That last sentence has me choking out a laugh, even as my eyes feel wet.
I have no intention of winning. But even stepping over the starting line into whatever wildness the sirens and witches cook up would be a braver move than I’ve ever made in my life.
Would be proof that my fear does not rule me.
Slowly, I turn to face Broderick, and in that rotation, my eyes notice a sparkle on his desk. There, next to the professor’s keyboard, sits the glass firebird I crafted for him from sand and the heat of my hands.
“Can I hug you again?” I rasp, knowing deep in my heart, in the intuitive part of my soul that survived all the harshness of my past, that this witch is important to me. That he’s someone to keep close. To cherish.
If only I can open myself to him.
“Like I said before,” Broderick murmurs with a lovely blush on his sharp cheekbones, “anytime. Anywhere. For as long as you want.”
I’m in his arms again. And the sensation is as glorious as flying.
“Yes,” I say, breathing in the herb and soap scent lingering on his shirt. “Please teach me to swim.”
7
BRODERICK
“I thoughtyou were going to teach me in the lake.”
Ophelia stands next to me outside Haven’s Relaxation, a spa owned and run by monsters. Not that it means the place isn’t relaxing.
“I figured this would be a safer place to start. They have saltwater pools that are shallow enough to touch the bottom. And no wake from wind or boats.”
“That makes sense.” Ophelia stands taller, and I watch the start of a smile tug at her mouth. “And if I panic, I can calm down with a massage.”
I chuckle to cover my nerves. Only after Ophelia left my office yesterday did I consider how big of a deal this was. I’m in charge of teaching the firebird an important skill she’ll use during Galen’s Gauntlet.
A dangerous competition that not everyone walks away from without injury. When I checked in with Mor, she said Seamus won, but not without multiple broken bones.
Maybe I was hasty claiming Ophelia could participate. I still have no idea what she went through before landing in Folk Haven. And there’s always a touch of orange anxiety creeping through her aura.
Is she ready for this?
The blue-haired desk worker with a name tag that readsTitan (they/them)greets us warmly, and I lay down my credit card before Ophelia can even think of pulling out a payment.
“I can cover the cost,” she argues.
Like with her truck, I get the sense this means something to her, being the one to pay. But I also know Haven’s Relaxation falls on the more luxurious side—aka pricey.
“I was planning on buying a membership,” I explain to her and the desk worker. “Does that come with guest passes?”
“It does,” Titan says with a kind smile as they type in my info on their computer. “You can have a guest accompany you twice a year.”
“Great. I’ll use one today.” I turn to Ophelia. “You can treat me to dinner afterward to pay me back.”
Like a date.That’s a thought I keep to myself. As well as my preferred method of repayment—more lingering hugs.
Ophelia, appearing mollified, nods.
Another worker appears, this one tall and lean with a dark complexion and the scent of the forest clinging to their uniform. They show us around the facilities and eventually leave us at the locker rooms. There’s no gender divide, just communal lockers and individual rooms for changing and showering.
I change fast, eager to start training. Wanting to assure myself Ophelia won’t get hurt.
When I step out of my little room, she’s still in hers, so I wait. My nerves jump and twitch, and not for the first time, I wish I could use my fear-soothing magic on myself. A relaxation enchantment would hit the spot right now.
