Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
After I arrange a training session for the following morning with Nyssa, I cut the magic to the room. It is so easy to do, like flicking a switch. Bam and they are gone.
“Extinction. Bloody hell.” Gah, Tuesday, why did you show them your magic so quickly? Why am I so impatient? I flop my head down on the table and groan. My quiet life as an outcast was preferable to being hunted. “I don’t want to be an alien elf,” I whine.
“You’re not an alien elf,” Owen says with gruff amusement. “You are still a witch, but with host magic.”
I let out an unladylike grunt. I’m far from being a witch. My sweaty forehead squeaks against the table as I attempt to press my pounding head into the wood.
“Was that wise, to show your markings and magic like that?” Larry asks, voicing a polite version of my own scattered thoughts.
“You tell me, Larry,” I grumble. “Probably not.” I sit up and rub my face. Great. Even the magical construct thinks my move was a bit pre-emptive. Nah, it was worth it just to see their faces.
I get up, and with wobbly knees, I leave the conference room.
The two men follow silently behind. Not thinking, I trundle through to reception.
Aw heck, I should have kept this conversation private.
Before I can turn and retrace our steps to the office, a sound bubble pops up around us.
It’s similar to a Don’t Hear Me Now spell.
Wow, that is kind of neat. Freaky, but a cool piece of magic.
Larry prods the bubble with an approving nod.
I shrug. It’s not like I did it on purpose.
This magic stuff is nuts. I’m throwing magic around without a chant or spell in sight.
“I needed to do something,” I continue. “They were walking all over me. Did you hear what they said? What a bunch of d-dicks,” I stutter.
For some reason, perhaps because I’m tired and I’m a little jittery, the word dick is heavy on my tongue.
My brain misfires slightly at the odd sensation of finally being able to say out loud whatever is in my head.
I rub my leg. I don’t think I will ever get used to it.
My head goes back to the big reveal. I have thrown all my cards down.
I hope I made myself look stronger than I am.
This all feels like fate is pushing me aggressively forward.
I still don’t know if this is going to blow up in my face.
I hate not knowing if I am doing the right thing.
Although I think the hosts are frightened and have more problems on their plates than my existence, my gut says any future ordeals I have will unlikely come from them.
“No, I had to reveal myself. I had to claw that meeting back and now they think I’m an evil genius,” I add with heavy sarcasm.
The lie detector inside me pings. The thing even works on me.
Oh shit, I hope there is some way to turn the damn thing off.
I white lie to myself frequently. At least it’s good to know that during that meeting I had lie detector backup.
They didn’t lie. “When you’re as weak as me, you learn how to bluff,” I finish lamely.
“The sealgairí. Have you heard of them?” I ask Owen with a wince as I know I am again butchering the pronunciation.
“No. But the word means hunters in Irish. I will ask my contacts.”
“Host hunters.” I shake my head. “Thank you. I’d appreciate that.” A wave of dizziness hits me, so I lean as casually as I can against the desk. No one needs to know that it’s holding me up. If I ignore it, it’ll go away. I sigh and rub my temple.
I blink away another rush of dizziness and meet Owen’s concerned gaze. He hasn’t been fooled by my casual lean. “I’m sorry she was rude to you. I should have said something.”
“No,” the hellhound replies gruffly. “You did the right thing.”
“No, I didn’t. I should have called her out.
She was being inappropriate. I’m sorry you had to listen to that.
” I’m ashamed of myself. I reach over and squeeze his warm hand.
Then I turn my attention back to Larry. “Larry, one thing I wanted to ask: why did you get a notice of the meeting, and I didn’t?
Are you, like, a magical personal assistant? ”
“You just need to let the magic know.”
“Great. Is there anything else I must let the magic know about?”
“Yes.” I tilt my head to the side and wave my hand in a “get on with it” gesture. Come on Larry. “Oh, there’s so much to tell you, it would take me weeks and weeks.”
“Right.” I narrow my eyes. Larry rocks from foot to foot. “You know you don’t have to keep things from me. I will not kick you out or, heaven forbid, kill you. Just be honest, yeah? I need your help. I need a friend.”
“A friend?” Larry blinks at me.
“Well, yeah…” Embarrassed, I casually pull the phone out of my pocket and tap it on my hand. I turn the phone back on and it works perfectly. “I always need more friends,” I whisper.
