Gavin looked down and rubbed the back of his neck. I squinted my eyes and stared at him.Did Gavin know who my spark was?“Gavin?” I asked slowly.
“Ugh, fine,” Gavin said, throwing his hands in surrender. “I don’t know for sure. Only you could tell me. But one of Dimitri’s friends acted strangely after seeing you. You were with Daren, and Daren had his tongue down your throat. Colin ran away after that. I thought he could be your spark, given his reaction. But we didn’t hear anything from either of you. So, I wasn’t sure,” Gavin paused and tilted his head. “Come to think of it. Dimitri and I haven’t seen or heard from Colin for a while.”
I didn’t reply. I was reeling. My head and heart were at odds. One part of me now had hope that I could find Colin and let him explain why he left. At the same time, the other half was furious. Six weeks? He’d known for six weeks and left me because of Daren?
“Okay, your light is getting darker. What is going on?” Dain asked.
I closed my eyes. I was fighting back the tears and the anger. I don’t know for sure what was going on with Colin, I said to myself. I need to give him a chance to explain. I owe it to him and me to see if there was any way to salvage our pairing.
A soft hand touched my shoulder. “That’s it. Zander. We’re here for you. You don’t need to do this by yourself,” Gavin said.
“He left,” I said quietly.
“Who left?” Zin asked.
I opened my eyes. “Colin. He’s my spark. I was mad at him, and I reacted like an idiot. I left with Daren. I tried to go back, but Colin was gone. I can’t find him.”
Gavin cocked his head and closed his eyes before opening them abruptly. “Dimitri’s going to call the coven and will try to reach out to Colin directly. We’ll help you find him.”
Zin slapped my arm. “Jerk. You should’ve told me. You’re my brother and best friend. I don’t want you turning to the dark side.”
Gavin burst into laughter, and I scrunched my face in confusion. “What’s so funny?”
Gavin didn’t answer but asked, “Zin, did someone show you Star Wars?”
Zin grinned. “Brick showed me. It’s great. I love the movies.”
Brick was an alligator shifter that Zin had gotten close to. They even went on a spring break adventure together.
“What’s a movie? What’s Star Wars?” I asked.
“Movies are great. Esteban showed us some. They’re like our theaters but are very different. I’ll show you the next time you’re in the human realm. I haven’t seen Star Wars yet,” Fafner said.
“Oh, it’s so great. They have light laser swords and blasters, and they’re different creatures, too. It’s so good,” Zin said happily.
“Zander Tal Lin!”
I groaned. Daren was calling for me again. I knew I had to see him and end things. I’d left him so fast. He was a stand-up guy, even with his hot and cold tendencies, and he didn’t deserve me disappearing without a trace.
“Guys,” I said, interrupting Zin’s animated discussion of Star Wars. They turned to look at me. “I’m going to get cleaned up, and I have some things to do.”
“But I want to make sure you’re okay,” Zin protested.
“I’ll be fine, Zin. You all know now.” I looked at Gavin. “Gavin, will you let me know what Dimitri finds out?”
“Absolutely,” he replied, nodding. “Come on, guys. Let’s let Zander get cleaned up.”
“If you need anything, call us,” Dain said.
I nodded, and all my friends disappeared. Zin was still beside me. I looked back at him. “Thanks for being my brother, even though you’re a pain in the ass.”
“I love you, Zan. I don’t want to lose you,” Zin said.
“I love you, too. Let me get cleaned up, and we’ll hang out later,” I said.
Zin nodded. “Okay. Let’s go to Brick’s house. I can share the movies with you.”
“Sounds like a plan. I’ll see you soon.”
