Chapter Seven
A Touch of Magic
Nothing kept me from cooking breakfast for my men. Not even a messy, super-gross kitchen that needed buckets of Lysol and an exorcism.
War drums kept a steady rhythm in my mind as I tiptoed down the stone steps and approached the little kitchen of horrors, preparing for a battle of epic proportions.
But it wasn’t nearly as bad as it’d appeared on the surface.
Once I cleaned off the counters, scrubbed the dishes, and threw out the moldy bread, it turned out to be functional enough.
Equipment was a bit outdated but operable.
The pantry was depressing. Whoever was in charge of stocking it needed to be fired. Same went for the refrigerator. I found the basics though—eggs, flour, sugar, and butter—and got to work.
Pancakes and scrambled eggs for the win. Simple but delicious.
The sun hadn’t risen yet, leaving the sky dark. Not that I could see much of the outside. The small windows didn’t allow for much light. Then again, it was a base for an order of spies. Privacy was important.
“Do you always wake so early?”
I jolted around with a small squeak, spatula at the ready. “Oh. Reign. It’s just you. Good morning.”
His lips skewed up. “You’re a jumpy little thing.”
“Can you blame me?” I lowered my weapon—er, spatula. “I’m in a dark, creepy tower, hiding from a homicidal mercenary. You can’t just sneak up on me like that.”
“My apologies.” He tipped his head, still with that smirk in place. He looked fresh out of the bath, smelling like sandalwood-scented soap. Still dressed in an all-black ensemble though, minus the hood and mask. “What are you making?”
“Pancakes and eggs.”
“Cake for breakfast?” Reign neared the stove and watched them cook. “Perfect.”
I added the cooked ones to the stack and poured more batter into the skillet. “I usually serve these with syrup or fruit jam. Had to make do with what I could find though. You boys need to learn how to grocery shop.”
Reign’s smile turned flirty. “Or we could just let you move in. Do all the shopping and cooking for us.”
“I protest against that idea,” Draven said, joining us in the kitchen. He wore the same clothes as last night. Probably hadn’t slept yet. He and Rowan had kept watch all night.
Before I’d come downstairs, I’d spotted Rowan sitting against the wall, head tipped back as he softly snored. Looked as though he hadn’t been asleep long. I’d covered him up and tiptoed from the room.
“I’ll grow on you one day.” I wagged the spatula at Draven. “Mark my words. I’ll finally find your favorite food, and you’ll be begging me to come over and cook for you.”
He sneered. “You’re dripping batter onto the floor.”
“Oops.”
While I cleaned my mess and returned to the stove, Reign made tea.
No coffee, sadly. Guess it was the kitchen of horrors after all.
He and Draven stood against the counter and spoke amongst themselves.
I tried to slyly listen in as I started cooking the eggs but only caught a few words. “Mercenary” being one of them.
Steps came from the staircase. Callum first, then Maddox, Briar, and Lake. A half-asleep Rowan shuffled behind them, rubbing at his eyes and yawning big. Silly man should still be in bed.
“Morning, love.” Briar pulled me into his arms and kissed my temple. “Did you sleep well?”
“Yep.” I loved when he held me like this, gently but with warmth radiating from his touch. “Lake’s lullaby helped.”
“I’m glad,” Lake said from beside Briar, lifting his hand to my jaw. My skin tingled at the contact, as though tiny electric currents traveled from him to me and back again. “I’ll sing for you whenever you wish.”
“It helped me too,” Callum said. His chocolate brown eyes crinkled as he smiled at me. “Having you beside me also helped. I slept like a log.”
After we filled our plates, we sat at the table. It only fit four people, but Reign grabbed more chairs from the back room and squeezed everyone in. Draven lasted all of one minute before getting up and taking his plate over to the counter, preferring to eat standing up.
Maybe he didn’t like being crowded.
“Gratitude for the food,” Reign said with his mouth full. He washed the bite down with tea. “Best meal I’ve eaten in a while.”
“You’re welcome.”
“I still say you have magic in those hands of yours,” Callum said. “Every bite tastes like pure bliss.”
An odd expression crossed Reign’s face. Draven noticed it too. He slowed in his chewing, eyes on Reign and a furrow in his brow.
What was that about?
After breakfast, Lake helped me wash dishes while the others stood around in the kitchen finishing their tea and chatting.
“Any news about the mercenary?” Briar asked.
“No sightings of him near the castle last night,” Reign answered. “The prince came to no harm.”
“That’s good,” I said, rinsing off a plate, drying it, and setting it aside. “He’ll be able to get ready for the ball in peace. It’ll be a big day for him.”
