“Luke! Skye!” Miss Michelle calls out. “I really must insist!”
Her words jerk me back to my purpose. Even if I can’t access my own magic, I’m still fae, still a magical creature at my core. I close my eyes and extend my senses, reaching for my awareness of the magic waiting inside the little witch. I’ve felt it for months, pulled to it, fascinated by it.
I feel none of it now.
“You don’t have magic here.” I scowl. I’d hoped that even if her spell affected my powers, hers would be intact, and I despise being wrong.
“Is it because we’re inside a book?”
“Perhaps. What type of book is it?” I stare down at her. “Are there any magical beings? If so, perhaps one of them can break the spell for us.”
“Umm.” She bites her lower lip, making its plump softness even pinker. “It’s not that kind of book. Everyone’s human.”
I grunt. “Can you tell me anything about the situation we’re in? What are its parameters?” At her puzzled look, I add, “How long is this scene? How many locations does it encompass?”
“Oh.” Her eyes brighten. “I read this one last night. It’s a single dance lesson, and everything takes place here in the studio.”
With a sharp nod, I grip Skye’s upper arm and march us toward the door.
“Where are we going?”
“Outside the bounds of this scene,” I growl. “We’ll force the spell to break.”
The instructor gives one final yell of protest as I swing open the door to show a swirling mix of color and light.
Skye edges forward, her expression fascinated. “What is that?”
I tap a finger against the barrier, and power prickles my skin. “Magic. Pure raw potential.” It feels exactly like the power I’ve always felt in Skye.
“Is it safe?”
“It’s your magic. It should be.” Her magic feels creative, not destructive. Yet to be safe, I pick her up and wrap my arms around her as tightly as I can. Even without my powers, I am a dragon. As a superior being, I’m much more indestructible than any human. The little witch nestles against me, soft and warm and delicious, her sweet spicy smell scenting each of my breaths.
I step through the door, and a whirling dizziness grips me, spinning and spinning. When my eyesight clears, I stand once again in the middle of the studio, Skye my dance partner, the familiar strains of the waltz filling the air.
Picking her up again, I charge for the back door, plowing through it at speed. We dive into the churning rainbow of magic, and another dizzying rush deposits us right back onto the dance floor.
There’s one last exit, and the researcher in me refuses to quit until I try it. The instructor yells as I dart forward to pick up the room’s lone stool and fling it at the front window. Glass shatters, and the idyllic scene of a small town street falls away with the glass to expose the chaotic swirl of raw magic. Scooping Skye into my arms, I leap forward…
Only to land right back in the middle of the room, everything exactly how it was when we first appeared.
Well, fuck.
CHAPTER THREE
Skye
“Snickerdoodle!” I pant, my heart racing. Is it due to the shock of multiple dizzying transitions? Or is it being held by Luke, his arms cradling me close as if I’m precious? Each alone is easily the most exciting thing to happen to me in years, so I guess it’s no wonder the two combined make my entire body come alive. “We’re right back where we started.”
The song has reset, the couples’ positions have reset, and we’ve reset, standing face to face once again with Luke’s hands on my waist. He looks so different like this, without his horns or wings. It makes him appear more approachable, sure, but it also feels… wrong somehow. This isn’t reallyhim, the Luke I’ve watched from the corner of my eye for months.
“Don’t tell me we’re going to have toGroundhog Dayour way out of this,” I moan.
“I don’t know what that means.” Luke’s expressionhardens, and I could swear I almost see fire flicker in his eyes, but his hands on my waist remain gentle. “Explain.”
Before I get the chance, Miss Michelle glides over to us, her body moving with the beauty of a dancer, all swaying hips and graceful gestures. “What in the world are you two doing? Now, Luke, I thought we’d moved past this. You’re supposed to be doing a waltz, not the awkward foot shuffle of your first high school dance.” Her beautiful brown face breaks into a smile, and she tosses me a cheery wink as she corrects our hand positions. “There, that’s better. Now you take the lead and let Skye mirror you.”
As soon as she steps away, I whisper-hiss, “Oh, my god. She’s even repeating the dialogue from the book. It’s totally likeGroundhog Day.”
