“Well, I have no idea who cursed you. And I believe you because I can feel your power. The curse is like—like a block on it. Something dark…a mark I can almost see, but not quite.” He shudders, as if sensing whatever it is has stained him. “But even blocked and hampered, your power is undeniable, which means I can feel you’re telling the truth. It’s as simple as that.”
Yeah, real freaking simple. “Well, the fact remains that I’ve never met anyone else who has any abilities beyond normal ones. Except…” Wait just one minute.
“Except who?” Cooper prompts me, when I don’t go on.
I’m tempted to tell him everything about my little encounter with the Seer of Sapphire Springs. But what if he’s not on my side, after all? He hates Donovan. What if he’s lying about not coming to Sapphire Springs because of me, about not knowing who my parents are? What ifheis the darkness that Ella Campbell warned me about, and by telling him about the piece of paper in my purse, I inadvertently kick off a chain of events that dooms Donovan to death?I see darkness surrounding someone you work with…What if Cooper himself is that darkness? Donovan certainly seems to think so.
“You weren’t sent here for me,” I say slowly. “But you were sent here. Why? Who sent you?”
His Cop Face is back on again. “That’s a long story. And one I’d rather not discuss in the gazebo at a small-town fair.”
Riiiight. “Well, until you’re honest with me, I see no reason for me to return the favor.” I fold my arms across my chest and stare him down.
Cooper looks mulish. “I’m just doing my duty, Rune.”
“I don’t give two figs about your duty. I don’t know you. Donovan doesn’t trust you. For all I know, you’re leveraging whatever advantages you have against both of us.”
“That’s ridiculous! I justhelpedyou!” He leans closer. “Look me in the eye and tell me nothing’s been different for you lately, Rune. That you haven’t sensed anything…seen anything out of the ordinary. Tell me that, and I’ll back off, all right?”
Holding his gaze is harder than it ought to be. It’s as if I can feel the weight of his own power behind it, compelling me to confess the truth. But I manage, just the same. “I don’t owe you anything,Coop.Not until you tell me everything you know.”
His jaw sets. “You don’t understand what you’re asking.”
“Yeah? Well, inform me, then.”
“There arechannels,Rune. Protocols. I can’t just—you’re asking me to—” He shakes his head, as if he literally can’t force the words past his lips. For all I know, maybe he can’t.
“Riddle me this, then, Batman. Is Donovan…like you? Can he do what you do?”
Cooper shakes his head again. “Now, that I can answer. Donovan isn’t one of us. He’s pure, Rune. He’s innocent. And I’ll tell you one thing. If your premonitions told you to have nothing to do with Donovan—that getting involved with him means his death—then you need to stay the fuck away from my brother.”
Thanks, Captain Obvious. “I’d love to. But I can’t! We work together. I need this job. What am I supposed to tell my boss?So sorry, please reassign me, I’ve had a psychic vision?”
“Figure it out,” Cooper growls. “Because if you’re as powerful as you feel, then you can do a hell of a lot of damage, Rune. And if Donovan gets caught in the crossfire, my family and I will make you pay.”
Shoulders set as if for battle, he stomps down the steps of the gazebo so hard the structure shakes and strides across the footbridge beyond.
Chapter
Twenty-Seven
I waituntil Cooper is nowhere to be seen before I make my way back across the footbridge, toward the funnel cake truck where I promised Charlotte I’d meet her and the girls. My entire body is shaking, and unanswered questions buzz through my mind like bees in a hive:Who sent Cooper here? Where are the ley lines he told me about? Why does he have a gift, and not Donovan? Does he mean me harm? What does it mean that he’s a witch, and what is he capable of? Are all witches different? How can any of this be real?
Maybe it’s absurd to feel this way, given that my ability isn’t exactly…ordinary. But it’s been a part of me for so long, it feels as natural as breathing. Whereas the existence of ley lines and witches just seems bizarre and fantastical.
Why couldn’t it have been Donovan who believed my premonitions were real? Why did it have to be his asshat brother?
I need to talk to Donovan. To explain, though God only knows how I’ll manage it. But when I step off the footbridge and back into the hullabaloo of the fair, he’s nowhere to be seen. Igive the animal shelter’s tent a surreptitious look: no furious, arctic-eyed data engineer in sight. Fantastic.
Cooper’s visible enough, bending to pet Mrs. Grant’s groomed-to-within-an-inch-of-its-life poodle and chatting with a couple of little kids. But he doesn’t so much as acknowledge me as I stride past him, and a good thing, too. I can just imagine the field day the Sinsters would have with that.
The food truck comes into view, with its distinctive rotating funnel cake on top. As I get closer, I can hear Emma chattering about how each funnel cake likely contains four times the recommended daily dose of sugar, Sophie protesting that they’re yummy, and Charlotte telling them both that it’s a special occasion, but for the love of everything holy, could they please use their napkins? The normalcy of it centers me, and I plaster what I hope is a ‘everything’s-just-fine!’ smile on my face as I come within a few feet of them and wave.
“Auntie Rune!” Emma says through a mouthful of funnel cake. “Whyduyuluklikuswrledalmon?”
My brows knit. “Excuse me?”
She takes a big gulp, swallowing, and tries again. “I said, why do you look like you swallowed a lemon? Do you want some funnel cake? It can help! I read somewhere that sugar counteracts acidity?—”
