“You haven’t used your muscles in five centuries!”
“Then I’m overdue for a workout, aren’t I?” My eyes glow magenta as I crack my knuckles. “Watchthis,mighty dishwasher.”
And then I let loose.
No matter how much harder the churning gets, I don’t slow down.
At one point the crank starts creaking and I have to pull back so that my power doesn’t break the ice cream maker and it’s this, with my combined focus and scowl and righteous fury that sets Zan shaking with laughter.
But then—
Then it’s done.
I stare into the bucket wonderingly.
A spoon appears in front of my face. “Are you ready?”
Maybe, for once, the answer is yes.
I take a bite of the blackberry ice cream.
Ice cream thatImade.
And it’s so, so good.
“Can I try, too?” Zan asks.
Unable to speak, I nod vigorously.
He dips his spoon in, too, and tries a bite, his eyes closing in pleasure.
When he opens them, he smiles at me. “You did it.”
I did.
We did.
In this moment, anything and everything seems possible.
But then Zan’s smile freezes, and an instant later, I feel why.
People are closing in on our location.
People with magic that I can sense.
And that means the Order has arrived.
Chapter 11
“Stayhere,”ItellZan tightly.
“No,” he growls. “They’re after you.”
“They might be here foryou,” I retort. “And you know they’ll try to kill you if they find you.”
“They won’t succeed.”
“Yes, sure, but they probably won’t try to kill me. Maybe I can convince them to leave.”
