew out a long, exasperated breath. “It’s because of Casimir,” she whispered, like saying his name would somehow summon him.

Lochan’s light lilac eyes remained narrowed. “What about him?” Careful not to be excited or have a reaction, in case it was the wrong one. Lochan was considerate like that. Quickly, she told him how Casimir had found her at The Pit. How she had taken him up on his offer to see the city, but didn’t know if he’d actually show. She didn’t bother with mentioning the creep who got too handsy with her or Casimir dealing with him. She still needed more time to process the fluttery sensations it prompted in her stomach.

“You’re embarrassed,” a rumbling baritone voice said off-screen. Lochan snickered, and a second later, the owner of the voice came into view.

Goswin loomed behind her brother, all dry seriousness. He was such a stark contrast to her light-hearted brother, and yet their marriage worked . Plus, they made a truly striking pair. One that, nearly a decade later, Olline still marveled at how their otherworldly beauty complimented each other.

A hulking figure, Goswin looked like he should work security somewhere rather than a professor of theoretical statistics at a private university. He was a good foot taller than Lochan, even with her brothers’ twisting horns. Goswin had no horns of his own, but his ears were as tall and sharply pointed as daggers.

When Olline first met him and learned he was a caster, she had assumed he had fire magic. Or maybe earth magic like her. But she had been wrong and learned an embarrassing lesson about assuming what power a caster had based on appearances. Goswin’s skin was a soft, foggy green with eyes like brassy, golden ingots. His long brown hair had an ombre quality toward the end that reminded Olline of fire; the brown transforming to deep red, to orange, and fading to a light yellow at the tips. But Goswin was a water caster. His appearance and his vocation had nothing to do with his magic, and he seemed to prefer it that way. Olline loved that about her brother-in-law.

“I’m not embarrassed!” Olline squeaked. Goswin gave her a flat stare, and her brother tried—and failed—to stifle a laugh.

Goswin tilted his head. “Then what?”

Olline pushed another batch of files to transfer and rubbed her forehead. This was precisely why she wished her brother stuck to catty text messages. Now she actually had to figure out what was bothering her, and why. Olline rubbed at her sternum to lessen the burning pangs enveloping her chest.

Both Goswin and Lochan were silent, waiting for her. Goswin’s steady golden gaze never left her face. Lochan glanced back and forth between the two of them like he wondered whose side he should take.

“When I got this job,” Olline began slowly, piecing it all together as factually as she could for Goswin’s sake, “I was free of the baggage I collected in Cyneburg.” She took another steadying breath, distractedly swiping away a warning about the size of the files she was transferring. “Baggage that made me feel small and constantly in need of validation to take any space at all. The lightness getting this job gave me was something I didn’t think I’d feel again after getting fired. Now there’s Casimir showing up so often. First outside my office at night, then at The Pit? The last time someone was that attentive, who showed up randomly and pushed to spend time with me, to know what I worked on, it was Achan . . .” she trailed off.

That was what unsettled her. The old wounds Achan had caused were aching once more.

“Usually when someone shows interest, it’s merely that. Interest. Has this person even tried to partner with the work you’re doing?” Goswin asked. His expression was open, his eyes didn’t narrow in suspicion or roll in chastisement like Lochan might have done. He seemed to genuinely want to know, which meant that Olline needed to seriously think about it. But of course, for once in her life, her mouth was faster than her brain.

“No!” she exploded. “But I’m worried that, well, what if he does start tampering with my stuff? He has access to my floor, clearly, since he was here prowling around the other night.” Her chest tightened, her breathing coming faster and her words escaping in a rush. “What if that’s why he’s so eager to take me around Antal? So he can weasel his way onto my project? Then I’m right back working with greedy, small-minded men who let their jealousy over talent drive them to use their manipulative ways to blindside me. Like getting me fired for stealing work. Except the work in question is my programming language that I didn’t a get a chance to license because I’d been too busy fawning over said small-minded men!”

