However, I wasn’t angry for long because my body seized, every muscle tightening before a cold spread of numbness washed over me. My eyes clouded in a white film, obscuring my vision. Panic seized my mind as my body rebelled against what felt like death taking over me. And then I felt it, I was floating, no longer feeling the bicycle between my legs. I had no idea how high I was going, it was as if I was being pulled like a puppet with no control. I screamed but my ears were no longer functioningbecause I couldn’t hear myself. The only thing I could hear were my wild thoughts in my head.
Blinding pain seized my body momentarily, like a vice squeezing and cracking my bones. I thought for a moment I would pass out from the pain, which wouldn’t have been so bad, before it dissipated as quickly as it came. What was happening? Was I dying? Was someone doing this to me?
Of course, no answers came and as quickly as it had gone, my vision and hearing returned and I was falling. Naturally, I cursed myself for not wearing a helmet. This is what I got for trying to look cute and do something new. A busted head. My elven magic forced its way through my body without thought, in what I thought was an attempt to protect me, but it failed to ward me from impact. Instead I hit the ground, landing on my left arm. I could feel my skin scrape against the concrete and I cried out from the sharp pain. Better than my head, I suppose.
A deeper shout from a voice that was definitely not me, spread a booming curse through the air. I looked across the street to see Harris on the ground, lying on his back, staring up at the sunny sky with angry eyes.
Where the hell had he come from, and how had I not noticed him long beforehand? Sure, I was deep in my thoughts, but not so much that I didn’t notice anything around me. Then again, I was distracted by my painful levitation. What was that? A magical heart attack or stroke? Is that how they worked? No, I wouldn’t have recovered that quickly and why would it be magical?
I sat up, cradling my bleeding and scraped arm, peering at Harris. His long black hair was pulled back in a low bun, and he was wearing black shorts and a T-shirt with sneakers. I hadn’t seen him look that casual since we were teens. “Harris?”
Harris groaned and stood up, looking over at me still on the ground with my bloody arm. “Fuck, you’re bleeding.”
He rushed over to me and picked me up in his arms. I yelped in surprise. “What are you doing? It’s just my arm. My legs are fine.”
He ignored me and instead tightened his grip. “How do we know that? What the fuck just happened?”
I had never been picked up like this by Harris before, and I didn’t exactly hate it. “You felt it too? Momentary blindness and floating and pain?”
He nodded, his eyes darkening as he continued to assess me. “Someone did something to us. Shit.”
I frowned. “What do you mean? Like a magic attack?”
He looked around the fairly quiet residential street, eyes narrowing. He was going into work mode. “I think so. Do you feel any magic around us? Is the attacker still here?”
I closed my eyes, using my elven and mage magic to sense another magic user but came up with nothing. “No, I don’t feel anything.”
He didn’t look relieved, not that I blame him. This was scary. “This is my fault. I shouldn’t have come here.”
“What do you mean? Whyareyou here?”
He raised his shoulders, looking slightly uncomfortable. “When you put the suggestion out there about taking a vacation, I decided to listen.”
“And you picked the same time and place as me?”
“It just seemed practical, seeing as Marcus has the beach house here. I should have known enemies would follow me here. I can’t even go for a fucking jog.”
Did I really believe that? Maybe this was his sneaky way of seeing me. That dinner certainly made me want to see him again. For old times’ sake. “Uh-uh, and you think they, whoever they are, followed you around and waited to attack me too because of you?”
He was already busy typing away on his phone as I spoke. Most likely letting his right hand, or whoever, know of the attack and springing into defense or offense mode. I had no idea how the mafia moved. “It’d be naïve to assume otherwise. We aren’t safe out here. Do you have a first aid kit at your place? Or I can get some things from the pharmacy.”
“Yes, I have one back at the cottage.”
He looked back at my abandoned but intact bike. “Can you ride on the back of the bike, or can I carry you there?”
He really was doing too much, but I had to admit that I liked the attention. “I can.”
His face took on a more serious glare. “I won’t get you hurt. I promise.”
We positioned ourselves on the bike, and I wrapped my arms around his waist. My fingers could barely grip each other across his stomach. His ridiculously defined, hard stomach. Was he always this muscular? And did he always smell this good? Like woods and something mildly sweet. I sucked in another whiff of him and pressed my fingers tighter to his stomach as he began to pedal us in the direction of my cottage.
And for a mild minute, I was distracted by a very important question. “Hey, how do you know where I’m staying?”
I felt his stomach clench. Was that from confusion? Embarrassment? Me touching him? “What? Oh, yeah. I didn’t even think. So, this is the right way?”
I replied in the affirmative, and we made it back to my place in one piece. When I got off the bike, I expected Harris to leave, but instead he set down the kickstand and followed me. I turned slightly to him, giving a questioning look. “I can clean myself up.”
He nodded as he kept walking. “I know you can, but I’m making sure. Also, we’re going to have to pack you up becauseyou can’t stay here now. It’s not safe. Clearly someone knows we know each other.”
