Jake’s face lit up with a kind of boyish glee. “Are you going to light the fire or, you know…” He lifted his brows and wiggled them. “Light the fire?”
“Jake.” Louisa rolled her eyes.
“What?” He grinned. “I just wanted to see if she could still do it.”
“Do what?” Olivia replied, hiding her smile behind her wineglass.
“You know exactly what,” Jake answered. “When we were kids, you were able to create fire out of thin air. I watched you light candles just by blowing on the wicks dozens of times.”
“Oh, that.” Her mouth curved slowly as her eyes glittered. The fire suddenly roared to life in the hearth. “Child’s play.”
“Holy shit!” Jake laughed as he jolted in surprise, spilling his beer in his lap.
Louisa’s jaw dropped. “Wow.”
Olivia simply laughed as she topped off her wine. She was showing off, she knew it, but Louisa and Jake had been the only ones who’d ever seen her magic, other than her family, and after years of hiding what she was, it was nice to finally allow herself to just be.
“That shit’s awesome!” Jake grinned in delight.
Olivia watched them both, and the dark place deep inside her began to shrink for the first time in over two decades.
“You think that’s cool?” She set her glass down. “Watch this.” She held her hands in front of her, fingers splayed like she was holding an invisible ball. Her eyes filled with concentration and as she twisted her hands and a burning orb appeared. Louisa and Jake, their expressions entranced as her warm honey-colored eyes deepened until they were almost pure gold. The glowing sphere between her palms pulsed and grew, swirling and writhing in her hands.
She pulled her hands apart, stretching the burning mass until it began to change shape. It churned and swirled in her palm like a miniature tornado made of pure flame.
Olivia watched the ribbons of orange, red, and gold that made up the very substance of her magical fire. They wound round and round in never-ending circles. No one could see the fire the way she did; it was hers and hers alone.
She lifted her gaze to find Jake staring at her, his blue eyes wide. “Do you trust me?” she whispered.
“I trust you.”
“Then reach out and touch the flames.” Her voice was low and held a hint of amused challenge.
He hesitated for a second before taking a deep breath and plunging his hand into the swirling flames, gasping in surprise. “It’s cold. You can control its temperature.”
She smiled at him and cupped her hands, the fire seemed to writhe and undulate between her hands, shifting its shape once more as Jake and Louisa watched in rapt fascination.
When Olivia parted her hands, a large dragonfly comprised of flames, shivered in her palms, pulsing with light. It launched itself into the air, arching above them and splitting into two.
“Holy crap.” Louisa clapped in delight as she watched the two flaming dragonflies chasing each other around the room.
Olivia lifted her hand, and they landed gracefully. Her skin glowed as they were reabsorbed back into her palm.
“I guess you embraced your gifts then?” Jake sipped his beer as he studied her.
“I did.” Olivia nodded before dropping her head back against the couch, breathing deeply. “After all, I’m descended from two incredibly powerful witching lines on both my mom’s and my dad’s sides. But I guess in the beginning I figured choosing to follow the path of the witch was, I don’t know, somehow honoring my mom, a way to be close to her after she was gone. It took me a long time to understand that being a witch wasn’t a conscious choice it’s who I am.”
“Wow, that’s deep.” Jake’s lips twitched.
Olivia grabbed a cushion and threw it at his head. “Brat.” She laughed.
Grinning, he caught it and tucked it comfortably under himself.
“What about you two?” Olivia asked.
Although the hadn’t come from a magical family, her friends were also gifted. It was what had drawn them to each other in the first place. Her eyes suddenly widened as she stared at them, realizing they had unconsciously embraced their gifts just by the professions they’d chosen. Louisa had always been able to tell when someone was sick or hurt, and Jake had always had an uncanny ability to know when someone was lying.
“Just connected the dots, haven’t you?” Louisa laughed, draining the rest of her wine.
