Chapter 19
WAVERLY
Iwoke up on the sofa in Aldric’s office to the sound of whispering.
Well, that’s never a good sign.
In my experience, whispering meant one of three things. Someone was planning a surprise, someone had died, or I had done something so socially catastrophic that everyone was deciding how much to tell me.
Considering I was in Aldric’s office, lying on a sofa, feeling all sorts of odd, I had concerns.
“Damn,” I croaked. “Was I drinking again?”
The whispering stopped.
Aldric flew to my side so fast I blinked. One second, he was several feet away with Elara. The next, he was kneeling beside me, one hand hovering near my face as if he wanted to touch me but feared I might shatter.
Which was ridiculous. I only felt like I had been hit by a truck. I was fine. Fine.
“Waverly,” he said, voice rough. “How do you feel?”
“Like I lost a fight with a museum.” I swallowed and looked past him. “Did I?”
Elara stood near the desk, arms crossed, looking as elegant and composed as ever—though this time there was what I took as a hint of concern. “Not exactly.”
“No answer is the worst kind of answer.”
I pushed myself up on my elbows and the room seemed different.
The air had texture. Aldric’s office, which I had already thought was beautiful, now shimmered around the edges.
The plants in the window weren’t just healthy—they were humming.
Tiny threads of green light moved through their leaves.
The old wooden floor glowed faintly under the afternoon sun.
I blinked and leaned closer. “Whoa.”
“Easy.” Aldric’s hand settled gently on my shoulder.
I turned to look, and our eyes met. My heart exploded. Not literally, obviously, because that would have been inconvenient and probably ruined his rug. But something in me opened so suddenly and so completely that I forgot how to breathe. A flood of feelings overtook me.
Aldric wasn’t just handsome. That was such a stupid, small word for what I was looking at.
His skin carried a faint light beneath it—old light, like moonlight trapped under water.
His eyes were no longer merely gray-green.
They were a storm and a forest, and behind them, something ancient was watching me with raw, terrified tenderness.
My chest tightened and every single sensible thought I’d ever had packed a bag and left.
All I wanted in the world was him. And not in a simple, lusty way—although yes, definitely that too.
But deeper, so much deeper, like the thought of spending even a minute away from him felt crippling.
Every ounce of my being recognized him and wanted him.
“Wow,” I whispered.
Aldric went still. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m looking at you and it feels like my heart just threw itself off a cliff.”
Elara made a soft sound that might have been a laugh.
Aldric’s face changed into something that looked deeply worried.
I pointed at him. “Don’t make that face.”
“What face?”
“The one where you look like you’re about to apologize for being either an emotional desert or you’re planning on being emotionally devastating.”
Elara did laugh then. “Boy, she really is your other half.”
I sat up fully. A tingle spread through my fingers and up my arms.
“What’s that?” I held up my hands and wiggled my fingers. “It feels like someone put champagne bubbles under my skin. Warm ones. Is that normal? That feels like it should not be normal.”
Aldric looked at Elara, and she looked back at him.
Mr. McFluffinstuff jumped over the back of the sofa and settled in next to me. He hissed at the two of them.
“Yeah, you tell them.” I narrowed my eyes. “If you two do the silent beautiful-people communication thing again, I’m going to, I don’t know, throw up on this rug.”
“All right,” Aldric said. “Waverly, it was the talisman that was calling to you.”
With a bright flash, my memory returned. The museum. The silver object. The voice that wasn’t a voice. Touch me.
“The talisman,” I said slowly. “That thing did this?”
“We believe,” Elara said carefully, “that your magic was bound to it.”
I blinked several times while my brain reset itself.
“I’m sorry. My what?”
“Magic,” Aldric said.
“Oh, come on.”
“Yes.”
“I’m not magical.”
Elara stepped closer. “Waverly, we believe your power was taken and placed into the talisman. We don’t know any more than you do about why—only that it was your powers calling to you. They had weakened the bind placed on the talisman enough to summon you here.”
“But —” I placed my hand on Mr. McFluffinstuff. “No one in my family has powers.”
“We know,” Elara said. “But you do. By touching the metal, you pulled your powers back into yourself.”
“So, what does that make me?”
“You’re a witch.” She said it simply and clearly. “And from what I can tell, quite a powerful one—once you learn your powers. Others and I can help you if you want. If you want to learn.”
I looked toward the window. Outside, the man in the top hat floated serenely past.
“Dead hat guy is out there.”
“Yes,” Aldric said gently. “He does that.”
“And I can still see him.”
“Yes.”
“And the plants are doing tiny green jazz hands.”
Elara smiled. “Also, yes.”
I put my hands over my face. “And because I’m a witch, that’s why I could always see things.”
“Yes,” Aldric and Elara echoed together.
I took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. I placed my hands flat on my legs. “Okay. Emotionally, this is a lot. Professionally, this is absolutely fascinating.”
Aldric made a sound that was half laugh and half groan. I placed my hand on his arm and felt a bolt of electricity shoot through me.
“What was that?”
“I’ll explain later.”
I figured whatever he wanted to say, he wasn’t ready to share in front of Elara. “What else are you two not telling me? Because you both have the faces of people holding back a cliffhanger secret.”
Aldric went very still.
Elara looked toward him. “This one is all you, Aldric.”
