Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Four
G us did what he did best when he panicked. He vanished into thin air.
Well, he pulled the usual teleportation act his uncle Jon had taught him when he wanted to win at hide-and-seek. He reappeared in the library on the second floor, far away from his guests. The faint sounds of music and conversation only irritated his already frayed nerves.
Diane’s words, right before he blew out his candle, had rattled him to his core.
Don’t be afraid to wish. Immediately, he remembered everything. The slime. The coin flip. The ring box. He remembered that missing birthday and the desperate wish he made the first time he blew out the candle.
I wish I knew what I was missing.
He knew what he was missing, and it was his kindred. It was Sirena.
The library door creaked open. Gus hid behind the bookshelf. Sirena walked in. His heart punched against his ribs as if trying to escape and be with her. He wanted Sirena. Nothing else would appease his hunger. Nothing but his kindred would do.
He could barely breathe when he spied her in her wrinkled Night Sky clothes, her hand in a half cast and her braids in a ponytail. Sirena was here. For him. He took her in from where he hid. She held a plate with a slice of birthday cake. She came to feed him. Gus moved from behind the bookshelf and met her by one of the large tables.
“Hello, you,” she crooned.
She offered him the plate with her unscathed hand. “I’ve never seen anyone run from cake,” she said. “I saved you the first slice. It’s good luck.”
Gus took it from her, their fingers brushing.
Her touch shocked his senses as if he brushed up against a heated touchstone.
Gus cleared his throat as she pulled back. “Did you get a taste?”
She raised her chin. “I might have had a bite. You disappeared. Are you feeling all right?”
Gus gave a forced smile, trying to hide his inner turmoil. “I’m not used to being the center of attention.”
Sirena let out a little laugh of surprise. “You’ve performed for royalty and celebrities all over the world. I’m sure you can deal with a few people singing to you.”
“You were singing to me,” he pointed out. Gus could deal with many people singing to him, but the fact that it was Sirena singing to him gave him pause. It gave him joy.
Sirena winced. “You heard that, huh? I wish I had a pretty voice, like Lucy and Ursula. I can hum, but that’s it.”
“It’s perfect.”
She turned serious. “Tonight’s the night when I cast the second-chance spell. It repeats tonight. I asked for a second chance, and I don’t know if I’ve done enough with my time.”
“You have,” he said.
She breathed in shallow, quick gasps. “Even if I get the job, I broke my wrist. I need time to heal—Lighthouse might move on from me.”
“It’ll work out,” he insisted. Gus had to believe that it would work out.
A cold knot formed in his stomach. He had to be honest with her in case she was sent back in time. In case he lost her. “What happened the last birthday we met? You said we talked briefly, but you didn’t give me the details.”
She thought for a second. “Oh, I found you with a ring box in the kitchen.”
Gus reached into his suit pocket and took out a ring box. He opened it and placed it on the library table. “Was it this one?”
The anxious look on her face told her everything he needed to know.
“It’s my grandma Amelia’s engagement ring. This tuxedo belonged to my grandpa Gus. He never performed without this ring on him. Magicians tend to be very superstitious. That night, I was looking at the ring and wondering whether I would ever love again. If I’d ever use my heart. Then you walked into the kitchen covered in ghost slime, and I said you looked absolutely frightening.”
Sirena let out a ragged breath. Her eyes widened. “You remember that Halloween.”
Gus only nodded, not wanting to waste any more time on the past. He glanced at the clock on the wall. Midnight was approaching. He was running out of time.
“You texted that you love me today.”
The instant Gus saw those words on his phone, he’d practically sprinted over to Night Sky Bistro. He wanted to tell her in person that he loved her, too, wanted to scoop her into his arms and shower her with kisses. Gus was running so fast to get there, he had accidentally knocked over his neighbor’s faery garden village. He stopped to clean up his mess and it took him an embarrassingly long time to rearrange all the teacup houses. Once Gus had arrived at the bistro, Gwen told him that Sirena had left because of a personal emergency. Concern had slithered in his belly when he heard this news. Gus had sent Sirena a text, but she didn’t respond to him immediately. He’d thought about calling Lucy and Callie to find out if everything was okay with their family, but he hesitated to call.
