#
Zane
After we all had a slice of cake, we tucked Seri up in her bed, and I plopped down next to her and rolled on my side to watch her face, my new favorite pastime.
It was just sointeresting. Her eyes told youeverything.
“You’re not gonna try anything fancy for a while, yeah? No shadow walking, no magic tricks. Just rest,” I told her with mock seriousness that was also real seriousness.
“But what if it happens again? What if I can’t control it?” She bit her bottom lip, those eyes showing only uncertainty and fear.
“Then we’ll be here to catch you, darling. But seriously, don’t go poking around in your magic until it’s had time to recharge. You’re running on fumes as it is.”
Cas stood a few feet away, arms crossed, his eyes scanning the room like he expected a wraith to come barreling out of the closet.
“As you are probably aware, magic is tied to energy,” he said like he was her professor or something. “If you push yourself too hard, you’ll collapse again. Or worse. We need to rebuild your reserves before we explore what you’re capable of.”
I watched Seri’s face, the way her brow furrowed. She looked so lost, so unsure of herself, and it made something ache deep in my chest.
“I don’t even know where to start,” she admitted quietly.
Koa’s hand touched her shoulder, and he shot Cas a look that said,Comfort, not lecture.
Before he could make it worse, I stepped in.
“Hey, sweetheart, look at me.” She did, her eyes searching mine like I held all the answers. “We’re gonna help you. All of us. You’re not alone in this, Serafina. We’ll figure it out together.”
“Thank you. I don’t know what I’d do without you three.”
“Probably pushyourselfinto a lake,” I quipped, earning a playful swat from Cas.
“We’ll take it slow,” he told her as he met her eyes. “One step at a time. For now, just focus on getting stronger. The rest will come when you’re ready.”
“Okay. I’ll try.” She nodded, her smile growing a little more confident.
“That’s all we ask.”
I watched her eyelids grow heavy as she fought to stay awake. Even with two feet of mattress between us, I could feel the subtle tremors running through her body. She was exhausted, but stubbornly refusing to give in to sleep.
“Rest, beloved,” I murmured, brushing a stray curl from her forehead. “We aren’t going anywhere.”
She blinked up at me, her gray eyes hazy with fatigue. “Promise?”
“Promise,” I promised like I never promised before. “Now close your eyes, baby.”
With a soft sigh, she finally let her eyes drift shut. Within moments, her breathing evened out, and we stayed where we were, watching the rise and fall of her chest, all of us marveling at how peaceful she looked in sleep.
“Let’s talk,” Cas whispered, motioning us out of the room.
With a last glance at our girl, I reluctantly got up and followed. Cas closed the door softly behind us, then turned to face us, his expression grim.
“She doesn’t even know the basics of her own powers!” he hissed. “How is that possible?”
“Her mama died when she was young, right?” I leaned against the wall, crossing my arms over my chest. “And she said her father was an earth witch. He wouldn’t have known specifics about lunar magic. And then that fang-rotted Arabesque kept her drained to barely functional levels. What’s not to understand here?”
“Yeah.” Blowing out a heavy breath, he reached up and undid his ponytail, then shook his hair free before smoothing it all back into a man bun at the base of his neck.
Whoa. Big Bro was more stressed than I thought! Messing with his hair was a telltale sign that his frustration was ready to boil over into something dangerous.
