“It starts that way,” Keegan said. “Then it turns into empathy. Then it turns into excuses. And when someone like him has that kind of influence, you don’t even realize what you’ve given away until it’s gone.”
I swallowed. “You think I’m going to fall under his spell?”
“I think,” he said gently, “that you already want to save him.”
The words lodged in my chest like a stone dropped into deep water.
“I just want answers,” I whispered.
“I know,” he said. “But I also know you. And you don’t know how to turn off your heart, even when it should be guarded.”
I let out a slow breath. “That’s… not entirely untrue.”
He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “When it’s time, I want to go with you.”
I blinked. “Into Shadowick?”
He nodded. “I’ve faced worse. I’m not letting you walk into something like that alone.”
My throat tightened, not with fear, but with the weight of being seen. Truly seen.
“We’ll see,” I said softly. “For now, they’re here. And tomorrow is Saturday—no classes. I thought I might take them into town. Show them the tea shop. Let Celeste meet Luna more formally, if Luna doesn’t start explaining ley lines over yarn, that is.”
He grinned. “You sure you’re ready to juggle two whole worlds in the middle of the market?”
“I’m not sure of anything right now,” I admitted. “But I think they need it. Something familiar. Something touristy.”
Keegan stood slowly, stretching his arms over his head. “Do you want me to stick around? Keep the goblin and the bulldog from doing anything noticeable?”
I smiled. “I think I’ve got it. But maybe let Twobble know it’s just me, my daughter, and my best friend here for the day.”
“No magical antics?” he teased.
“None,” I said firmly. “If he wants pastries, he can wear a hat and pretend to be someone’s eccentric uncle.”
Keegan chuckled, lingering near the door. “Call if you need backup.”
“I always do,” I said.
He gave me one last look, eyes lingering with something unspoken, and then stepped back inside, soft as the wind behind him.
I stayed on the porch for a while longer, looking at the stars above spinning quietly.
My worlds were melding.
And for better or worse…
I was right in the middle.
Chapter Forty-Six
The sunlight slipped through the cottage windows in glimmering stripes, warming the quilt at the end of the bed and casting gentle patterns across the floor. The birds were louder than usual this morning, trilling and chatting in a kind of feathered gossip, as if they too had sensed that Stonewick was shifting, becoming more alive, moreseen.
By the time Celeste, Skye, and I left the cottage and made our way into town, the cobbled streets were already buzzing with life. Far more than usual. Banners fluttered above the storefronts in a breeze that carried the scent of honeyed pastries and woodsmoke. It wasn’t a market day, but it may as well have been as midlife students in their layered cloaks and mismatched stockings bustled from shop to shop, their eyes wide, their voices bubbling with excitement.
“This isadorable,” Celeste said, practically skipping beside me. “I love that this whole town does cosplay, even in daylight. That one’s even got a staff with a crystal on top!”
I glanced at the woman she pointed to. Talia, a student from the Firetrack cohort who actuallyhadonce accidentally set her socks aflame during a minor spellcasting mishap, or so I heard.The crystal-topped staff was real, and she was learning how to use it with terrifying enthusiasm.
