“Much to my father’s dismay, I went to MIT, a non-magical human college that focuses on technology, not a place like Darkwing Academy. You know, that university for supernaturals just outside of Boston?”
Of course she knew about it. Darkwing was a prestigious school that was almost impossible to get into. It took witches, shifters, vampires, banshees, fae, anything really, but those who applied had to have pedigrees or powers that set them apart. Its motto was Faciamus Periculosa which meant something like “Becoming Dangerous” if she remembered her Latin correctly.
“I met my best friend, Jasper Reed at MIT. He abandoned his tech career to become a travel writer. He’s the one who came here and told me about this place.” His eyes narrowed slightly as if he realized something. “Just before the witch wormhole, I had this fleeting thought about getting out of Boston, being somewhere else. I wondered if Moonstone Falls was in the back of my mind.”
Calli found herself grinning again. “Jasper Reed is your friend?” Jasper was a regular to Moonstone Falls. He was currently staying at the Moonstone Inn and tended to hang out at Mystic Mornings, the coffee shop her friend Sage Sinclair owned.
“Wait, you know him?”
“I do. He somehow got past the town’s protective wards on his own even though he’s non-magical, but none of the locals are too worried about him. I see him at the coffee shop all the time.”
“How long have those wards been around?” Malcolm set his empty pumpkin mug on the coffee table.
“The elders of Moonstone Falls put them up after the Salem witch trials. A lot of places did back then.”
“Oh, right, of course. Makes sense.”
She paused, wondering how he didn’t seem to know about towns like these. There were several other towns across the country that had similar wards set up to keep humans out.
“We’ve become a safe haven for creatures that don’t want to live among too many humans. Our wards weaken around Halloween, and now we let in humans from all over the country to celebrate Halloween since it’s a huge boom for business. After the humans leave, we revitalize the wards again, and the humans forget our little town exists until next October.” It was always sad to see the tourists leave after the festival, their memories wiped of all but pretty memories of spending the holiday in a cozy little town they just couldn’t quite remember. It was hard to see new friends she’d made leave, knowing they would forget her.
“But Jasper got through your wards?” Malcolm asked. “And he didn’t forget about you?”
“Yes.” Calli frowned, considering the problem from a fresh angle. “For a human to get past the wards, they need to know about magic, not fear it, and have no ill will towards magic users. So, because he knows you, you must be the reason he was able to get through. He wouldn’t forget because he already knew about magic. It’s a loophole about the wards.”
“That makes sense.”
“So you told him about our world?” She was super curious to know about Malcolm’s friendship with a non-magical human.
Malcolm’s face reddened as he glanced away, then cleared his throat. “We roomed together during college. That first week we were in our dorm, I had a nightmare and levitated everything in our dorm room, including Jasper. He woke up floating six feet above his bed. It was kind of hard to explain my way out of that.” He shrugged. “So we had the talk.”
Calli chuckled. “How’d that go?”
“He was a little freaked out at first, mostly because I warned him I couldn’t control my powers, but he was more curious than afraid.” Malcolm’s face softened. “I think I only survived college because of him. I was afraid to put myself out there, always worried my magic might show up at the worst time. Because of Jasper, I wasn’t lonely, and I managed to keep the magic from getting out of hand.”
“I have a friend like that. Sage. We’re the same age. After my parents died, I was scared of magic, but she reminded me how magical having magic was. I know it sounds silly and cliché, but having someone I could be myself with was really important, especially at that age.” She drank the last bit of marshmallow and whipped cream dregs of her hot chocolate.
The warmth of the fire seeped into their bones as they sat in comfortable silence. Calli marveled at how relaxed she felt sitting here with a mostly naked stranger only a few feet away. Her body still hummed with that feminine awareness of him and a growing desire to touch him, to put her hands on his skin and just… let go.
“Feel better now?” Malcolm asked.
“Yes.” She was glad he had no way of reading her mind or he’d know how much better she felt whenever she looked his way.
“Good. I’ll clean up.” Her eyes locked on his abs as he retrieved her mug from her. Wow.
Once she was alone, she took a moment to gather her thoughts. Malcolm was a half-warlock who’d been closed off from his own power. The sorrow that such a thought left in her made her want to do something to help him. No one should be shut off from part of who they were. She sensed that he believed it was tied to having a non-magical parent, but Calli believed that Malcolm’s real issue might be more psychological.
Being able to use her magic gave her peace, and Malcolm deserved to know his own peace. Even though he was a flirt, he was also kind and sensitive. He wore the façade of a man who didn’t care or want his magic, but she’d seen his reaction to her home, her spells, that look of wonder…
When he came back, Calli cleared her throat. “You know, I could teach you how to use your magic.”
Malcolm stiffened at the suggestion.
“It wouldn’t have to be bad. Learning to use it, I mean,” she promised. “It might even be fun.”
“I set your garden on fire, Calli.” The storm clouds in his eyes didn’t scare her off.
“Not on purpose.”
