Idon’tunderstand it, but the more time I spend with him, the more I want to give in.
Chapter Twenty-Five
KENNEDY
Afew hours later, Theo and I gather all the blankets from upstairs and create a pile on the floor of the living room. After prying all the questions out of him I could about the limits of his magic,I’veconvinced him to try washing the blankets.
“Just pretend you’re a washing machine,” I prod.
“That machine that spins the clothes around like a carnival ride?”
“You probably don’t have to mimic that exactly, but you’re thinking big, and I like that.”
He heaves a heavyblanketonto the pile and stops to catch his breath. “It’s been a while since I’ve used any of my body parts like this,” he admits, hands on his hips.
My mind instantly considers what other body parts he might begettingused to again, and I have to force myselfto stop.
“You ready?” I step back, giving him space to do his thing, whatever that entails.
Theo zeros in on the pile betweenus,his jaw fixed from concentration. “I believe my primary focus should be on removing whatever has clung to the fabric, which wouldbasically be a kinetic spell.” He lookstome. “I will need a place to move it.”
I’mnot sure what he means at first, but after thinking aboutit literally, itmakes sense. “Oh, you meanthe dirt! Okay, hold on.”
I jog to the kitchen and swipe a large trash bin from underneath the sink and take it to the living room. I place it next to the mound of blankets and hold out my hands. “Ta-da!”
The corner of his mouth lifts as he closes his eyes and focuses on his task. For several minutes,it’sjust the two of us standing quietly—me, waiting for something to happen, and him, looking as ifhe’sina deepmeditation. But then something extraordinary happens. The moment Theo opens his eyes, an enormous dark cloud of dirt, dust, mold, andgodknows whatever else floats upward and out of the pile. It hovers in the air for a moment before shifting above the trash can, and thenpoof, it falls straight down to the bottom of the bin.
“That was incredibly efficient,” I flatly praise him.
He senses my sarcasm and smiles sheepishly. “Thanks.”
Is it just me, or is he holding his head a little higher? Even though he avoids my gaze,there’sa definite gleam in hiseye.
I want him to be proud of himself, but ifI’velearned anything about Theo over the past few days,it’sthat hedoesn’tlike to be the center of any attention. So, I break the awkward silence by jumping spread eagle onto the blanket pile while yelling, “Cowabunga!”
Unfortunately, itisn’tquite as cushioned as I thought, and I land hard on my stomach with athump.
Hands slide beneath my shoulders and lift me up. “Are you alright?”
NowI’membarrassed. “All good,” I garble. “You said I can’t die twice.”
“No, I suppose not.” Theo helps me to my feet as I adjust my neckline from choking me. “You can still hurt yourself though.”
“Yes, well.What’sa bruise or two if it reminds me of being alive?”
He blows air through his nose and chuckles. “I admire your optimism.”
“Funny. I didn’t know I had that quality.”
Theo steers me away from any tripping hazards and points to a spot on the floor.“Stay here.”
His face screws up in concentration, andI hear a crash coming from the floor above. Then several bangsagainstthe wall of the staircase. I turn my head and see a large day bed floating toward us. It lands beneath the window, and with a flick of his fingers, Theo removes the grime from the fabric and places it in the trash with the rest of his work.
“Holy cow,” I gasp.
“I can’t do that with living things, so no cows unfortunately.”
Silence stretches between us and then I burst out laughing. I lean over, placing a hand on my stomach.