She blamed her raw nerves on the ordeal from last night. The anxiety of not knowing if Casimir would appear, and the bitterness that no one seemed to care there was a new employee on their floor, as the reason for her outburst.

“I don’t understand,” Goswin responded slowly, looking from his husband to Olline. “That’s quite the leap to think his access to your floor and his interest in making up for a bad first impression means he’s trying to take credit for your work. Did Casimir do something you haven’t mentioned?”

But she couldn’t answer around her heavy breathing and the smoldering lava in her veins burning her up from the inside. Too worked up to formulate the right words, to even understand why this was coming up now, in this way.

The holo-projection shook. At first, she thought Lochan was readjusting the device, but it had nothing to do with him.

Lochan’s eyes went wide. “Breathe, Olline,” his voice was gentle, tone firm.

The magma beneath her skin was her power fastening on to her old hurt, her anger, letting it fuel magic she hadn’t realized she summoned. She took several steadying breaths, letting the rage tremble through her fingers before it could latch on even more to her magic and shake the entire building down.

Blowing out a long, shaky breath, she said, “Sorry.”

“Oh, little sister. Achan really messed you up, didn’t he?” Lochan said softly, sliding his fingers toward the comm device like he would reach through the projection and hold her hand.

Goswin’s nostrils flared slightly, his gaze sliding back and forth between the siblings when his eyes widened a tad. “Ah,” he said in his calm, dry way, “I see.”

He said nothing after that. Goswin merely gazed at them in understanding, like they all shared the answer now. This was the problem with geniuses, Olline figured. Lochan and Olline shared a knowing look, and he nudged Goswin with his shoulder. “Time to share with the rest of the class, handsome.”

“Hmm?” Goswin said, lost in her brother's eyes for a second. “Oh, yes. Well,” he continued, running a hand down his long, fire-like hair as he collected his thoughts. Goswin was often direct but, thanks to Lochan, had gotten better at delivering his thoughts in a gentler manner. “In my opinion, you’re putting a lot of assumptions on Casimir. You’re projecting your hurt from Achan onto this new character. It might be justified. It might not. You don’t know. The unknown makes you afraid. That alone isn’t enough to get your magic to act up, speaking as one caster to another. But a bigger emotion tied up with that could. Arousal, perhaps?”

Olline sputtered, choking on her own saliva while her brother laughed. “Goswin, stop,” Lochan gasped around bouts of laughter. “You can’t just say that to people. Let alone my baby sister!”

His brows scrunched as he regarded Lochan. “What? I’m simply focusing on what I know. This seerani’s made a big show of wanting to make amends but hasn’t set a time or made firm plans to follow through on that. And now he appears to work for a politician who also signs Olline’s paychecks? It’s confusing for even bright minds. No offense, Olline.” She waved his concern off. Goswin saw things so clearly sometimes. It was refreshing to get his analysis. “What happened with Achan and your career in Cyneburg makes you question the purity of others’ intentions. Couple that with this unknown entity working for the same politician when you’re clearly the more tech-minded one. There are parallels to Achan. But,” and he leveled his steady gaze at her once more, capturing her attention so fully she stopped casually working entirely, “consider if he’d have a reason to steal from you.” He paused, and when she didn’t say anything, added, “Does he?”

She gnawed on her lower lip, considering. In a huff of frustration, Olline dropped the holo-keyboard before she messed up her code. Casimir worked in the Government Plaza and could roam the sub-basements without issue. They technically worked for the same people. Which meant Casimir would have no reason to steal her ideas or sabotage her. It would just hurt him. Not that, that had stopped Achan.

With a shake of the head, she ran a hand over the top of her fluffy Mohawk. “Honestly? I don’t know. Not really.”

Goswin nodded, squeezing Lochan on the shoulder before moving away. “I’ll leave you two to it. I should make a fresh pot of coffee, anyway.”

