Chapter 20
Should Have Tried a Fire Truck
My spirits fall. “Don’t you think that should wait until Rowan is himself again?”
“Thank you, Your Greatness,” Ansel says, apparently unimpressed by my lackluster response. “You are truly a magnificent and gifted sorcerer. I cannot wait to hear how you’ve accomplished the impossible and separated the sample magic in the amulet.”
“That was the response you expected?”
“Do you want my help or not?”
“Fine, whatever. What did you do?”
As perturbed as a fussy cat, he crosses his arms. “Nothing of interest, apparently.”
“Good heavens. What did you do, Your Greatness?”
“I used shadow pixie magic to repel your magic from Rowan’s.” He drops his arms, his eyes bright. “It worked beautifully.”
“You…what? What made you think of trying that?”
“Do you have any idea how illegal it is to possess spectral magic?” Ash says, joining the conversation.
Ignoring the councilman, Ansel continues, “Rosalie told me about Arista’s struggles a few nights ago, and she reminded me of an acquaintance of ours from college—”
“The woman who was experimenting with spectral magic to suppress pixie gifts?”
Ansel frowns. “How did you know?”
“She mentioned her the other day.”
Looking disappointed that he’s not introducing all this fresh, Ansel deflates a little. “Well, the sorceress wasn’t trying to separate fused magic, so I believe I should get credit for this.”
“Yes, fine. Why did it work?”
“In many cases, like magic repels.”
“Yeah, I remember. But in case you haven’t noticed, I’m not a shadow pixie.”
“It’s your spectral match. We all have them. Imps and elves. Leprechauns and changelings. You’re similar enough that your magic doesn’t like each other.”
“So, you scared my magic out of Rowan’s sample?” I ask incredulously.
He closes his eyes. “I used the principle of comparable magic repulsion.”
“So…you scared it out of the sample?”
The sorcerer pinches the bridge of his nose. “Sure.”
“This is all good and fine,” Ash says, “but how are you going to use that to separate Kit and Rowan? It’s one thing to infuse a sample with magic. It’s another to infuse people.”
“We’ll have Rowan draw from the dust pendant. Once the shadow pixie’s magic merges with his, it should repel Kit’s magic.”
“All right, let’s back up a minute,” I say. “Where did you even get shadow pixie magic?”
He suddenly looks shifty. “A colleague.”
“You did not buy it from Russell,” I hiss, lowering my voice.
“I mean…he was here.”
“Ansel!”
“All right, listen. I couldn’t get the idea out of my head. On a whim, I gave him a call after you all left. He was still in town.”
“How much did he charge you?”
He clears his throat. “That’s not important right now.”
“How much?”
“I just need one dust pendant.”
“You promised him my magic?!”
He extends his hands in apology. “Looking back, I realize I probably should have asked first. But you were willing to give me some the other day, so I didn’t think it would be a big—”
“Could you please stop talking about your black market transactions in front of me?” Ash closes his eyes, trying for patience. “I am a town official, and I have a duty to uphold fae laws. I don’t particularly want to turn you in before the Fourth of July fireworks celebration.”
“Notice there was a qualifier on there,” I say to Ansel. “Those fireworks saved you.”
“They often do,” he says conspiratorially.
I sigh. “Okay, we’ll deal with all this later. First, Rowan needs to shift back.”
“No, first you need to find Rowan,” Ash says, earning a glare, which he merely acknowledges with a smug smile.
“Not helpful,” I tell him sternly.
He shrugs, stepping into the rain. “I’ll keep you posted on the gnome issue. Call me if you need me.” He looks back, looking far too pleased. “Or when the bond is broken and you realize you want me again.”
He doesn’t wait for a response, which is good, because that statement doesn’t deserve one.
As soon as he’s gone, I look back at Ansel, feeling like a sad, flat balloon a few days after a party. “Do you really think you can separate our magic?”
“I really think I can.”
I sigh, turning my eyes to Laverna’s ugly rug. It’s looking a bit soggy. “Careful, or you’re going to be recruited by the dragons.”
“I have no idea what that means.”
“I don’t suppose we could pretend you didn’t figure all this out, could we? I’ll acknowledge your brilliance—you really did find a potential solution in record time. But maybe we could keep it to ourselves?”
He makes a half-hearted sympathetic noise—probably the best a person can hope to get out of him. “It’s not natural for a pixie to be bonded to a shifter. Who knows what kind of trouble it could lead to down the road?”
“What if Rowan doesn’t like me once you take away my magic?” I say quietly.
“What…no…” he says, uncomfortable. “You’re a nice…pixie.” He pats my shoulder, wincing. “I’m sure he’ll like you just fine.”
I give him a look. “You suck at encouragement.”
