down to my fingertips and into his body like rain soaking into the earth. And still I don’t feel drained. I can’t help marveling at that. It’s as though my supply of power is endless, never needing to be replenished by rest or food. But after only a few moments, I remove my hands from Nate’s skin. I have no idea what this power will do to his normally magic-free halfling body, and I certainly don’t want to overdo it.
“Please work, please work,” I mutter, staring at the wound. Nothing seems to be happening, but perhaps it’s just that the healing is really slow. I stretch out my hand and gently brush Nate’s hair off his forehead. My heart contracts painfully for a beat.
I climb off the bed, walk to the bathing room, and get down on my knees by the pool to scrub my hands. I’m now utterly confused by my feelings for Nate. I thought I was ready to say goodbye to him earlier, but when he disappeared in the labyrinth, I was terrified I’d never see him again. That must mean something, right? I force myself to take my time washing my hands, hoping that when I return to Nate, the wound will have begun to heal.
It has. It’s healing from the outside in, the edges turning pale pink as the potion works its magic. It happens slowly, too slowly for me to see unless I look away for a considerable amount of time. I let out the breath I didn’t even know I was holding and collapse onto the bed beside Nate.
The griffin disc is poking into me again. I pull it out of my pocket, lean over, and place it in the drawer beside my bed. I wish I could tell Tora about it. She’d be amazed at the amount of power I used tonight. Anyone would be. I held back a flood of water, fought off another faerie, and used stunner magic three times . Man, I would be getting so many points if this were an assignment.
I begin to relax, and my mind drifts back to the Underground chamber. Nate had his questions answered tonight, but now I have a whole lot of my own. Is it possible that Angelica knew my parents? And what could she want revenge for? Maybe she made a mistake. Maybe what I said to her was true, and she did just have the wrong Violet. Somehow, though, I doubt that’s the case.
I force myself to think of other things. I wonder what I should do with the griffin disc. I wonder how much power it has left in it. I wonder if Nate will want to see his mother again, and whether his father ever knew what Angelica was. I wonder what Ryn was doing Underground. I wonder many things, until finally I drift into dreams.
*
I wake when I feel movement beside me. I sit up quickly. Nate groans and rubs his eyes. His hands flop to his sides and he blinks at me. “Are we home?” he asks.
“Yes. Well, my home, not yours.” I look down at his chest. Nothing remains of his encounter with the centaur except a pale pink patch.
Nate follows my gaze down to the scar on his chest. “Oh,” he says as he sits up. “Didn’t I . . .” He looks at me. “Something hit me.”
I nod. “The centaur’s magic. You jumped in front of me. Thanks, by the way.”
He smiles. “You’ve saved my life more than once, remember? It was the least I could do.” He looks down again. “And I like what you’ve done with my T-shirt.”
I chuckle. “You’re welcome. Though the credit should really go to the centaur. He did most of the damage.”
The corners of Nate’s smile lower slightly. “I don’t think I’ll be returning any time soon to thank him.”
I reach forward and cover one of his hands with mine. “So what happened, Nate? Where did you go? One second you were behind me and the next you were gone. I was just about going insane trying to find you.”
Nate rubs a hand over his eyes and shakes his head. “I don’t know, Vi. I remember running behind you . . . and then I remember being in the club.”
“That’s it?” I search his eyes. “You’re sure you don’t remember anything in between?”
He stares at the bed covers
“Please work, please work,” I mutter, staring at the wound. Nothing seems to be happening, but perhaps it’s just that the healing is really slow. I stretch out my hand and gently brush Nate’s hair off his forehead. My heart contracts painfully for a beat.
I climb off the bed, walk to the bathing room, and get down on my knees by the pool to scrub my hands. I’m now utterly confused by my feelings for Nate. I thought I was ready to say goodbye to him earlier, but when he disappeared in the labyrinth, I was terrified I’d never see him again. That must mean something, right? I force myself to take my time washing my hands, hoping that when I return to Nate, the wound will have begun to heal.
It has. It’s healing from the outside in, the edges turning pale pink as the potion works its magic. It happens slowly, too slowly for me to see unless I look away for a considerable amount of time. I let out the breath I didn’t even know I was holding and collapse onto the bed beside Nate.
The griffin disc is poking into me again. I pull it out of my pocket, lean over, and place it in the drawer beside my bed. I wish I could tell Tora about it. She’d be amazed at the amount of power I used tonight. Anyone would be. I held back a flood of water, fought off another faerie, and used stunner magic three times . Man, I would be getting so many points if this were an assignment.
I begin to relax, and my mind drifts back to the Underground chamber. Nate had his questions answered tonight, but now I have a whole lot of my own. Is it possible that Angelica knew my parents? And what could she want revenge for? Maybe she made a mistake. Maybe what I said to her was true, and she did just have the wrong Violet. Somehow, though, I doubt that’s the case.
I force myself to think of other things. I wonder what I should do with the griffin disc. I wonder how much power it has left in it. I wonder if Nate will want to see his mother again, and whether his father ever knew what Angelica was. I wonder what Ryn was doing Underground. I wonder many things, until finally I drift into dreams.
*
I wake when I feel movement beside me. I sit up quickly. Nate groans and rubs his eyes. His hands flop to his sides and he blinks at me. “Are we home?” he asks.
“Yes. Well, my home, not yours.” I look down at his chest. Nothing remains of his encounter with the centaur except a pale pink patch.
Nate follows my gaze down to the scar on his chest. “Oh,” he says as he sits up. “Didn’t I . . .” He looks at me. “Something hit me.”
I nod. “The centaur’s magic. You jumped in front of me. Thanks, by the way.”
He smiles. “You’ve saved my life more than once, remember? It was the least I could do.” He looks down again. “And I like what you’ve done with my T-shirt.”
I chuckle. “You’re welcome. Though the credit should really go to the centaur. He did most of the damage.”
The corners of Nate’s smile lower slightly. “I don’t think I’ll be returning any time soon to thank him.”
I reach forward and cover one of his hands with mine. “So what happened, Nate? Where did you go? One second you were behind me and the next you were gone. I was just about going insane trying to find you.”
Nate rubs a hand over his eyes and shakes his head. “I don’t know, Vi. I remember running behind you . . . and then I remember being in the club.”
“That’s it?” I search his eyes. “You’re sure you don’t remember anything in between?”
He stares at the bed covers
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