Stupid. Stupid. He was stupid. He couldn’t get his stupid magic to cooperate.
His powers ricocheted violently inside his body, an angry storm of high winds and pelting rain and rumbling thunder. The chaotic levels of his magic raged, threatening to send him into a panic attack unless he released the energy.
His heart rate was too high. He needed to be calm, clear.
He mumbled his heart rate decreasing spell to no avail.
He tried to bring Damon to mind. Tried to feel into the peace and safety and…love he felt when he was with him. Of desire and need.
Tears fell down his face.
He couldn’t do it.
With clumsy haste, he pulled out his cell phone, calling Damon.
He picked up on the first ring. “I’m already on my way. What’s wrong?”
Elliot inhaled a ragged breath. He didn’t know how Damon knew he needed him. It could have simply been Damon knew his grandmama was never sick, or it could be that even though he wasn’t a witch, he could tap into whatever weird connection they had too.
“I need you,” Elliot said, crying into the phone. “She’s having a heart attack. A magical one. I can’t go to the hospital. I have to use my magic, but I can’t. I need you. My magic doesn’t work without you.”
“Okay. Okay,” Damon said. Theclick-clackof the turn signal echoed through the phone, increasing Elliot’s frantic heart. “I’m on my way, but it’s going to be at least twenty minutes.”
“It’ll be too late.”
Grandmama’s breathing was already shallow.
“Damon,” Elliot pleaded. “She’s dying. I can’t—” He couldn’t inhale. His chest ached. “I’m not good enough to—” His magic burned, a wild thrashing inside of him, making him shake.
“Elliot, listen to me,” Damon said. “Listen. Are you listening? Take a deep breath with me, okay? Ready?” He sucked in a breath and blew it out slow. Elliot followed his cues. “Put me on speakerphone. We’re going to do this together. You’re going to do this.”
“I can’t.”
“You can, Elliot,” Damon said, his voice strong and sure. “You’re going to do this. You don’t need me. I know you can do this.”
Elliot took another breath and put the phone down. His hands trembled. The magic ripped at his bones, tore through his tensed muscles, desperate to get out.
“You don’t need me for your magic to work, Elliot. You just think you do. I watched you heal all those animals. I watched the magic fill you. It wanted to work for you. It wanted to listen to you.”
Elliot held his hands in front of his torso, palms facing each other. He imagined the magic listening to him like Damon said. That the energy was working for him.
“You were beautiful,” Damon continued. “Every single time you healed me. It was like watching the sun rise inside of you. I’ve never seen you so full of life as you are when you’re healing, Elliot. I might have been extra careless lately just because I wanted an excuse for you to heal me. Your magic inside me makes me feel like I can fly. Like there’s nothing so right in the entire world.”
Elliot breathed in Damon’s words, pictured himself the way Damon saw him. The magic rising and cresting. His palms lit up, white light bouncing between them.
“It’s working, Damon,” he said. He took his time, focusing the magic over Grandmama’s heart, using his energy to strain her blood, to massage out the clumps of gloopy magic.
“Of course it is. You’re amazing. I knew you could do it.”
“Don’t hang up,” Elliot said.
“I won’t,” Damon said. “I promise.”
Time passed in funny intervals. Elliot slipped into a flow state as his magic generated and released in easy bursts. He used the techniques his grandmama taught him to direct the magic into doing exactly what he needed.
He felt Damon arrive before he heard the front door open. He didn’t call out to him. He knew Damon sensed exactly where he was.
Damon stood behind him, and Elliot sighed out a huge breath as he put his arms down. His body swayed, almost unconsciously magnetized toward Damon, wanting to be fully in his orbit.