He drops his hand, nodding. “Noted.”
“I’ll come by with Rowan later,” I say resolutely. “We’ll figure things out.”
“I need to get back to the store, anyway.”
“Me too.”
“Would you like a ride?” He nods toward the cart and buggy parked in front of the gate.
“Does everyone have a horse except me?”
“We aren’t allowed to have cars in town. Of course we have horses.”
“You don’t mind?”
“I’m heading that way anyway.”
“Let me say goodbye to my parents.” I pause. “Have you met them?”
“No.”
“Do you want to?”
“Not particularly.”
“Too bad.” I lead him into the kitchen. “Mom, Dad, this is Ansel. He and his sister own the rock shop. He’s going to give me a ride to town.”
Dad eyes him. “May I ask you a question, Ansel?”
The sorcerer glances at me, unsure, but reluctantly nods.
“If you changed into an owl, would you consider it proper to live in a house alone with a young pixie woman?”
“Dad!” I exclaim. “We’re going now.”
Ansel chuckles as we walk through the living room.
“Not a word,” I warn him.
“I didn’t say a thing.” He opens the door, delighted. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen the ornery mage in a better mood.
Ryder walks into the tea shop at fifteen minutes past two, finished with his shift at the bakery. He pauses in the doorway, assessing the chaos that is our Friday afternoon. Everyone and their brother decided to stop in for tea, probably because they’re hiding from my storm.
He makes his way to the counter and slips into a recently vacated stool.
“Would you like tea, or are you here for Kit?” Nadine asks him.
“Both,” the elf says. “I’ll have my usual.”
“The cinnamon apple,” I tell her, finishing up my current customer’s order. “But do you mind if I make it?”
“Go for it.” She smiles at the next customer, leaving us to talk.
“Has Rowan returned yet?” Ryder asks when I join him.
“I’m not sure. We’ve been swamped all afternoon. Do you want to go upstairs and check?”
“Sure,” he leaves the stool and heads to the back. Not even a minute later, he sends a text.
Ryder: He’s here. Can you come up?
The line is down to two customers. I help one and leave the second to Nadine.
“Can you manage by yourself for a few minutes?” I ask her.
But I know she can. She’s in her element, happy as can be, her peaceful magic blanketing the tea shop.
“Of course,” she says. “Do what you need to.”
I take off my apron and leave her to it, feeling nervous as I walk into the apartment.
I’m so relieved when I see Rowan on his perch, I nearly burst into tears. “You’re back.”
The owl studies me, perhaps unsure why I’m suddenly emotional.
Which makes two of us.
I scrub my palms over my eyes, probably smearing my mascara, and then turn to Ryder. “Okay, what’s your idea?”
“Hazel said Rowan needs a jolt of emotion to spark the change, right?”
“She did.”
“How badly do you want Rowan back?”
I look at the owl. “I would trade the tea shop to Mr. Eastwilden if it would bring him back.”
Rowan flaps his wings, not liking that.
“Thankfully, that’s not an option.” Ryder stretches his back, preparing for…something. “Okay, here’s what we’re going to do—”
“Why do you look so edgy?”
“We’re going to use your bond. I’m nearly positive it’ll work, but Rowan might kill me once he’s himself again.”
Rowan lets out a low hoo. It sounds like a warning.
I look between them, confused. “Our bond? How are you going to do that?”
With a stoic look on his face, Ryder closes the distance between us. It only takes three steps with his long legs. He huffs out a breath as though he’s about to do something extremely difficult. “I’m going to kiss you.”
Rowan screeches, but I laugh at the absurd statement, pressing my hand to Ryder’s chest. “Absolutely not.”
The elf shakes his head, and then he moves even closer. “I don’t think a toy fire truck will work for Rowan.”
“Maybe we could try ice cream?”
Chuckling, Ryder leans down, moving slowly enough that I know he has no intention of going through with it. “How do you like to be kissed, Kit? This will probably be our only chance, so I’d like to make it good.”
Rowan screeches again, leaving the perch and dive-bombing Ryder.
“Ow, blast it, Rowan!” Ryder snaps. “If you don’t like it, just change already. I swear I’ll do it.” He wraps an arm around my back as if to prove it.
“Ryder, wait,” I protest. “I don’t want—”
My sentence is cut off by a whir of magic and a strong gust of wind. Suddenly, Rowan stands behind Ryder, yanking him back.
Out of Ryder’s embrace, I quickly turn away, bracing my hand against a storage shelf while the men bicker.
“Are you out of your fool mind?” Rowan demands.
“It worked, didn’t it?” Ryder counters. “Now get dressed. No one wants to see that much of you.”
