His smile tightened, but he didn’t protest and perused my bookshelves again. I rubbed at the tension in my neck.
“Don’t touch the books in the drawers,” I said as he opened the first drawer.
He turned and pulled my focus, his right eyebrow raised in a questioning look.
“They’re precious and sigil-bound to me. Touching them will mess up how they work.”
“That’s a fair reason,” he said, giving my treatise on botanical preparations a lingering look, then slid the drawer closed.
I brushed past him. Sandalwood, smoky tea, and powdered amber rolled over me like a wave. I teetered like I’d smoked one of Bud’s best blends.
“What thehelleborejust happened?” I asked, letting him help me into the reading nook chair. His hands were butter and fire, melting and searing. I leaned into him. “What’s happening?”
“Building the pillars drained your force, and our shared spell was still pulling through the bond.”
“I don’t understand? I ate already. That should have fixed fatigue. Can you stand over there for a minute?” I asked, trying to catch my breath as my heart beat against my ribs. His scent was perfume and smoke. I wanted more, and it was choking me.
“Senses are sometimes heightened by a curse. For us, it seems to be through scent, but it is curious. I feel close to you as well.”
I sucked in a breath and leaned back in the leather chair, trying to recall where I’d read about something like this, a scent-driven energy drain. I breathed out and stood up. “It’s passing already, and I really need to get this spellwork done. I bet you aren’t up on the latest advances. Why don’t you read up on modern herbalist science while I work? The botanical journals are on the lower shelf.”
He moved toward me, and I held my hand up. “Probably better if you don’t come closer.” I moved to one side. Then as he approached, I sidled around him, darting to my work bench. A whiff of his unique scent trailed under my nose.
I grabbed the salt and poured lines around my workspace. When I had a complete arc, the air stilled as if the wind had stopped. I breathed in fresh clean oxygen like I’d been deprived. The world was clearer.
I glanced at Ranth, and my breath froze in my throat. I saw Death but not the scythe-wielding type, more the grave-raised crumbling kind in a shredded robe. I staggered back, the wood chair creaking under me as I blinked at the gaunt shadowy figure reading my herbal journal, like he was waiting for a haircut.
My brain tried to catch up to my eyes. It had to be some sort of illusion, but why? I dug fingers into my forearms to keep breathing. Where he had black writing on his arm from Harold, I now had silver lines of symbols tracking up my forearms. He hadn’t lied about that part. We were connected. I rubbed atthem as if it might make them go away again. It did nothing but cement they weren’t going away anytime soon.
“Is everything all right?” he asked, looking up.
“Yeah, fine,” I replied, gritting my teeth to stop the shaking. I broke the circle to grab my phone. Furiously, I texted Ori and Rose. Whatever he was, I hadn’t dealt with it before. My weird attraction to him was even more concerning now that he literally looked like death.
My cell rang. It was Rose.
“What’s going on? You okay?” Rose asked.
Usually I didn’t lie. “Mostly, yeah. I can’t really talk about the other thing right now. Harold wasn’t what we expected.”
A text came in from Ori. She was in class.
Rose cleared her throat. “Got it. Ranth is right there.”
“Where are you?” I asked, weighing the advantages of having her here to discuss the Ranth problem.
“Oakland at the moment, picking up some supplies. What happened with Harold?” I knew her eyes would be narrowing with concern.
It wasn’t Rose’s fault Harold was a new problem. We were both dealing with everything new. “We’re okay, but he’s some sort of wizard I guess, not like me.” It would take Rose an hour to get here from Oakland. By then, I should have the oil done anyway. I’d have to go it alone.
“But did he help you out with your wizard problem?”
I shifted the phone between my ear and shoulder, giving Ranth the side-eye. He hadn’t moved. “Sort of made it worse. I need to explain later but don’t send anyone else to him.”
“Gotcha. Sorry. I should have gone and checked him out first.” Her voice was low and tight, like she was choking back tears.
“Hey, not your fault at all. Actually, it was probably good you didn’t. We are fine-ish. I’ll explain when I see you—maybe latertonight? We have to meet my clients at the graveyard to raise their son’s spirit for an interview.”
“Right, big evening. Want me to come and hang out in the parking lot? I’ve got a gathering tonight, so no electronics, but I can cancel.”
