She frowned in confusion. “What? Where did you hear that?”
“Well, I assumed it’s not allowed since it’s totally magic.” His expression was comically earnest. “And, you know, magic is banned where you’re from. So sad for you.”
She stared at him for a beat and then shook with silent laughter. “You’re ridiculous.”
“You love it.”
She did. Scarlett stared wordlessly at his hands as he worked the rough pads of his fingers over her skin. His muscular arms flexed as he shifted to grab her other hand, which was badenough, but when he dropped her right hand, it landed on his thigh. And she left it there.
And so did he.
When he kneaded the muscle below her thumb, she groaned with pleasure, the fingers of her other hand pressing into his leg. “Are you doing this because you’resohappy to see me? Or do you do this for all the girls?”
He smirked at her, a twinkle in his eyes. “What doyouthink?”
That old delicious tension she remembered so well from their talks through the mirror was back like it had never left.
“I don’t know,” she mumbled, not wanting to guess. “James and your dad are the only other people here that I know.”
Brayden squeezed her hand. “Oh, I meant to ask—did you get your phone working?”
She pulled it out, grateful he’d asked. “Not yet. Manon said she’d fix it, but we both fell asleep before she had a chance.”
“Give it here.” Brayden held Scarlett’s phone in his open palm. She watched wide-eyed as his palm and the phone glowed with a white light.
Scarlett leaned closer and touched his glowing hand. Her fingertips tingled. “That is fucking freaky. What’s making it glow?”
Brayden chuckled. “Magic, baby.”
“What happens when the phone dies?”
He looked at her like she was being thick. “You charge it again.”
“And you never run out of soul-light juice?”
Brayden raised one eyebrow. “You won’t run out ofjuicedoing normal things like charging a phone as long as you’re taking care of yourself. Only sick people can’t use their soul light connection. Or the very drunk.”
He gave her back the phone.
“Thank you,” she said, pressing the power button. Her phonewas lightweight, with a touch screen bigger than her hand.
“That thing is slick.” He eyed it as it lit up. “Show me how it works. I want to put my number in it so you can reach me now that you’re outside the Soleil firewall.”
She pulled up the screen for entering in a new contact, and Brayden typed out his number. Taking the phone back, she sent him a quick text.
“There—now you have mine.” She smiled at him. “Let’s see… What else can I show you? I’m not totally sure what will work without being on the Soleil network, but I can at least show you what I’ve got downloaded.” She opened up a movie. Then she pulled up a hologram of her favorite singer in 3D. The pop star stood like a live doll on-screen as she belted out a song.
“Incredible.” Brayden stuck his fingers in the hologram, laughing. He was in awe of her phone the way she was in awe of his magic.
“What does yours look like?” she asked.
He held out his phone.
Scarlett took it, examining the clunky thing. “A black-and-white screen?”
He shrugged. “Yeah, no color. No video. But it calls people.”
Scarlett shook her head. “The rest of the world needs our tech.”
