Darius was the fiery-tempered brother. Marcus, the arrogant one, and Cadmus, the goofball.
If I was anything, I was in control.
I centered myself and calmed my breathing.
Then a flash of light in the kitchen caught my eye. Already on my guard due to Sin Garu’s visit, I automatically switched to warrior mode and teleported into the room.
Ready for an attack, I released a tense breath when I noted the blinking microwave.
Apparently, one of my brothers had forgotten he’d prepared a cup of hot water.
Annoyed with myself for being out of sorts, I stood behind the sink and stared at the pink-streaked sky through the kitchen window.
I wish I had more time. But I felt the clock ticking. Though I didn’t have Cadmus’ second sight, I knew it was only a matter of time before I found my own affai and returned to Tanselm.
I wished for hopeless possibilities, weaving a small wind in the strands of magical energy I’d found floating idly in this world. I wiggled my fingers, and the energy pulsed, colors flaring and lights flashing in a private dance just for me.
My deepest wish was to lose myself in the yawn of magical understanding. It sat before me, symbolized by the garish, raw magic that swirled in a small pocket of life unexpected in a world devoid of magic.
I stared into the powerful breath of energy, wishing to rule, not a kingdom, but my own mind, learning and teaching the streams of conscious and untapped magic of the esoteric world.
Dreams flickered and died as my command over the spurious energy faded.
Tamping down the pointless fantasy, I focused on what really mattered—my brothers and the future of Tanselm.
A VISITOR
Focused on Shadows-knew-what, the Wind Mage looked worried as he stared out at the skyscape. So intent on the setting sun and pink clouds in this mundane world, he missed the flash of light by the hallway, monitoring his every move.
Chapter 25
Tessa
Two Days Later
I glanced around my office, waiting for the other shoe to drop. I’d been back to work for two days now, two long, tension-ridden days so full of paperwork I shouldn’t have had time to worry about my foretold fall from grace.
Yet my brother had never been wrong in his predictions. And though everyone at Temita acted normally, I couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched, whether by some demonic presence or an all-too-human backstabber, I couldn’t tell.
“You going to sign that, or should I come back next week?” a wry voice asked from my doorway.
I flushed as my hunky boss caught me daydreaming. “Sorry, Jonas.”
He stepped in and shut the door behind him. I’d never felt uncomfortable with Jonas. Though a good-looking man, he always treated everyone with the same courtesy and care.
But the way he looked at me… As if seeing me for the first time, or maybe envisioning me behind bars?
My heart raced. Was this it? Would security come to take me away in cuffs?
“Tessa? You look pale. Are you sure you’re fully recovered from that virus?”
A stomach bug had been a simple and easy way to account for my absence Monday. Besides, just thinking about having to go to jail made me more than a little queasy. “I’m fine. I skipped lunch, so I’m hungry more than anything else.”
Jonas nodded. “Good. We’ve got so many projects underway. I’m going to need you now more than ever.” He outlined the two new clients we’d recently acquired. “Kudos to our sales team is all I can say. I don’t know how we did it, but we got both Portlin Paper and Ryders to agree to a hell of a contract.”
“Made a deal with the devil, no doubt.” I made notes on the documents he handed me, signing a few others. I paused over one section and lost my train of thought.
Marcus had taken pains last night at dinner to inform me he would personally oversee both new accounts. Apparently, the astute sales team had brought Marcus in to cinch the deal. His reputation preceded him, a fact that hadn’t surprised anyone.
