‘What are you up to?’
‘Fixing all of this with my bare hands,’I responded. ‘I need Professor Holiday to be busy tomorrow night, and The Old Fortress canvassed by you for possible entrances and magical traps.’
‘Yes, sir.’
Two words. I wanted more, but that was also Ezra, the love of my life, who trusted me without question.
‘Will you shadow us tomorrow night?’I asked.
His answer came back instantaneously. ‘Always, love.’
The first stitch in my broken world pulled the two halves closer.
Chapter 10
Quinn
Xanhadn’tbeenlyingwhen he said he made things happen.
Breakfast was a whirlwind of maps, planning, and a crash course in magical objects I hadn’t known existed. Rowan couldn’t make our one-on-one, so my planning with Xan spilled into the late morning. By the time the afternoon rolled around, my brain was full to the brim, and excitement made me struggle to focus through my afternoon tag-along.
If I hadn’t been bombarded with so much information all at once, I might have been suspicious of how easily everything fell into place.
Professor Holiday had an evening meeting. The Old Fortress would be empty. Ezra was handling a special mission for the Architect, so my personal training session was off, and Rowan had his usual shift at the Portcullis. I wouldn’t even need to dodge Cayden or Everly. Their commitments would go for another hour, and it was already go time.
I’d complained about the early sunset, but right now, it was perfect. Darkness covered everything, and for once, I was ready for a break-in I actually planned. No blackout, no confusion about how I got there.
I slid on the three magic-infused bracelets Xan had given me. One would mask my “essence,” whatever that meant; a conversation for another time. The other two were shields, but they needed the wearer, me, to activate them with magic. Luckily, as Xan pointed out, when my life was in danger, magic tended to show up, whether I wanted it or not.
Tonight, we were changing that: no more blackouts and no more helpless Quinn.
I double-checked that my unruly hair was tied back, pulled up my hood, and left the building. Every step toward The Old Fortress filled me with giddy, nervous excitement.
Just before the library, a motion caught the corner of my eye. Someone screamed, but it was cut so short I wasn’t sure I’d even heard it. Fear ripped into my stomach. Brody. How could I forget? If my stalker followed me tonight, he’d ruin everything.
I came to a stop and waited, but the motion didn’t return. The scream could have been anything. The cat Everly found, or even one of the giant ravens that constantly bickered. After a few tense breaths, I turned around and scanned the area. Nothing. I turned back to my front and stepped as lightly as I could, listening for any hint of sound.
A few voices drifted from the direction of the library, but the evening was quiet and blessedly dry.
I hurried the rest of the way to The Old Fortress and met Xan at the small entrance. Vines climbed the far wall, and we slipped into their cover with ease. He’d dressed in black like me and even added black paint beneath his eyes. His baby blues popped.
Nervous energy made it hard to stand still.
Xan pulled out a little jar, and his eyes twinkled. “Do you want to match?”
I nodded and tilted my head up. He cupped my chin to steady me as he carefully put a strip of black in the same place as his. A little ripple of pleasure from his simple touch raced through my body. When Xan talked about wanting to be someone else, it felt like I was looking in a mirror. By the time I finished sobbing into his shirt, I knew I’d found someone who truly understood me.
He stepped back, admiring his work, and I found myself disappointed at the loss of proximity. I let out a strangled whimper. Not again. I already had it bad for Ezra… now Xan too. Apparently, gay, unattainable men were a new turn-on I didn’t know I had.
“I can’t open the door,” Xan said. “I’m a healer. My Majekah only works on the living. You’re up.”
I raised an eyebrow. “You’re a healer?”
Xan cleared his throat. “Amongst other things. I kind of, ah, do whatever’s needed. And right now, I can’t open a door.”
I narrowed my eyes. “I thought we had all this jewelry to help with that?”
“Not jewelry, artifacts. Magical items.” He pursed his lips as if commenting to himself. “We don’t need general magic anyway. We need your Majekah.”
