My parents, myself and my sisters stand around him, and we’ve got one shot to do this and do it right.
“Place your hands on him,” Nana directs.
Oh yeah, Nana. She hasn’t gone anywhere. She actually kept the house together while I was asleep. I prefer to think of myself as asleep rather than in a coma. Who doesn’t like a goodSleeping Beautyreference?
We do as she says, placing our hands on Devlin. He’s cold, but he still has a pulse. He’s lost so much weight these past weeks. It breaks my heart. I’ve lost weight, too. I’m wearing the engagement ring on my middle finger. Once I get back to my regular weight, it won’t slip off my ring finger anymore. I can’t wait for that day.
“Now,” Nana tells us, “give him your power. Just a little. Give him some magic.”
Yes, all of us are pitching in because, as you know, we don’t have much magic left. But we give what we can to him, and within seconds his body is glowing. The hollows of his cheeks fill out. The circles under his eyes lighten, and he lifts a hand and touches his head.
“I know y’all didn’t just give me every ounce of power you have to save my life,” he says with smirk.
My heart leaps with joy. “No,” I tell him, tears spilling down my cheeks. “We only gave you half.”
His eyes pop open. He sees me and he tugs me into a hug, pulling me down onto the bed. “I thought I’d lost you again.”
“Never,” I whisper.
My dad squeezes his shoulder. “I’m glad you’re back, son.”
“Me too,” Nana announces.
I stifle a laugh. Everyone tells Devlin that they’re happy he’s back, and Mama says, “We’ll leave you two alone.”
I sit on the bed, and he sits up, placing his back on the headboard. He glances up and around. “So this is your room. The very secret and very elusive boudoir of one Blair Thornrose.”
“Do you like it?”
He cocks his head and studies the space. “I’m thinking it needs boy band posters.”
I tip my face to the ceiling and laugh. “You know, you’re right. It could use some.” My gaze drops back to meet his, and we smile wearily at one another. Devlin slides a hand up my cheek, and I lean into his touch. “How dare you leave me right after I woke up.”
He laughs weakly. “I was trying to help your family.”
“It worked, from what they’ve said. You have saved us.”
“For now.”
“For now.”
We stare at each other another moment, and that’s when pressure builds in my chest. My rib cage expands, and it feels like my heart’s about to push through my sternum. The intensity climaxes until it releases like liquid spilling out of a popped water balloon.
Immediately after, a tingle worms its way into my chest. It’s a very familiar magic, one that I’ve been missing for some time.
I suck air, mouth open. “Our powers switched back.”
Devlin cracks a smile. “So they did.”
I think we realize at the same time, just like on the night he proposed, why our powers hadn’t returned earlier, and for that I’m beyond grateful.
If I had been in charge of my influence when I was hit by that truck, I might never have woken up.
Devlin needed to have my gift this entire time.
He opens his arms, and I fall on top of him. He grunts as if in pain.
I sit up, afraid that I’ve crushed some vital part of him. “Did I hurt you?”
