I don’t want to acknowledge the eggshells around anyone anymore.
And if I find myself stomping them? So be it.
Zylus is outside the tension. He’s not involved in whatever’s happened between Castor and Cael or Pollux. Zylus can teach me magic, and I won’t feel like I’m betraying my soulmate, but I’ll still be able to see what Castor does with the decision to go against his wishes.
I can see what he does with the clear message that I refuse to need him—whether he likes it or not. I will find a way to what I want, with or without his blessing.
Possibly, it’s a cruel test…but it is now one I am willing to proctor.
And that is more than refreshing. It isempowering.
“How upset do you think Castor would get if you take me to Willow’s after we’re done here?” I ask.
A glint of purple sparks in Zahra’s green eyes, and I suppose it’s reassuring to know when she says, “Let’s find out,” that I’m not the only one who feels safe enough to toy with a dangerous fae.
Chapter 22
~~~~~~~~~~~~
This does not feel like Magic 101. But it does seem like an Introduction to Independence.
After Zahra drops me off at Willow and Zylus’s, I find myself cautiously approaching the front door while replaying my request for the vampire cat in my head. I want to learn magic. I want to be strong. This is what Willow suggested I should do, so I really hope the imposition on her husband is okay.
Blowing out a breath, I knock.
Then I wait.
A full minute passes, but right before I give up and accept that they aren’t home, the front door swings open to reveal the small woman in yet another pure white frilly dress.
“Ugh, company,” she mutters, sagging as she peers past me. “Hm. You’re alone. Have you run away from home already?”
“Oh, no. I haven’t.”
“Hm.” She steps aside to let me in, even though every inch of her seems to regret and reject the action. “I was in the middle of a book. If I weren’t, I’d ask you for the details on how you escaped from Cael—that man isstressedabout whatever you did—but, you know. I’m in the middle of a book.”
Dwelling on the sensation of Castor’s magic in my clothes, I say, “I’m so sorry to have interrupted you, but I’m actually here to talk to Zylus, if that’s okay?”
She perks up. “You mean to say youdon’twant to continue interrupting my book? What marvelous news. Have at him.” She tosses her hand out toward the black cat lying in a sun spot beneath her coffee table, then she turns and vanishes into a room down the hall.
I blink at the animal when it yawns, unsure exactly how I’m supposed to disturb it. A moment passes, then its fur thins, limbs lengthening until a full-grown man rests in the sun spot beneath the table. Sleepily, Zylus stares at me, dual-colored eyes perfectly feline in their detached awareness.
When I don’t remember to say anything, the man closes his eyes and rolls over, putting his back to me.
I tense. “I’m sorry to bother you.”
“You’re not bothering me,” he murmurs, drowsy.
Oh, good. He’s fae and can’t lie, so that means I’m reallynotbothering him—despite appearances. The palpable relief that settles in me with that understanding makes me think that I’ve been living in the wrong world my entire life. Reassured, I press on, “I have an odd request.”
His head cocks, and he looks back over his shoulder. “For…me?”
“Well, yes?”
He shifts back into his black cat form, trots out from under the coffee table, then shifts back into a man, standing in front of me, a pleased if interested smile on his face. “I can’t wait to tell Ollie. We’ve recently bemoaned our placement in this friend group. People are always going to Pollux or Cael for help, but never us.” Hypnotic voice sweet and almost sultry, he says, “What can I do for you, Danielle?”
Filling my lungs, I say, “Can you teach me magic?”
His fangs flash in his smile. “You want to learn magic?”