Who was he to Sirena? He’d danced around their status for weeks, not wanting to formally declare their connection. Thwarted in his love mission, Gus had gone back to the historical society and helped Diane decorate the space for his birthday. He’d gone out and bought the prettiest flowers he could find at the flower shop once he got the text from Sirena about her injury. If Callie hadn’t been there on the porch, he would’ve held her in his arms and done anything to ease her pain.
Those three words she’d texted were everything he wanted to hear but was scared to hear from her. He’d loved before and he’d been terribly wrong. He didn’t want to be wrong with her.
Gus returned his attention to the moment. He noticed that Sirena had clenched her hand into a fist.
Regret clouded her beautiful eyes, and she stepped forward. “It was an accident. Forget it, please.”
“I can’t,” he said raggedly. “I can’t.”
He didn’t want to forget; he wanted to remember everything. He wanted to experience it all, her wacky dances, her laughs, and her magic, but as her boyfriend. As her kindred.
Sirena reached up and covered his mouth with her fingers, keeping his words at bay. “It’s too soon. We’ve only known each other a month.”
Nerves made his heart thrash, but he willed himself to calm down. Gus took her hand away and held it against his chest. Her ring sparkled in the overhead light, almost signaling to him to tell her everything. It was time.
“That’s not exactly true,” he said.
Sirena rolled her eyes a little. “Okay, so our families know each other, but this thing between us is new.”
He gave her hand a light squeeze. “We haven’t spent only a month together; we’ve been together for centuries, but it still isn’t enough time for me.”
“We haven’t? It isn’t?” Her voice was low and halting.
Gus continued talking, hoping to make her understand what it meant to be kindred.
“We’ve been together before, but our bodies forgot, our souls forgot, but when we intertwined… It clicked for me. You kept me warm by bonfires on the open plains. We tracked the stars and kept records of the seasons in gilded books. We promenaded by gaslight and watched the world become modern. We’ve lived this story before but in different eras. In different places. We’ve known each other across lifetimes and oceans.”
The color drained from her face. “You’re telling me we’re soulmates .”
He licked his lips, taking a beat. “Magicians call us kindred. Our souls have met before.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Wait. Does that mean we’re destined for each other?”
He lowered his head, hearing the disbelief in her voice. “It depends. We might connect for a day, a month, or a lifetime. Being kindred doesn’t guarantee true love. So, you texted you loved me and I… wanted to tell you.”
If Gus could do it over again, he’d text her I love you too and rent a limo to pick her up and take her out on the town.
“I know it was unexpected,” she muttered with a laugh.
Gus raked a hand through his beard. “I didn’t want to tell you, but I needed you to know if—”
“If time resets,” she finished. His heart dropped, but he had to try again.
“You texted me you loved me. Tell me I’m not too late.”
Doubt flashed across her face. “Well, I’ll be honest. You’ve told me so much tonight that my head’s a mess. Are we pawns for the gods, or have I chosen you freely? Is what we have magic or love?”
Gus didn’t know the answer to her question, so he said nothing.
Despair burned in his gut. Why can’t we have both?
“I don’t know what to do,” she said. “We might not have tomorrow.”
Gus breathed steadily. He knew in his soul that no matter how many times they might redo this month, he’d always find his way back to Sirena.
“Let’s have tonight,” he offered. She gave him a steady nod.
Gus led her upstairs to his apartment. All he wanted to do for his birthday was to fall asleep with her. If tonight was going to be their last night together, then they deserved candlelight. He snapped his fingers. The entire apartment, from the bookshelves to the kitchenette, was aglow with enchanted candles of every size and width. The flickering of charmed candlelight crept against the walls; the light grew in the room, burning bright. Scented candle wax and flame filled the air, giving the space a dreamy vibe. They undressed and held each other in his bed. One by one, the flames snuffed out until Gus and Sirena were left alone in the bliss of the darkness.
When midnight came, Gus kissed her good night and tucked her against his side.
He drifted off to sleep. A final thought fluttered in his mind as he descended into his dreams.
Even if this month repeats, I’m ready to spend a lifetime of Octobers with her.