I bite my bottom lip, trying not to laugh with giddy relief. “Your clothes are in the tote bag on the hook, Rowan.”
I hear the rustling of fabric, and then Rowan says, “Get out of here, Ryder.”
“I’m going to see if Nadine needs some help at the counter,” Ryder says to me, not one bit repentant. “Don’t hurry down.”
I’ll owe all my friends a paycheck at this rate.
As soon as the door closes, I ask Rowan, “Are you decent?”
“Yeah.” He wraps his arms around me from behind, holding me close.
I turn, growing weepy, and hug him tightly. “I was worried we might not be able to fix it this time.”
He strokes my hair, pulling me closer. “Me too.”
“I didn’t know if I’d ever get to hug you again.” Tears stream down my cheeks.
He gently brushes the moisture away with the pad of his thumb. “I know.”
Blinking, I look up at him. “Rowan…you’re a shifter.”
He huffs out a breath, looking overwhelmed. “I am.”
“You figured it out yesterday at the college, didn’t you?”
“I started to suspect it.”
“That means your dad…”
“Not a human.”
“And your aunt and uncle…” I say gently.
He closes his eyes, looking sick. “Yeah.”
I hug him tighter, burrowing against him. “I’m sorry—so sorry.”
“I know I should give my aunt a chance to explain, but…” He sighs. “I think I’ll see if I can stay with Marshall tonight.”
I hide a smile. “Not Ryder?”
Rowan growls out a curse, making me laugh.
“I wouldn’t have let him kiss me. Just so you know.”
“He wouldn’t have done it,” Rowan says darkly. “But the idea of it…”
“What are we going to do? Ryder won’t be around to make a move on me every time you need to change back.”
“I’ll figure it out.”
“What does all this mean for your metamorphosis experiment?”
“I don’t know yet,” he says heavily.
“Ash made a few phone calls while you were out this afternoon. The magistrate’s office said I must have an official audience in Boston after the second inspection is done,” I say miserably.
“He’ll decide whether I’m guilty of gnome endangerment, dole out my sentence, and decide what to do with the tea shop. ”
“This is ridiculous.” Rowan groans. “As much as I hate to admit it, Ash is highly competent. I have no doubt he’ll find the smoothest path through this. We just need to trust him.”
“You know, if you said nice things like that to him every once in a while, you two might get along a little better.”
Rowan snorts, making it clear that isn’t going to happen.
I reluctantly step out of his arms. “I guess I should get back to work.”
“I’m going to return to my aunt’s place, shower, and pack a few things to take to Marshall’s tonight. Then I’ll be back, all right?”
I cross my arms to keep from wringing my hands. “Maybe you should talk to your aunt.”
“She’s in Boston—and we have enough to deal with right now. It’s fine.”
It’s not fine, but I’m not going to push. Rowan needs to tackle this when he’s ready, and he’s already been through a lot today.
I’m halfway out the door when I remember Ansel’s visit. I hesitate, wanting to put it off, but knowing I shouldn’t.
Unable to meet Rowan’s eyes, I say, “By the way, Ansel thinks he's figured out a way to separate our magic.”
“By the way?”
I shrug, still not looking at him.
“How?” he demands.
“He traded Russell for some shadow pixie magic. It repelled mine in the sample you left him.” I glance his way, nervous about what I’m going to find on his face.
He stares into space, thinking sorcerer thoughts. “That could work.”
“Apparently, it did work.”
“How much did it cost him?”
“I owe Russell a dust pendant.”
“Are you serious?” he says, not as happy now. “He gave Russell an IOU for your magic?”
I shrug. “It’s been a week. We could probably draw it today. He likely wants clean magic, though, so maybe we should figure out the bond first.”
Rowan crosses the space and pulls me back into the room, closing the door to give us privacy. “Are you nervous about the draw, or about breaking the bond?”
I lift my eyes to his, ready to beg. “I don’t want to do this.”
He looks torn, like he doesn’t want to do it either. “Kit…we have to.”
“I like being bonded to you,” I whisper. “I like being yours.”
“You’ll still be mine—actually mine. As long as that’s what you want.”
“I just don’t want to lose this, and I’m afraid it’s going to change everything.”
He rubs my shoulder. “If it does, it wasn’t real to begin with.”
No.
I don’t like that.
“When should we do it?” I ask.
“Let’s deal with the gnome business first. Then we’ll try to sever the bond.”
One thing at a time.
“I’m going to get back to work now,” I say softly. “I’ll see you soon?”
He nods, looking solemn and sad.
“Kit, wait,” he says before I walk out the door, stopping me a second time. When I turn, he kisses me, lingering softly. “It’s going to be okay—I promise.”
I murmur my agreement, but the truth is, I’m not sure I believe him.