“Use the beans I sent you!” Olline called after him.

He glanced over his shoulder, brow raised in confusion. “Why? Those are too precious to use on a random work day. I can make coffee myself that tastes the same,” he said, wiggling his fingers to indicate his water magic.

Olline groaned as he walked out of frame. “It doesn’t taste the same and you know it!” But Goswin was already gone.

“You know,” Lochan said gently, getting her attention, “your mom would be disappointed you weren’t at least giving this guy a chance. To either surprise you or prove you right.”

Olline flinched as if someone flicked her in the chest. Out of her brothers, Lochan had been closest to her mother. He knew her well enough to make those kinds of statements and be right about them. She couldn’t meet Lochan’s eye as she murmured, “She’d also be disappointed that I’m even thinking about him. A lot rides on this contract, Lo. I literally can’t afford the distraction. Mom would understand that.”

The words were light enough, said with a forced bubbly attitude, but the admission still stung. She wanted to believe that maybe a guy like Casimir could want to be her friend, maybe more. But she had believed others’ good intentions before and . . .

The simple fact was, Olline didn’t have the luxury of being distracted by Casimir Everhart and his casual flirtations. Not that he was flirting with her. That would be absurd.

“You sure about that?” Lochan asked, smirking.

Olline groaned in frustration. “If Goswin were still here, he’d say that I’ve created a distraction loop caused by faulty data. That’s all this is, Lo. Incomplete data.”

“So, seeing him again would fix that.” Lochan was quick to respond, fighting to keep the knowing look from his face. “That’s why you’re worked up. Why your magic lashed out.”

She opened her mouth, and he flippantly waved his hand. “Yes, everything Goswin said, too. He made an excellent point. But you’re agonizing on if he’ll show up. So, you’re trying to vilify him to make it easier on yourself if he just, poof! Disappeared.” He propped his chin in his hand, and only then did Olline realize she was staring at him with her mouth agape. Her brother would have made an excellent earth caster with how well he could read her. “How close am I?” Lochan added, a chuckle making the words rumble in his chest.

Olline hunched her shoulders forward, stomach tight with embarrassment. “It’s not bad logic.” She reached for her holo-keyboard again, feeling heavier for having talked to her family rather than lighter.

Lochan gave her a sympathetic look, but she was done. Exhausted by the conversation and really, it wouldn’t matter if Casimir never appeared. “I’ve got to focus, Lo. I’m sure you both have to get to work, anyway.”

He glanced at the time and sighed. “Yeah. But keep me updated, all right? It’s okay to be disappointed if this guy never shows. It’s okay to want him to appear. Just don’t let Achan make you scared and ruin something good before it can start, all right, sis? You—”

“Yeah, yeah, I deserve good things.” Lochan winced at her biting tone, and her shoulders drooped. “Sorry. I’ll talk to you later. Thanks, Lo. And thank Goswin for me, even though he’s a dirty heathen for using magic to make coffee. Gross.”

Lochan chuckled, waved goodbye, and the holo-projection flicked off.

Hunched over her work, Olline gnawed on the collar of her jacket as she lost herself in the data stream again. Refusing to put any more energy into her traitorous thoughts and redirecting that energy to her magic. Now she only saw code and metals and the molecular structures that made them all, bending them each to her will.

She was so absorbed, sucked into the gentle thrum of her minor magic, that the passing of time was meaningless. Before she knew it, the workday was done.

She poked her head out of the server room, seeing no sign of Casimir sauntering down the hall toward her. Disappointment cold as ice constricted her throat. Olline took a deep breath, told herself everything at The Pit had been meaningless, and ducked back inside. And yet, she decided she would stay a little while longer. Not to wait for him, of course, but there was more work she could do to get a jump start on tomorrow. To make up for her distraction today, obviously.

Two hours passed with still no sign of the seerani.

The relief she thought she would feel with knowing she could focus without pesky feelings distracting her never came. Instead, she was getting angry.

