17 #2
“But I … don’t know how to access those memories. And even if I did, it doesn’t mean I can use the same magic.” I shook my head, unable to believe what I was hearing.
“I'm just saying the magic and memories you're carrying now aren’t just some gift he left behind.” His voice softened. “It's tied to everything he was. The good and the bad.”
A knot formed in my throat.
“And if his corruption is connected to that magic …” Ren swallowed. “Then maybe what you're feeling through this magic, through Alex and the veil, isn't entirely you.”
I looked away, thinking about the silver flashes on my arms. Those Syndicate chains may have been the trigger to corrupt my magic, but what if being connected to Caspian was what finished the job?
“I’m sorry, Theo. Let’s just go home.” He searched around to flag down our waiter, but I stopped him.
“No.” I reached over to slap his hand. “This magic adapts, remember? I will not turn into Caspian, and I will not call off our date early. Let’s have a few more drinks and talk about something else, okay?”
Ren reluctantly agreed, and after a few more drinks, the conversation flowed more freely. The tension in the air melted, and a couple of hours later, when the server dropped off our check, Ren instinctively reached for it.
“Oh, no you don’t.” I smacked his hand away. “I asked you out, so I’m paying.”
Ren challenged me with a narrow gaze. “I know you let Stella and Ivy keep all the money made from the business while you were gone. Theo, you’ve been unemployed for several months.
I have more money than I know what to do with.
Don’t worry about the Syndicate touching it.
I kept very little in James’ actual name, and I took precautions to make sure they couldn’t take anything away from me if I was ever found out. Let me pay.”
Neither of our hands moved from the check.
In the end, I yanked it away when he wasn’t expecting it and handed over my card.
It was more than I realistically had to spend, but previously, I had relied on my ex-boyfriend for everything, and I refused to do the same with Ren.
I wanted this to be an equal partnership between us, even if I could never contribute as much as he could.
We turned left when Caspian’s magic inside me rumbled in warning.
“Let’s go for a walk,” I instinctively pulled him to the right instead.
“A walk?” Ren zipped up his coat, his warm breath a cloud of white smoke as the cold hit it. “It’s the middle of winter and below freezing. And you want to go for a casual stroll?”
“Just a short one.” I wrapped my arms around his and leaned on his shoulder. “You had three beers, and I had … way too many martinis. We should walk it off before we drive home.”
I couldn’t place what it was, but something unsettling lingered in the other direction. My magic was pulling me away from it.
We set off down the street, and I sneakily tried to reach out to hold Ren’s hand, but at the slight brush of our fingers, disappointment flared through me as he pulled it away and tucked it into his pocket instead.
As we walked, I couldn't shake the feeling that something might go wrong.
My gaze darted from one passerby to the next, tracking every movement around us.
Salem's downtown was designed for wandering, and despite the cold weather and late hour, the streets were crowded with people enjoying the night.
Whenever someone passed too close, I instinctively pressed against Ren's side.
Warm streetlights illuminated the brick sidewalks while shop windows glowed against the darkness.
The city buzzed with life, and before long, we found ourselves following the distant thrum of music toward a nightclub ahead.
“Oh, hell no.” Ren caught me staring a little too intently at the front door as the music rolled out into the night. “I’m not going in there, Theo. You remember what happened the last time we went into a club, don’t you?”
“Please, Ren?” I gave his arm a gentle tug and looked up at him with my best attempt at a pleading, puppy-eyed stare.
I was sure what my magic was trying to tell me, but I got the sense that being in a crowd was safer than traveling by ourselves.
“When was the last time you went out and had some fun? Do you even know what that word means?”
“Theo—”
“We’ll just stay a little while. I promise.
” He could have stopped me if he really wanted to, but instead I dragged him across the street and into line behind a handful of couples and clusters of friends waiting to get in.
The moment we stepped inside, the music hit hard, the bass thrumming through the floor and rattling straight through me, loud enough that I felt it deep in my bones.
I leaned against the bar, flagging down the bartender to order two beers.
“Aren’t we supposed to be sobering up?” Ren asked, hesitating to take the bottle of Sam Adams I shoved into his hands.
I answered with a wicked smile. “This one’s in honor of Sam. Plus, we’ll look weird if we’re not drinking.”
Ren started off nursing his beer, but twenty minutes later his discomfort got to him and he chugged the rest of it, asking for another.
It was too loud to have much of a conversation, so we both sat there awkwardly at the bar bobbing our heads to the music.
Eventually, I put my beer down and took his hand in mine.
“What are you planning, Theo?” This time, he kept his feet firmly planted in place, the dance floor flashing in a colorful array of lights behind me. “Absolutely not. Fuck no. I draw the line at dancing. I won’t do it.”
“It’s not really dancing, Ren. It’s more like swaying and shuffling around, pretending you know what you’re doing while everyone around you does the same thing.” I tossed out a little slip spell to nudge him off balance, taking advantage of him tripping to tug him toward the dance floor.
I stepped closer, easing into Ren’s space as the music pulsed around us. “Just follow me,” I said, voice barely audible over the bass. “Look at all these drunk fools. I bet you’re ten times better than them even if you’ve never done this before.”
Ren looked like he had no idea where to put his hands or feet, shifting stiffly as the crowd swayed around us. I smiled and gently took control, turning around so my back was pressed up against his chest, then placed his hands on my hips to guide him into the rhythm.
“Like this,” I murmured, moving in slow, steady motions, letting the beat carry my movements. He pressed in closer, his body moving with mine so it didn’t feel so awkward.
Ren let out a breath that was half a laugh, half a nervous exhale. He tried to copy the motion, though it came out clumsy, his steps uneven and unsure. I leaned back, slipping my arms around his neck and lifting my head to gaze up at him.
“You’re doing great, Ren.” And then the alcohol started speaking. “I like the feel of you rubbing against me.”
At first, Ren just froze, clearly taken back by my words, but he became completely flustered when I turned around and smiled against his ear, pressing a feather light kiss against his earlobe.
“I … need to go to the bathroom.” His hands dropped from my waist and he pulled away. A sharp spike in magic erupted as the warning bells went off in my head.
“Ren, wait!” I reached for his hand as he stepped backward, but I couldn’t stop him from crashing into the person behind him.