“Vinna, can you --”
Before Lachlan can finish his question, magic surges out of me in a massive pulse. It exits with such force that it blows everyone off their feet. The Range Rovers rock side to side, both of their alarms breaking out into shrill wails. A combination of bright orange and deep pink magic blankets everything it touches as it spreads out and away from me. The magic wave hits an invisible barrier and then shoots up to dome above us.
“Are you okay?” Aydin questions, the first to make it back on his feet.
I nod absently, unable to speak because it’s taking everything in me right now to keep from collapsing and blacking out. I feel like I have been running nonstop for days, every ounce of energy sucked from me. My muscles feel like jelly and quiver like they’ve been overused. Whatever the hell just happened has completely drained me.
The others get up and dust themselves off. I can tell that none of them have any idea what the hell just happened, so I don’t even bother asking. I take deep, slow breaths and focus on not showing any signs that something is wrong with me.
“Can you tell what she did, Silva?” Lachlan asks as he sweeps blades of grass off his pants.
“She strengthened it,” Silva states, looking at me shocked, and they all turn and look at me in the same way.
“What? It’s not like I have a clue what the fuck just happened," I defend. “What did I strengthen?”
“The barrier around the house. It keeps out unwanted entities and anything that means harm.”
“Oh… cool," I say casually and climb back into the car alone.
I put my head back against the seat, exhausted and overwhelmed.Listen magic, can we go a solid twenty-four hours without you doing something no one has ever seen before? Let’s not give Lachlan any more reason to want to burn me at the stake.
The paladin are huddled together in some kind of deep discussion. They throw the occasional look my way, but other than that it’s all serious and brooding faces, with an exasperated arm flail every now and again.
Happy for the reprieve, I rest in hopes it will help get my energy reserves back to normal levels. Aydin, Lachlan, and Keegan eventually pile back into the car. Everyone is silent as we continue on.
13
We crest a hill, and Keegan announces, “Home sweet home.”
I raise my head up and peek out the front window. We are driving toward what looks like a hotel. I lean forward and stare slack-jawed.
“That’s not a house, that’s a damn resort!”
Laughter titters around me, and I’m not sure what’s funny. Thehouseis palatial. The outside is grey stone, broken up by huge trimmed windows and dark wood doors and accents. I can see three stories and to the left of the main house is a square courtyard surrounded by six garage doors.
We park at the front door, and everyone piles out.
“Vaughn originally set up the wards. I’ve just been reinforcing them. I didn’t see a point in redoing perfectly good wards," Silva tells Lachlan.
Oh goody, we’re still discussing the cluster fuck that is me and my magic.
“I wonder if her magic recognized his?” Aydin hypothesizes.
“Yeah, but how did she strengthen the original wards? It’s unreal the juice that she pumped into them, I wish you guys could feel it like I can," Silva remarks.
“Oh, we felt it," Keegan tells him, and they all turn to examine me again.
“Can you stop staring at me like I’m a freak puzzle you’re trying to solve?”
They all look away and start unloading my boxes and their luggage. I take in the gorgeous landscape and beautiful façade of the monster mansion. Silva starts humming the tune to “Super Freak,” and I snort, unable to hide my amusement at his newfound sense of humor.
“Where are the boys?” Evrin asks Silva, as we all move toward the front door.
“Last I heard, they were camping.”
“How do you call this a house?” I ask rhetorically. “This is the kind of place that has a name likeChateau be Jealous of All My Money.”
I look around in complete astonishment. Aydin and Evrin guffaw with laughter.