Aldric sat beside me on the edge of the sofa. He was close enough that I could feel warmth radiating off him, and the magic in me reached toward him like a cat spotting a sunbeam. All I could think about was touching him.
“Waverly, I am Fae,” he said.
I waited. “And?”
“That’s it.” His eyebrows drew together. “Do you understand what that means?”
“Aldric, I write paranormal and occult horror for a living. You being Fae is not the weirdest thing that has happened to me today. A cat—who still doesn’t seem entirely cat—committed a museum crime, I received a thrilling shock to my system, and I woke up with powers.
You’re going to have to do better than being Fae if you want to surprise me. ”
Elara burst out laughing.
Aldric looked at her as though he was almost offended. “I am centuries old.”
“That makes sense,” I said, still waiting for him to say something surprising.
“It does?” He placed his hand on my leg and the electricity spread through me again.
“I am trying to explain something important.”
“I know. I’m listening.”
He exhaled slowly, then took my hand in his.
“There is one more thing.”
My voice came out quieter. “Okay.”
“When your magic returned, a bond appeared.” He looked at our joined hands. “A mate bond.”
The room went silent. Even the plants stopped with the jazz hands and seemed to lean in and listen.
“A mate bond,” I repeated. “You and me?”
“Yes.”
“Like fated mates from the romance novels?”
“Yes. Although I’ve never read a romance novel.”
I stared at him. Then I looked at Elara. “Is he serious?”
“On the mates or that he’s never read a romance novel?”
“Both,” I said, watching her face carefully in case she was lying.
“He’s telling you the truth. Fae can’t lie—it’s physically impossible for him.”
“Really?” I looked back at Aldric, who nodded. “So, you’re telling me that I got my magic powers back, committed a museum felony, and have a supernatural hot guy as my mate—all before dinner?”
Elara snickered. “I adore her.”
Aldric blinked. “I would not have phrased it that way.”
“No. Probably not. But I did.”
I should have panicked, and maybe later, once all of this had soaked in, I would. But at this moment, all I could think was that his hand felt right in mine. Like if he let go, I’d curl up in a ball and stay there until he touched me again.
“What does a mate bond mean to you?” I asked.
“It means we’re bonded together,” Aldric said. “The bond will pull us toward each other, heighten our feelings, make us deeply attracted to one another, and make separation very difficult.”
I nodded. “That pretty well sums up how I’m already feeling.”
“Yes,” Aldric said. “Really?”
Elara stood. “You two have much to discuss, so I’ll take my leave.
Waverly, this is important. Your magic will settle into you, but slowly.
Stay near Aldric for now. He has powers, strong ones, and your bond will help protect and ground you.
And once you’ve had time to think about all of this, let me know if you want to learn your powers. ”
“I will. Thank you, Elara. For everything.”
“You’re very welcome. And welcome to our world.” She turned and walked out of the room.
“I’d like to get some air. Could we go back to the inn?” I asked.
“Absolutely. Perhaps you should pack and move to my house, to stay close, like Elara suggested.”
“Good idea.”
We drove to the inn in silence. I kept turning the conversations over in my mind. My feelings—or powers, whichever—told me that everything Aldric and Elara had said was true. I really was a witch.
Once we arrived, I went to the desk and told them I would be checking out. In my room, I tossed my suitcase onto the bed. Aldric took the chair from this morning, which seemed like years ago now.
“So,” I said. “You’re Fae.”
“I am.”
“What are your powers?”
“I can cast illusions and control aspects of nature.”
“Wow, that’s amazing. I folded my sweatshirt. “You’re centuries old?”
“Correct.”
“And you’re my mate. My bond.” My overalls went into the suitcase.
“And I’m your mate. You should know we Fae are known to be very bonded to our mates. I already have very protective instincts concerning you. They will only grow over time.”
“In that case, does it bother you that I’m apparently a witch who doesn’t have a clue how to use her powers?”
“Not at all. Actually, it feeds something in me.”
“What do you mean?”
“Like I said, Fae are incredibly protective of their mates. You being in a magical town but not yet able to protect yourself, should you need too. Means it’s my job to keep you safe.” He paused, “That makes my instincts even stronger.”
“It does, huh?” I walked over and sat on his lap. Aldric’s arms wrapped around me.
He looked into my eyes. “This has been a great deal in a very short time. Are you all right?”
“I should be overwhelmed,” I said. “And in a way, I am. But when I look at you, I feel calm.”
“Good.”
The word barely left his mouth before he kissed me. Or maybe I kissed him. Not that it mattered—it simply happened.
Heat rushed through me, bright and wild.
His hand slid to the back of my neck and I placed mine on either side of his face.
Aldric kissed me like he’d spent centuries practicing restraint and had finally decided restraint could go straight to hell.
When he pulled back, both of us were breathing hard. His forehead came to rest against mine.
“If we go further—physically,” he said, voice low, “the bond will strengthen.”
I swallowed. “Good.”
“Waverly. That means it will be very difficult for us to be apart. Even for an hour.”
“All right.” I leaned back and looked at him, my hands still cradling his face. “Aldric, I already don’t want to be separated from you. At this point, strengthening sounds less like a warning and more like efficiency.”
A laugh broke out of him, rough and surprised.
I smiled. “What are we waiting for?”
“For you to finish packing.”