“There has to be something more, something beyond that.”
He searched for the words to describe that…but words failed him so he kept it simple. “I wanted it to stop, the truck, the boy, everything.” And he had wanted it so badly.
“I would have too…” She watched him closely. “Maybe try to recreate what you were feeling when you saved the boy?” She bent and picked up another armful of leaves. “Ready?”
“Ready.”
She tossed the leaves up. Malcolm closed his eyes, willing his deepest desire to stop everything as hard as he could. What has his father used to say? Magic at its core was about intention and desire, the will of something to happen. All of that had been perfectly in tune in the instant he’d wanted to save the little boy. It was just a matter of finding that balance again… and willing it into being.
Stop…
The heavy finality of that simple word rang like a bell within him. He opened his eyes. The leaves hung in midair, Calli’s face was frozen in a look of hope and concentration. Hades was bounding midair and the little kitten was leaping toward the dog’s back.
Everything around him had gone completely still. Even the breeze was gone. But after a few seconds, he could feel time itself snapping back like a rubber band. The leaves rained down, Hades landed on the ground, and the kitten landed on Hades.
“It didn’t work,” Calli sighed.
Malcolm cupped her chin as he stepped closer. “Actually… it did.”
Calli’s eyes lit up in a way that hit him right in the chest.
“I held it for maybe fifteen seconds before I had to let go.”
“How did you do it?” she asked. “I want to try.”
“The student becomes the master, eh?” Malcolm teased.
“Not quite, you’ve still got a long way to go from destroying pumpkins, but you are getting there.” Calli suddenly bit her lip. “But seriously, Malcolm, can you teach me what you did?”
He explained what he’d felt as best he could. “I think the trick is partially that what you are doing is freezing everything but yourself, while also balancing the intention and desire.”
“I would never have thought about the spell affecting everything but one’s self,” she mused, a pensive little furrow between her brows. “I may not be able to do it, but I really want to try. I’m sure I’d need an insane amount of magic for something like that, but I need to try.”
“Calli, you have strong magic, as strong as mine. You’ll be able to do it.” He was certain she was strong enough.
It took her several tries, but on the eighth time, she did it. He’d known she’d been successful because the moment she cast it, she had opened his shirt at the neck and dumped leaves down the back while he was frozen in place. He’d suddenly danced around, trying to shake the leaves free while she giggled.
Laughing, he chased her through the meadow, vowing revenge. When he couldn’t catch her, he used a spell to carry her back to him. The squeak of surprise told him she hadn’t expected that. He caught her in his arms and the two of them toppled to the ground on the picnic blanket.
“You did it,” he whispered. “We both figured out how to do a spell that is considered almost impossible for most witches and warlocks.” He paused, thinking. “Do you suppose it’s because of our connection? Because we have the ability to witch-lock, our powers are feeding off each other in a positive way?”
She reached up to stroke her fingertips along his jaw. “It makes sense. I’ve never drawn that much magic into me before… it was such a rush… and a little scary, but I held onto it. I can’t believe it. I froze time. I don’t think I could have figured it out, if you hadn’t been here helping me. I could actually feel your magic so close to mine when I was weaving. Did you feel my magic?”
“I always feel your magic, Calli, ever since the first night we met. It’s like your magic has always been right beside me.” He knew that sounded like some kind of warlock pick-up line, but it was the truth. He’d been able to feel her somehow. “You’re amazing. You know that, right?” He leaned into her caressing fingers, her touch intoxicating him.
“So are you… I know this is because of you, it has to be.” She paused, her eyes softening but somehow glowing. “It has to be the witch-locking possibility.” Something stirred in the trees above, as if echoing the simple truth of that statement.
“Makes sense,” Malcolm murmured.
“This is crazy, isn’t it? Just… feeling this need to be with you, to touch you…”
“To kiss you,” he added, then lowered his head and did exactly that.
It was a truly cosmic feeling whenever their mouths met, and that left him with very little doubt that this was where he belonged. Perhaps he’d always felt lost in his magic because he’d been headed in the wrong direction.
Malcolm teased her lips apart and cupped her cheek as he leaned over her supine body and continued to kiss her. She moaned against him as he slid his hand down their bodies to start unfastening the buttons of his flannel shirt that she still wore.
“Is this okay?” he asked. They’d been so caught up in the bookstore that he hadn’t stopped to ask her the last time.
