“May I?” She pointed to his hand. He frowned as he nodded, not sure what she meant. Maya reached out and took his hand, then she pressed his fingertips against her forehead and closed her eyes. She showed him the way to her place, and where the key to her studio was.
His eyes were wide when she opened her eyes. “You are one of those!”
“Yeah,” she gave him a half smile. “But I have no interest in power. Beyond being good at my job. Don’t worry, Mr. Honeysett, I’m not interested in creating any more upheaval. Far too many people to control.”
He blinked at her, his mouth slightly ajar.
Her smile widened. “It’s a joke.”
Finally, he smiled. “It’s hard to tell. You always look so serious.”
“That’s because I’m working. Why don’t you get going? Bring any siblings who want to learn some new skills and experience a bit of time bending.”
“Really?”
Maya nodded. “I’ll have to work with time if we want to get the project done in time for the reception.”
“What about the wedding?”
“You guys won’t miss it at all. I’ll be there as soon as I can, and I’ll fix the timeline so you can be one of the groomsmen without any issues.”
The kid looked absolutely thrilled as he took off at a run. Maya watched as he darted out the door, and she caught a slight glimpse as he shifted and took off. Of course, no one around him noticed—they never did when one of the Honeysetts shifted.
“Well, you handled that well.”
Maya turned to see a tall shifter with perfectly styled, blond hair watching her. He looked like he was dressed for the wedding.
There was something about him that set off slight alarms in her mind. Instead of her usual cool response, she asked, “Can I help you?”
He pointed toward the door. “I was actually told to get Cullen since he’s been running around trying to help. It seems you took care of it, though.”
“That’s what I do.”
He gave her a guarded smile. “That’s not the reputation you have, Maya. I guess my job here is done, though, without me even having to lift a finger.” He gave a slight bow, but while his face was slightly down, he said in a low voice, “You may want to keep your magic a bit more guarded. Four times in an hour,” he made a disapproving click with his tongue. “Sasha’s the only person I know who’s been able to get away with that without serious repercussions.”
Before Maya could respond, yet another voice cut into events. “Mr. Hart! You’re being summoned.” Another tall shifter appeared, his jet-black hair framing a chiseled face with stormy eyes.
Ah, a storm dragon. Just what we need, unmitigated chaos.Maya disapproved of the stranger, but he was focused entirely on the shifter in front of her. Turning back to the blond shifter, Maya said, “Sounds like you are needed to helpyourdistant cousin.”
Half of his mouth curved up and the opposite eyebrow rose. She knew he wanted to ask how she knew, but the urgency in the storm dragon’s voice made it clear there was no more time to talk. After another quick bow, he disappeared, following the storm dragon away from the main area.
That was the end of the interruptions, and Maya was able to guide the staff through the rest of the tasks. A little over an hour later, she was helping line up the groomsmen when the teen beamed, his clean hair and tuxedo making him look a lot older. He leaned over and whispered to her, “I really hope he likes it.”
Maya gave him a wink and said, “Oh, he’s going to enjoy it for the rest of their lives together.”
“Can we do that again sometime?”
With nearly everything done, she was feeling much more relaxed. “Of course. I have two more weddings over the next few months, but things will slow down by fall.”
He bit his lip, then blurted out in a low voice, “What about tomorrow? There’s someone … I want to make a Valentine’s Day gift.”
Initially, Maya was surprised, then she smiled. “I can make a little time. Just for you tomorrow. It will have to be early afternoon, but if you ask the special someone to a cafe around 6 pm, we can have a fantastic Valentine’s Day present ready. Just think about what your person likes, and we’ll make something special.”
The teen beamed. “Thank you … um, I don’t know your name.”
“You can call me Maya. And you are Cullen, right?”
He looked surprised, then he smiled. “Apollo told you, right?”
