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My mouth opens. Once the door is taken care of for the night, my job is to keep everything in the club working, including the exterior on the off chance someone flies through a wall or some shit.

"He also said he would be good."

My mouth closes.

"He wants you to sit down for a while."

I want to be annoyed. I want to find Ekon and throw the water bottle at his head. Instead, I return to the dressing room and sit in his spot. A small blanket is there. Ekon doesn't run cold, and it's not like he got this shit for any of the guys. It's for me.

Why is he being so kind to me? And why do I like it so much?

Exactly seven days after the salt geyser, I'm ready to try one last time.

Ekon shows up at my apartment with takeout, knowing it's better to feed me. "You sure you want to do this again?"

"I'm sure I want to figure out what the hell is wrong with my magic."

He sets the food on my counter and watches as I prepare the circle. This time, I'm using older magic, something my grandmother taught me. The incantation is longer and more demanding. Hell, even the ingredients are rarer.

I kneel in the center of the pentagram and close my eyes. "Don't say a word unless I ask you to."

"Yes, ma'am," he says with a salute.

The words flow from my lips in an ancient rhythm. The air doesn't thicken this time; instead, it stills. The room goes silent, so quiet I can hear Ekon's breathing from the couch. The magic doesn't explode or summon clouds or spin compasses. Silver light blooms in the center of the pentagram, soft and luminous. It spreads out, tracing the chalk lines and then it rises. The light moves toward Ekon, circling him like it's searching. Then it returns to me.

Ekon's breath catches. When I look in his direction, he's staring at me like I've rewritten the laws of the universe. His brown eyes are wide, and his mouth is slightly open. He doesn't move or speak.

I sit on my heels, heart pounding. "What the hell was that?"

Ekon doesn't answer right away. He's still staring at me. My chest tightens under his perusal.

"Ekon?"

He blinks, and the moment breaks. "I… I don't know."

"Did it work? Did you see anything?"

"I need to think," he says, standing abruptly. "I need to—I should go."

"Wait, what? You're leaving?" I rush toward him.

"I'll call you tomorrow." He moves toward the door, legs jerking. "I just need to—"

The door closes behind him before he can finish my sentence.

I sit alone in my living room, staring at my hands. I don't understand what's happening. My magic has never failed me. A locator spell is supposed to be simple. I've done hundreds of them. So why can't I do this one?

I curl my fingers into fists and press them against my thighs. I hate not understanding my own power. I hate it even more that Ekon's presence makes it harder to think. But I'm going to figure this out. Even if it means dismantling every assumption I have about my magic, I'm going to find the answer.

I have to.

Chapter 10 Ekon

Ibarely make it out of her building before my wings rip through the back of my shirt, launching me straight into the humid New Orleans night sky.

The image is seared into the back of my eyelids. That damn silver light. I sat frozen on her couch and watched the impossible unfold. When the magic rose from the salt and blood on the marble floor, it didn't shoot out her window toward the bayou or point to some distant city. It circled the room and surged straight into Yue.

The silver light sank into her skin, and suddenly she was glowing, brighter than ever before. She’s always glowed to me, but never like this. Her onyx skin shimmered with it. Her white coils caught the light and reflected it back in a halo of bright, blinding magic. She looked at her hands, watching the magic pulse beneath her flesh like a second heartbeat before it slowly faded away.