A bittersweet one. The last thing he needed was more stress.
“Or perhaps the ball is when the mercenary plans to make his move,” Draven suggested. “As Shadow mentioned before, he could use the crowds to slip in unnoticed, then cast a spell on anyone nearby to cause a diversion, allowing him to snatch the prince and flee.”
“Unless the prince no longer interests him,” Reign said softly.
Something in his tone caused a nervous flutter in my belly. Maddox looked at him, brow scrunched. No doubt catching that same shift in the air.
“It’s quite strange.” Curiosity sparked in Reign’s mismatched eyes as they moved to me. “I’m told that during the attack, the mercenary ignored the prince and came to your side instead.”
Lake’s hand stilled on the plate he was washing. Froze just like my damn heart.
“Y-Yeah.” I cleared my throat and dried off my hands, turning from the sink. “Everything happened so fast. Maybe he was just confused.”
“Or perhaps he found a more valuable target.” Reign cocked his head. “You.”
“Me?” I worried my bottom lip. “W-What makes you say that?”
“Explain.” Maddox stood against the pantry door, arms crossed.
Reign set down his cup and leaned against the counter, gaze on me. “As you’re aware, my gift is sensing mana. I can detect it both in people and in objects. In the very air if a spell or enchantment is cast. And since the first moment we met, I sensed it in you.”
“Wait, what?” Not what I’d expected him to say. I’d thought he was about to reveal he knew of my royal bloodline. “But I’m just an ordinary guy.”
“I disagree,” he said. “There’s something special about you, Evan Clark.
Your soul sings with a rare essence. Like pure, raw energy.
My theory is the mercenary detected the same rarity the moment your protection stone shattered and he spilled your blood.
He then cast aside his orders to capture the prince and shifted his focus to you. ”
Ice spread through my veins.
Ever since my attack, we had assumed the mercenary realized I was the long-lost prince he’d been hired to capture; that I’d been targeted because of a grudge against my dad. But now his words took on a different meaning.
“You’re the one. I sense it in your blood.”
Maybe he hadn’t been referring to my royal lineage at all, but rather, something in my blood.
Nope. Too ridiculous. If I had magic, rare or otherwise, I would’ve used it to clean up the kitchen by now.
“Believe me,” I told them, shaking my head. “I don’t know what you’re sensing from me, but I don’t have a magical bone in my body. Unless you count my caffeine tolerance and my ability to trip over flat ground. Pretty sure that’s a superpower.”
Maddox quietly coughed.
Rowan unfurled from his spot against the wall and faced Briar. “If he had magic, wouldn’t you have sensed it, Specs?”
“Not necessarily.” Briar looked puzzled.
“I sense energies in people. Auras, mainly. I can distinguish a gentle soul from dark, which makes me a decent judge of character. When first meeting Evan, I detected a pure energy around him but believed it to be a sign of his good nature and kind heart. Nothing more.”
“This is silly,” I croaked, head spinning. “I don’t have powers.”
“Magic can manifest in many different ways,” Reign said. “Some are born with magic, like Rowan and his shadows. Others have their abilities develop later in life, like me. I first noticed mana particles when I was twelve.”
“So you’re suggesting Evan’s powers may still be dormant,” Briar said, brow heavy. I saw the wheels in his head turning.
“I am.” Reign regarded me. “But even when dormant, his magic shines so bright it’s almost blinding. I’ve never felt anything like it before.”
“And you believe this magic is enough to make him a target?” Maddox asked, more tense than before.
“Without question.”
All eyes moved to me.
My head felt like it was going to explode. A feeling that worsened as I recalled something Lupin once told me.
“You’re quite remarkable, Evander. You always have been.
I knew it the moment I first saw you. When your mother stepped through the door of my shop, golden light radiated from her.
Her aura was so gentle. Then, I saw you bundled up in her arms. And your aura?
” His smile shook. “It was so pure. Beautiful. A kaleidoscope of vibrant colors. Colors that would brighten the lives of every person you touched.”
I tried to speak but couldn’t find the words. All along, had Lupin been trying to tell me, in his annoyingly cryptic way, that I really was special?
But magic? Really? I had only just come to terms with the whole ‘being a long-lost royal’ thing. This was… too much.
The edges of my vision tunneled, and I put more of my weight against the edge of the sink, suddenly light-headed.
“You all right?” Rowan was in front of me a half second later.
“Y-Yeah. I’m…” My throat clamped shut, and the room started spinning.
And then my knees buckled.
“Evan?” Rowan caught me and held my full weight.