“I am your friend!” Larry giggles with childlike glee. I lift my eyes, and he beams a smile at me and bounces on his toes. “I’ve never had a friend before. That’s amazing.”
“Friends.” I smile at his antics and hold my hand out. He bounces towards me and gently shakes it.
“You just have to open your senses and the magic will tell you everything you need to know.”
I nod and try it. To focus, I close my eyes. He is right. It is so weird, like I am touching a phantom part of my consciousness. I can feel everything in this pocket realm if I only reach out with my senses.
With a mental nudge, against the blackness of my eyelids, a map appears.
“A map of the realm!” I gasp. That is nuts.
I push my surprise away, wrinkle my nose, and keep my eyes firmly closed.
“I guess it’s not everything I need to know, but it’s a start.
” Owen grunts an acknowledgement. Somehow, everyone in the realm shows up like coloured blobs on the map.
And if I poke the black blob, I just know the vampire is quietly working away in the library.
Gold. Daisy is playing with some friends.
My entire face scrunches up, and what I am doing grinds to a halt…
Woah. What? Friends? Um, that is new. I know she’s safe and content, so I will refrain from charging off and going all mama bear.
Thinking of mama bears, I open my eyes and squeeze the phone in my hand.
No time like the present to knock something off my horrendously long to-do list. With a deep breath and my stomach flipping with nerves, my thumb hovers on the keypad, ready to dial my dad, which will no doubt entail a conversation with Mum as well. I swallow.
Nah, I think I’ll leave that fun call for another day.
I should check on Daisy and her friends.
Uh-oh. My eyes widen. I have no idea what a dragonette will conjure up with the realm magic listening to her every need.
“I need to check on Daisy.” I move and then stagger to the side.
A strong hand grips me underneath my elbow.
“Oh, thanks,” I mumble. “What the heck is wrong with me?”
“You’ve just used a shit load of magic. Magic that you have never used before last night. Of course, you are wobbling around like Bambi. When did you last eat?” The hellhound gazes down at me with a frown.
“The cinnamon bun?” Owen scowls. “Oh, and I had a bacon butty this morning.”
“So, a magically made pastry and a breakfast sandwich? It might feed your future guests, but do you know if it’s nutritious for you?”
I groan, shaking my head and barely refrain from slapping myself on the forehead. Oh, Tuesday, why do you not think things through? The man is going to think I am a complete moron. “I’ve no idea.”
“Okay, so you need to eat some proper food before you do anything.”
“Yeah, okay, sounds like a plan. But… urm… I don’t know if I made a kitchen. I’m guessing there’s no actual food here.” We both turn and stare at Larry, who shakes his head. That’s a no to the food idea then.
Owen growls. Larry waves his hands out in front of himself as if to ward off an attack.
I roll my eyes and the hellhound drags his hand across his face.
“There is no need to panic,” Larry squeaks, continuing his dramatics.
“The food here will sustain Tuesday.” He turns to me, his green eyes pleading.
“It doesn’t come from your magical source.
The pocket realm can fulfil your every need.
Owen is right; you have used a lot of magic. You just need to eat more.”
A nutty protein bar appears in the palm of Owen’s hand. “I could get used to this; the magic is incredible.” The wrapper rustles as he opens it. “When you’re feeling better, perhaps we should open a portal and get some fresh food delivered, just in case.” He glares at Larry and hands the bar to me.
I nod as I stuff it in my mouth. “Have you been to a pocket dimension before?” I ask when I finally finish chewing.
“Yes, several. None this big. I can’t wait to explore.”
“Me too.” After I’ve eaten two more protein bars, I already feel better.
“Oh, I really need to check on Daisy. She’s up to something.
” With my energy levels restored, I hurry for my room.
Owen follows silently behind me. It’s strange having such a huge but silent man following me around.
The shifter sure pumps out some heat. No wonder Daisy likes him.
His warm breath tickles my ear. I close my eyes in exasperation and suck in a shaky breath before shuffling faster away from him. “Where are you going?” I grumble.
“With you.”
I spin around to face him. I have to tilt my head way back to meet his eyes. Heck, I still cannot get over how big he is. With a huff, I put my hands on my hips, ready to argue. I can’t have him following me around all day.
He already makes me feel awkward, and the crush I have needs to be squished before I shame myself any further.