Olline could have spent the time at home, pouring her magic into the materials she was going to use for the server components. Instead, she had wasted time doing frivolous, busy work. It was draining, using her magic to manipulate materials on a molecular level, and she could only do it for so long before she became too exhausted to continue. She had to work on the hardware in small bursts for that reason. Pouring too much of her magic into the devices at any one time could literally drain her power and leave her life force no better than a shriveled husk. For casters, the risk of burning out was actually very, very high and could lead to death. A fact Goswin had cited years ago for why he didn’t make his magic his job. Instead of waiting around for a mysterious, suave, devastatingly beautiful person, she could have spent the hours lingering on something worthwhile.

A soft knock against the door broke her silent tirade.

Olline couldn’t quite stifle her gasp, and she took a moment to let the fluttery feeling in her belly settle before tip-toeing to the door. The anger and annoyance she had wanted to hold on to and wield against Casimir for making her wait evaporated before she ever could get a firm grasp on it. Her heart stuttered faster when her eyes landed on Casimir leaning against the doorframe.

His gaze slid down her, then trailed back up, only stealing quick glances beyond her. “You do actually work alone, don’t you, Tav? I thought you had to be exaggerating. But here you are. Not a single person to help you move all these files or build . . . your server, was it?”

She shrugged, glancing at the room behind her. Olline couldn’t tell based on his tone if he was trying to give her a compliment or teasing her. “It’s not like I’m physically picking up and moving files. I’m just making sure they transfer correctly. A bot could do it, if Karter, my supervisor, wasn’t worried about viruses or digital pirates.”

She waved at her set up behind her. “This is like babysitting. But without the crying, or diapers, or playtime. So, not really like babysitting . . .” Olline trailed off when she realized she was babbling and was not even sure why she was trying to explain this. Hadn’t she told Lochan and Goswin this was exactly what she wouldn’t do? Give him the opportunity to get involved with her work? “Anyway, you get what I mean.”

He clicked his tongue appreciatively, his gaze moving away from the room behind her to lock with hers. “You become more and more impressive each time we meet.”

Olline’s cheeks flushed, which grew more annoying each time it happened. “Yeah, well, I like what I do. I don’t mind working alone. I kind of prefer it that way, actually.” She bit off her words, in case she admitted something she wasn’t ready to. She waved her hand a bit, shooing him back, so she didn’t trip over his outstretched legs. “You know, work officially ended hours ago,” she said as a way of accusing him of being late, even though they hadn’t set a time to meet.

Casimir backed out of the room, hands buried deep in the pockets of his long coat. His shoulders were bunched up by his tall, slender ears, as if nervous that someone was watching. Which was silly. Someone was always watching. That was the point of the surveillance drones hovering, cloaked, near the ceiling.

“Yes, Tav, I’m aware. That was the point.” His eyes darted around the hall once more, stopping briefly where, Olline assumed, the hidden security drones were. “I had a feeling you’d be here late again, and the first stop I want to show you of our charming Antal is best seen after hours.”

She raised a brow in question. When he didn’t offer more of an explanation, she hesitated at the door. This is crazy, right? I don’t even know him. What would Dad think if he knew I was following Casimir out into the night? She wondered, gnawing on her lower lip.

He’d tell me to go out and have fun. That I deserved to have good things happen to me.

Casimir turned and curled his graceful fingers in a beckoning motion. “Come on, my impressive little caster, Antal is calling.” He didn’t wait for her, though. He was already taking hurried, silent steps back out the way he had come.

Lochan’s words tickled through her, making her scalp prickle: Your mom would be disappointed you weren’t at least giving this guy a chance. Deep down, she had wanted Casimir to appear, and then he had, and she was still debating going straight home instead? Because of Achan? She frowned, watching Casimir walk away. Lochan was right.

With a heavy sigh, to mask the excited thundering of her heart, Olline followed Casimir.