“You think Donovan, Wes, and Maximus can just arrive back and wander around with no comment?” Theo snaps. “We need a plan. What are we going to do about the security log at the gate?”
She’s getting all steamed up.
I try to hug her closer, but she bats me off. “This is all crazy. The WMO has been all over the building site, so obviously knows something weird is going on. What if they're the ones using the dark energy? And then there's the security log. It will show we never left the premises. What are we going to do? We are going to get taken away and experimented on! People who get taken by the authorities hardly ever return.”
She’s freaking with a capital F.
The big old janitor and Alexis step closer, but I beat them to it, pulling her down onto my lap and cuddling her tight.
“Listen, babe. I don’t know much, but I do know one thing. I am never going to be separated from you again—understand? If some men-in-black types try to bundle you into an unmarked van, you’d better believe I’ll be in there with you. Seriously, I’m not even going to let you go potty without me. And yes, I did say ‘go potty’ because I know you don’t like it when I talk about taking a shit.”
Theo's eyes are pooling with tears. “Don’t make jokes,” she says, a wobble in her voice. “I’m scared, and my chest hurts.” She presses a hand between her gorgeous tits, gasping for air. “It burns. Gods! I wish we could grab Wes and then run away. All of us.”
“Hard pass, dud.”
I am just about done with Cosmo. My initial joy of seeing him again is wearing off, and now I remember what a total prick he was to Theo. I gently move Theo to one side and walk the three steps forward to face my ‘friend’.
“Stop it!” The professor snaps. “Both of you, settle down. Now is not the time.” He has his arms around a white-faced, trembling Theo.
I force myself to tamp down a spark of irritation.
The professor meets my eyes for a second, then looks to our girl. “Pulu, Donovan's right. No one is taking you away. We face whatever comes, together. But your point about the security log is valid. We need to get Maximus and Donovan, and Wes when we find him, on the other side of the perimeter,thenthey can just stroll through the front gates. It’ll be easy enough to believe the three of them went on some ill-advised adventure for a year, and are just now back.”
“I’m guessing the perimeter still has WMO-level security wards?” I ask. The three of us tried to break those wards a thousand times.
“It has,” the professor says. “I’ve never been able to breach them, but I wonder…” He looks at Theo. “I wonder if Theo’s newfound power could? That pain in your chest, Pulu? I’ve a feeling that’s not panic—it’s your flame growing stronger.”
Theo pales even further. “Gods, it’s like I’ve got a herd of wild horses inside me.” She takes a deep breath. “But I guess I can test if it is my magic. I only know one advanced spell, and that was from Restricted Studies class, but let’s see.” She narrows her eyes at Cosmo. “Remember your little party trick in that class?”
Cos rolls his eyes. "Oh, please, like you can do that to me.”
“Unlike you, I don’t take pleasure in manipulating someone’s vocal cords, but for the sake of experiment, I’ll give it a go,” Theo snaps, waving a hand in a casting motion.
The magic hits him like a freight train.
Cosmo’s mouth flies open. He tries to fight it, his neck muscles straining, but the power inside Theo is too much. It forces theair from his lungs, compressing the sound into a solid wall of pressure.
“I’M SORRY!”
The words erupt from him, not as a scream, but as a concussive blast of air. It’s like standing next to a subwoofer the size of a house. The vibration is so intense it rattles my teeth in my skull.
It’s like a cannon went off inside him. The kickback lifts Cosmo right off his feet and launches him backward like a ragdoll.
He crashes into the rickety chair, shattering it into kindling, and hits the floor hard. Dust rains down from the ceiling rafters, shaken loose by the vibrations.
Silence slams back into the room.
Theo's expression is a mix of shock and wonder. "Holy shit" she whispers, looking at her hands. "I barely even pushed."
She glances at the stunned Cosmo, who is groaning on the floor, then a mischievous grin spreads across her face. "Well, that was certainly enlightening, wasn’t it, Dragon? Maybe I will be able to handle a few wards."
Cosmo glares up at Theo, rubbing his throat. “Fuck. You.”
“No thanks,” she giggles. “I’ve plenty of better options.”
Turning to me, Ludo, and Alexis, she blows us all kisses.
My girl is fucking Tinkerbell. “As soon as I stopped fighting it, my body became much more in tune with the magic.”
