His mother reaches over and fixes the side of his hair.“Well, you’re older now. You can make your own choices. You have a good head on your shoulders. You listen and take things into consideration.”
Victor comes to a realization.“Like the King of Swords.”
Victor’s mom sits up straight and smiles fondly at her grown child.“Looks like you’ve become more familiar with Tarot.”She leans over and softly kisses Victor’s cheek. When she leans back, she smiles softly while taking one of Victor’s hands into hers.“You will figure things out.”
Victor jumps up from his bed, covered in sweat, his heart racing, and breathing heavily. He looks around the room and notices he’s back in his apartment. He peeks under the sheets. He’s out of his suit and wearing just a T-shirt and underwear. Victor looks over to the side of the bed and sees Leo resting in a chair wearing a sweater hoodie, and some workout shorts.
“Leo? Leo,” Victor says softly.
Leo slowly wakes up. “Huh, wha . . . VICTOR!” He jumps from his seat and tackles Victor, wrapping his arms tightly around him. “Thank the gods you’re okay.”
Victor embraces Leo and can still smell the light scent of Leo’s cologne. “How long was I out?”
Leo pulls back and looks into Victor’s eyes. “You’ve been out for three days.”
Victor seems unsure how to react. “It’s been that long?” He looks over at the chair Leo has been sitting in. “How long have you been here?”
Leo makes himself more comfortable sitting beside Victor. “I’ve been with you the entire time. After you passed out back in Otsu, Akisha, Chiyo, and I rushed you back to the hotel room. When it was obvious that you wouldn’t wake up anytime soon, we took a risk and brought you through a mirror and back to your apartment. It was agreed that it would be better to wake up somewhere familiar than in a strange place.”
“How did Derek feel about you staying with me this entire time?” Victor asks, looking around, knowing that Derek is someone to watch out for.
“He hasn’t contacted me. And frankly, I don’t care. I wanted to make sure you were safe while you were unconscious,” Leo mentions.
Victor gives a slight smile to Leo, but it fades, knowing that what he wants from Leo won’t be able to happen.
Leo reaches for a glass of water on the nightstand and hands it to Victor. “Do you feel strong enough to take a shower?”
Victor looks slyly at Leo, saying, “I might need some help.”
Leo chuckles, “Well, we need to head to Texas. We’re to meet with Superior Charles. He asked for you to see him once you have awakened and are strong enough. He has a lake house just north of Dallas.”
“So, you’re taking me to your coven?” Victor asks. Leo nods in response. “Then we shouldn’t keep your superior waiting.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
After Victor showers, shaves, and fixes his hair, he goes back to his bedroom and gets dressed. He pulls out his suit and examines it. The suit appears to have been recently cleaned and mended. Victor starts taking each piece off the hanger and tossing them onto the bed.
As Victor prepares his suit, Leo lightly knocks on the door. Leo slowly opens the door and pokes his head in. “No need for your suit. His place is protected, so we’ll be safe. Meet me in the living room when you’re dressed.”
Leo exits, and Victor walks over to his dresser to get something comfortable to wear. As he looks in the drawers, he notices his phone. He picks it up and sees several missed calls from his friends. Victor looks through the texts and notices that Leo responded to everyone.
As he scrolls through, he can’t believe how Leo made the texts look like he was sending them. Victor starts to get upset because Leo is pretending to be him. Victor then becomes sad when herealizes Leo could be right. It might be too dangerous to have mundane friends.
Victor still hasn’t told his friends that he hasn’t been flying since he started his magic training. He isn’t sure how much longer he can keep up the ruse. He sets down his phone and drops his towel, then slips into underwear and pair of jeans.
“Victor,” Leo shouts from the living room. “Are you ready yet?”
“Coming!” Victor responds as he takes out a shirt to wear. As he puts on his shirt, he notices the wooden box with all his artifacts on top of the dresser. “If I’m not going in my suit, I might as well bring these with me,” he says to himself. He starts putting on his jewelry as he walks out of his bedroom.
Turning the corner, Victor notices a large mirror on his wall. “That’s new,” he states as he ponders why there is a mirror in his living room. “I’m not sure it works with the rest of the room.”
Leo uses a small red dagger to etch a rune in the center of the mirror. “You needed something to spruce up the place.”
Victor examines the mirror and notes the markings along its length on both sides. “I take it those marks are for protection?” Victor inquires.
Leo steps back from the mirror when he finishes the rune. “That’s right. They are protection wards to ensure only those you allow can walk through.” He presses his palm over the rune. There is a red glow, then the rune is gone. He turns around to Victor as he wipes his hand on his shirt. “There, I think it’s ready.”
“Did you just use heat to fix the mirror?” Victor queries.
