Chapter Eight #2
‘I think she’d probably tell my mother,’ I retorted. ‘So yeah, she’d get me killed one way or the other.’
Orion huffed a laugh and I felt warm down my spine; I guided him to the back kitchen and switched on the lights.
‘So, why are we here then?’ I asked, going to the opposite side of the steel counter that divided the kitchen.
I planted both my hands down on the cool surface and looked at Orion.
‘Because, if you’re actually hungry, I could whip up one of the recipes I’d been thinking of for our little arrangement. ’
I stretched the word arrangement as if to make it sound like a joke, but I was nervous about it. We hadn’t talked about the Treasure Trove yet, but I knew it was coming. I was still worried about keeping it a secret from Ivy.
‘We’ll talk about my part of the bargain in a moment.’ Orion waved his hand flippantly. ‘Why don’t we do the summoning spell again?’
He took a step away from the metal counter and held a cookbook that had been left there to his chest.
‘We could have just done this at the library,’ I said, stalling. I didn’t want to try the spell again – contrary to popular belief, experiencing disappointment again and again did not make you stronger. It just lowered your expectations.
‘Because you feel safe here, Reverie,’ Orion said, his voice low and smooth like buttercream. ‘You don’t have to be scared of your magic or worry about people watching you.’
‘I’m not scared,’ I retorted, indignantly. ‘I’ve been casting spells since I was a kid.’
‘I’ve been shifting into dragon form and flying since I was a kid,’ Orion countered.
‘Doesn’t mean I don’t feel fear every time I leap into the air.
And that’s OK – it’s OK to be afraid of the abilities we have, to feel the pressure of everyone watching us, as long as that fear doesn’t stop us from pursuing our full potential. ’
‘I don’t want to get it wrong again,’ I murmured, the truth slipping past my defences. ‘I’m tired of always messing things up.’
‘You’re not going to mess up,’ he replied, and then immediately corrected himself. ‘Scratch that, you might mess up again. But that’s what I’m here for. If you don’t trust yourself, then at least trust that I’ll help you figure it out.’
I looked at the cookbook he was holding to his chest. The air smelled sweet, like sugar, and familiar like a blanket wrapped around my shoulders.
‘Paper and ink, don’t dawdle, come to me at full throttle,’ I whispered. For a moment, I thought nothing would happen, but then I felt a spark of warmth under my skin. The book jolted in Orion’s hands but didn’t leave them.
‘Think of the book flying to you,’ he instructed. ‘Weightless, effortless, like it has dragon wings.’
The image flashed in my mind as I recited the spell again – the book with wings, the book flying towards me effortlessly. The warmth from my hand bloomed in my palm, and then it finally happened. The book flew from Orion’s hands into mine; the spine fitting neatly into the grooves of my palm.
It took a moment for it to hit me. A laugh bubbled past my lips, and I held the book like it was a jewel in my hands and not a cookbook that had splattered pages from so many late-night baking sessions.
‘So, I guess we’ve worked out how to make you feel comfortable with spellcasting.’
‘We did?’ I asked, head tilted.
‘You need to feel comfortable in your surroundings. You need to feel like you’re not being judged or watched,’ Orion explained, and the way he was looking at me made me feel breathless.
‘But that’s not how to cast magic in the long run.
When we do the soulmate spell, you’ll need to be able to cast it under the autumn moon, at the festival. Anyone could be there.’
My hands clenched around the book, the spine digging into the flesh now. He was right.
‘Stop looking so panicked,’ Orion scolded lightly, drumming his fingers on the steel countertop.
‘I’m not going to let it go wrong. We’ll practise lots of different types of spells to help build your confidence.
We’ll try the summoning spell some more, as well as protective and healing spells.
By the festival you’ll be more confident and in control of your magic. ’
It felt good to be doing this with someone who knew what they were doing. Who sounded so sure.
‘And,’ Orion began, this time his voice was all steel, ‘that’s why I’m going to help you with the werewolf.’
‘Oh, please, no –’ I started, not afraid to resort to pleading.
‘I am not going to judge you for your preferences,’ Orion said, without a hint of teasing in his voice. ‘All I’m saying is that on the night of the autumn moon, you’ll already be stressed about casting the spell, why also feel stressed about telling the guy about your feelings?’
‘That’s fair.’
‘And, after what I saw the other day, I think it’s safe to say that you could use some help in getting him to notice you,’ he said, matter-of-factly.
Was I ever going to stop feeling utterly incompetent around Orion? ‘You’re not wrong per se. But I’d like to add that that was Raven’s plan.’
Orion snorted. ‘Right, and Raven is an expert on love, is she?’
‘And you are?’ I countered, defensively.
‘No, but I am a guy, so I can help you get another guy to notice you,’ Orion retorted, the softness gone from his voice. ‘So, as much as I’d much rather be doing anything else, I will help you get Silas’s attention.’
He said the last part with a glimmer of genuine disgust in his voice; it was the only thing that made my smile twitch at the corner of my mouth.
‘Fine,’ I agreed, sounding appropriately disbelieving. ‘And you’ll do all of this in exchange for help at the Treasure Trove? Doesn’t seem like a fair bargain.’
‘You shouldn’t underestimate the allure of your baking, Reverie. I remember those sun-kissed honey cakes.’
My smile slipped off my face as the memory resurfaced.
‘Speaking of, I think it’s time you held up your end of the bargain, witch.
Tomorrow, after school, we’ll hit the Treasure Trove.
I’ll bring some info on the werewolf, and you come with your best bake in mind,’ Orion said, his tone so daring, like we were children on the playground, and he was goading me.
I should’ve been mature enough to not take the bait, but I’d never been particularly good at ignoring a dare.
‘All right, Hawthorne,’ I said. ‘But I won’t be blamed for what happens to you once you devour what I make. Eat a treat made with my hands and there’s absolutely no chance of going back.’
Orion’s smile grew, like he knew I was going to accept his challenge. Like he knew me.
‘I wouldn’t dare try, Reverie.’