“I get that. The Touchpoints can be a lot, especially for someone new.” I ruthlessly squashed the hope budding inside me. Lukehadmatched with other Somas. Of course he had. He seemed like an amazing guy. I still couldn’t get over the fact that not only had Luke identified I had a hearing problem with so few clues, he had also heard about sign language and wanted to learn more.
“Have you ever seen a reaction like we had?” Luke asked quizzically.
I paused and thought for a moment before I shook his head.
“Not really. It’s usually much less…exuberant,” I chuckled. I knew I shouldn’t get my hopes up about pairing with Luke, but couldn’t help but add “Some people think that the strength of the response is an indicator of how strong a pair will be.”
“If the response reflects the power of the pair, makes you kind of wonder what kind of pairwe’dmake,” Luke responded, grinning shyly.
I swallowed, but ruthlessly squashed the hope that was trying to take root in my chest. Luke was just being kind. Regardless of the strength of the response, no one with other options would want to Bond with someone with my hearing problems, at least, not once they understood their options.
“I’ll bring you back to the auditorium so you can meet the Somas you matched with. Mageia need Somas who can protect them from any danger, not someone who’s— who’s crippled in some way,” I managed before I turned away and started to lead the younger man down the hallway, thankful I didn’t have to see the look on Luke’s face as he worked to school his own expression. I didn’t need anyone’s pity.
I felt a remarkably strong hand grip my wrist and jerk me to a stop. I turned around, a hum of magic vibrating my body down to my bones.
“Number one, I can take care ofmyself. I don’t need anyone to take care of me,” Luke said, his eyes as hard as I had yet seen. “Number two, I thought the Mageia made the choice in Illyria?”
I looked down at the slender fingers gripping him. The younger man was so strong, and I realized suddenly that Luke and I were about the same height.
“They do,” I agreed cautiously.
“Then maybe you should give me a chance to make up myownmind,” Luke said, raising an eyebrow. “Instead of assuming.”
“I-” I began, but whatever I had been about to say was drowned out by the sound of an explosion that even I could hear.
Chapter 13
Luke
When I opened my eyes, I hadn’t even realized I’d shut them. I was somewhere in the dark. I couldn’t quite tell where I was, but it looked like an abandoned crossroads. The only light came from the starlight overhead.
“Um, hello?” I called.
Silence answered me. I tried to remember how I had ended up here, but as much as I wracked my brain, I couldn’t remember anything after I had met Rhuyin.
As if thinking of him had summoned him, I felt him take my hand. I turned and looked at him, more than a little startled as he appeared out of thin air. Behind him, as if lit by fairy fire the image of a fox rose over Rhuyin in green scintillating flame. He stood in the darkness, his emerald eyes gleaming in the torchlight.
Torchlight? I looked around and realized there were two women rushing up the road toward us, each carrying a torch. One was a younger woman, her red hair in a long plait over one shoulder. The other woman looked familiar. She was older, but it was hard to tell just how much older. Her red hair lay in waves around her face. Their faces looked serious, grim lines forming at the corners of their eyes.
Both wore jeans. The younger girl had a leather jacket slung over one shoulder. The older woman was dressed similarly to the young girl in jeans but wore a red t-shirt with a black leather vest over it. At her waist hung an old-fashioned keyring with three large skeleton keys. Around her neck hung a silver pendant that seemed to flicker in and out of sight. One hand held a torch aloft, the other was cradled to her breast.
Her blue eyes were piercing as they raked over first Luke and then Rhuyin before softening as she smiled at me.
“Luke. Rhuyin. We are so happy to finally get to meet you in person,” she said. Behind them Luke could make out the outlines of large black dogs pacing the women. “I’m so sorry we’re late, we were supposed to meet someone and she…she wasn’t able to make it.”
I looked at her in confusion. Her eyes looked so familiar, but it took me a moment to realize why: I’d never seen them look out at me from a female face. Just in my brother’s face.
I looked at the younger woman, then back to the older. My mind whirled, taking in the details: crossroad, dogs, torches, magic. My thoughts flew like lightning as the pieces came together with an almost audible click.
“The person you were supposed to meet. She is your Third?” I asked.
They both stopped in their tracks, then the younger woman burst out laughing.
“I told you he’d figure it out!” She said.
The older sighed and pulled an ancient looking gold coin from her pocket and handed it to the younger woman.
“For the record, I fullyexpectedhim to figure it out, young one. I just… didn’t think he would do it quite so quickly.”
