Chapter 19 #3
“I’m fine. I wasn’t in the room. We just heard it and ran. Shocked, not hurt.”
Cayden pulled me close again before brushing the collar to make sure I still had access to my magic, putting me first, always. I hugged him harder this time, soaking in his solid frame.
The young woman whimpered in pain. I released Cayden, and he dropped to the ground next to her. Leather skirt, black tunic, sandy pigtails, total goth-teen vibe. Pain twisted her face. Aside from her clearly broken leg, the rest of her appeared intact, but I couldn’t be sure.
“I don’t have my healing runes on my skin anymore,” Cayden said, almost mumbling to himself. “I will have to draw everything from scratch. Keep her calm.”
I kneeled at Goth Girl’s side and made her look at me. “It’s going to be okay. Cayden’s a healer. He’ll fix you right up.”
Goth Girl panted.
Another injured woman landed next to us. Rowan took a moment to place his hand on my shoulder before rushing back into the room.
Cayden finished drawing, and dark green sank into Goth Girl’s skin. “She’s in pain but not in danger. I think it’s best if I check everyone and heal anyone gravely injured first.”
A hand landed on my shoulder. I expected it to be Rowan, but instead, Ravana looked down at me.
“Use your Majekah on her, Quinn,” she said, her voice low but sharp as she focused on Goth Girl.
I blinked in confusion. “I’m not a healer.”
Cayden looked up from his runes and narrowed his eyes at the hand clamped on my shoulder.
Ravana swore under her breath, as if only just realizing he was there, and her grip tightened, fingers biting into my sweater like she might drag me back.
Cayden rose in one fluid motion, already settling into a fighting stance.
This was not what we needed. The world stuttered to a halt.
I looked back at Ravana, holding her breath, and met her gaze. She made a throat-slitting motion and leaned her head toward Cayden.
My heart stopped, and I violently shook my head. “He’s a good one. I promise. If you don’t trust him, trust me.”
Ravana wrinkled her nose but let out her breath. Time sped back up.
“Pretty desperate, Lawson.” She didn’t let go of my shoulder. “Blow up half a room just to play hero?”
“If you truly think I’m capable of that, I wouldn’t be standing here, would I?” Cayden started drawing with his right hand. “Let go of my girl.”
Ravana scowled. “Now I get why Silas can’t stand you.”
“No one likes me.” Cayden connected the final line of his rune, and it glowed. He pointed it right at Ravana. “Let. Go. Of. Her.”
Ravana released my shoulder.
Cayden turned to the groaning man on his other side, dropped to the ground next to him, and pushed the rune into his chest.
Ravana sucked in a breath to stop time, but I grabbed whatever bit of her I could reach.
“Stop, it was a bluff. Cay’s feeling how bad the man’s injuries are.
” I reached up and pulled on Ravana’s hand.
“Let him do his thing. He’s an ass and frustrating as hell, but he won’t hurt anyone. I swear on my life.”
Ravana clenched her fist, growling in frustration before dropping beside me.
I gestured to Goth Girl. “Why should I use my Majekah on your friend?” I asked, keeping her distracted so she couldn’t attack Cayden.
“Not my friend, my niece,” Ravana explained. “Brit swears you fixed her cycle. If that’s true, you could change the damn game. We need to know. If it works, we say she was a late bloomer. If it doesn’t, fine, we’ve got answers. You’re here, she’s here. Best chance we’ll get.”
I took a deep breath and looked down at Goth Girl. “You don’t have anything artificial on or in you that you care about, right?”
“In me?” Goth Girl panted. “What would I have in me?”
Okay, maybe that question made more sense in my time, and I needed to stop asking it.
“Do you have a blanket or something?” I asked Ravana.
The woman stood and came back with a dusty wad of cloth.
“It will be obvious that my Majekah touched her.” I opened the dusty blanket, sneezed, and handed it to Ravana.
There was nothing else I could do to stall.
I called on my Majekah. The hairs on my arms rose.
The light tug, like a dog on a leash, returned, and so did a vision of Professor Holiday’s crumbling monster.
I pressed my flat palm against Goth Girl’s abdomen.
Her clothes unraveled under my touch, leaving bare skin exposed.
With Brit, I’d been so desperate I would’ve clawed my way inside her if that’s what it took.
With Professor Holiday, I’d tried to rip free, but my Majekah clamped down and wouldn’t let go.
This time, I didn’t fight. I didn’t force it; I let it take over.
My heart thudded once, twice, then the power cut off like a switch, leaving me shaken and hollow.
I half expected a little dragon to pop into existence, but it didn’t. It hadn’t when I touched Brit, either. I took a deep breath and stored that away for later.
Goth Girl lay naked before me for a split second before Ravana tossed the blanket over her.
“Shit, kid,” Ravana let out a low whistle.
“You stop time. I destroy stuff,” I hissed defensively. “This is why I think Brit is crazy. I don’t fix things. I break them.”
Ravana didn’t respond.
Another body joined our little area. Rowan hesitated, but I waved him off. The big elemental flourished in chaos. He needed to keep moving.
Cayden stepped to my side. “On me, Quinn. I need a second pair of hands.”
Ravana scowled. “I’m watching you, Lawson. Don’t prove me right.”
Cayden narrowed his eyes and inclined his head.
It was something. I crawled up my best friend's body to get to my feet. For the next hour, I held body parts, distracted people, and helped wrap injuries with Cayden.
The dust settled, and an argument about whether this was an accident from an experiment gone wrong or sabotage gradually escalated into a raging storm, eventually targeting Cayden.
Three men, including Silas, cornered my best friend. I slid to him, and he put a single arm around my upper chest and locked me to his front.
“He didn’t do this,” I said.
Silas crossed his beefy arms. “He’s obsessed with you and more than capable.”
“I wouldn’t hurt innocents,” Cayden said evenly. “Dalila is only sixteen, and her leg was shattered in the blast. I know because it was my magic that knit it back together.”
The three men grumbled, tossing scenarios back and forth. Cayden kissed the side of my head and pulled me closer.
Finally, a fourth man joined the group, confirming he’d had eyes on Cayden, snooping around the building until the explosion hit. Reluctantly, in exchange for his help in healing the injured, Cayden was allowed to leave with all his limbs intact.
“Rowan goes too,” one of the Westwater elders added. “Until we get to the bottom of this, our borders are closed.”
My heart squeezed.
I walked them to their horses, waiting just outside the front doors. Turning to Rowan first, I gave him a hug and a kiss before Cayden pulled me out of his arms and held me close.
“I’ll get back in,” he whispered.
“Don’t.” I pushed back. “Don’t make things worse, please. I’m happy, safe, and I’m taking some time to figure myself out.”
Cayden’s nostrils flared, and Rowan’s body heat pressed against my back. I’d never been kissed goodbye by two at once. Heat lingered on my neck, blood still racing as they pulled away. With a pod of Westwaters at their heels, the night swallowed them whole.
What I didn’t tell Cayden was worse. Without an outlet, my magic would build. I hadn’t thought about the old blackouts, but ten days was a dangerous stretch.
“Cayden’s not great with words, is he?” Silas asked.
I looked away from the spot Cayden and Rowan had disappeared into. “That would be an understatement.”
Silas scowled. “I still don’t like him. Let’s get you back to my home. The Westwater lands will be a bloodbath by morning.”