by Allie Burton
“Helloooo.” The smarmy tone might be considered flirtatious, but the slow wink confirmed my impression. “How can I help you?”
Shifting on my feet, I felt my cheeks heat. I should be flattered by this gorgeous guy’s attentions. His muscular and stout body resembled a boxer’s. The sharp angles of his face showed classical handsomeness as if he had once been carved of stone. I choked. With the dark hair and green eyes, he must be another Warrior.
I wasn’t used to male attention, except the disgusting old guys in the Order. And I wasn’t interested in this guy. There was only one male I wanted to see. “Is Math here?”
The Warrior raised a bulging arm stretching it against the door frame, trying to impress. “Math is not here. But I’m available.”
My heart stopped and then picked up its pace. Hope slipped away. I had less than twenty-four hours to save Mom. Every second counted. “Where is he?”
The guy straightened and opened the door wider. “You must be Piper.”
Did all the Warriors, even the ones I hadn’t met, know my name? Know of me?
“Yes. And you are?” I lined the question with a threat.
His lips lifted into a bold, he-knows-he’s-cute smile. A smile that probably made girls faint when he flashed it. “I’m Antony.”
I preferred Math’s shy smile, the one you had to coax to come out because he was always so serious. Antony’s smile was too bright, too fake.
“Come on in.” He opened the door wider and let me step inside. Closing the door, he slouched back against it. “Was that an earthquake or did you just rock my world?”
I raised my eyebrows and stared. What the heck was this guy talking about? “Are your sparkplugs not firing on all cylinders?”
“Huh?”
His response showed we spoke a different language. “Math would understand the car reference.”
“Ouch.” Standing upright, Antony laughed while he stared at me. “Now, I see it.”
I wiggled my shoulders wanting to get out of his sight and out of this conversation. Looking around the room, I hoped Math would materialize. Or anyone else. “See what?”
Nodding his head, Antony smirked in an all-knowing way. “The two of you.”
He spoke in riddles and I didn’t need any more puzzles in my life. I needed Math to help solve them. Doubt snuck between my thoughts. Whenever I counted on someone else to solve my problems it never worked out for me. Take Aaron, for instance.
“When will Math be back?” The question sounded ruder than I’d intended.
Antony grabbed my hand and held it tight. I tried to tug out, but he wouldn’t let me. “You bring out Math’s protective instincts. And he smooths out your rough edges.”
I snarled my nose at the insult even knowing it was true. I’d never learned the niceties in life and didn’t have time now. Yanking my hand harder, I slipped out from Antony’s clutch.
He stumbled backward as if my action had sent him in the opposite direction. His green eyes widened with surprise. Had a girl never refused his touch? “Wow!”
I didn’t want to be a wow and I didn’t want him touching me again. “Hands off.”
A smidgen of hurt crossed his expression. He wasn’t used to being rejected. Too bad.
Angling his head, he continued to consider making me feel on edge. “Math said you should talk to Ash when you arrived. He’s in the music room.”
Another Warrior I didn’t want to talk to. Maybe he had information about where Math was and when he’d be back. Turning my back on Antony, I hurried up the steps.
The music room acted as an interrogation room. Standing at the doorway, I watched Ash glare out the window at the sunny afternoon. He looked similar to the other male Warriors, including Antony. Dark hair, green eyes, fantastic body clothed in khaki pants and a T-shirt. But he wasn’t Math—warmth and caring and intelligence underneath the beauty.
I bit my lip and knocked on the side of the door. “You wanted to see me.” I was tired of doing men’s biddings. I’d hear what Ash had to say about Math and take my leave.
“What? You didn’t want to see me?” His sarcastic tone matched the glint in his eyes. He didn’t want to talk to me, either.
After my conversation with Antony, I liked and trusted Ash less.
“I wanted to see Math.” I forced a smile on my face. I’d already irritated Antony and I couldn’t go around making all the Warriors mad. Not if I wanted their agreement for Math to help me and my mom. “Do you know where he is?”
“Nope.” Ash snapped his jaw shut in a chomping gesture. “Sit down.”
I eased farther into the room and picked a music stool furthest away. Not wanting to antagonize him, I used my polite voice. “What did Math want me to talk to you about?”
Ash’s loud laughter echoed around the soundproof room. “There’ll be no talking.” He moved so fast I didn’t even realize how close he was until he grabbed my hand.
This didn’t feel anything like holding Math’s hand. There was no spark and no warmth, only an uncomfortable burning sensation. I tried to snatch my hand back. I was tired of the Warriors assuming they could touch me without permission. “What’re you doing?”
“I’m analyzing your magical properties.” Ash raised a brow, knowing I was afraid, taunting me.
“By holding my hand?” I pulled my hand again and this time he let go. Nerves skittered down my spine. I twisted my hands together and glimpsed the open doorway. I didn’t know any of these Warriors and Math was gone. “What else?”
“Believe me, there’s only one girl’s hand I want to hold and it’s not yours.” He knocked on the cymbal of the drum set with an angry fist.
Curiosity had me asking, “Whose hand do you want to hold?”
Was Ash in love with Aria or Olivia?
“Someone more ancient than the trumpet you’re connected to.” His wistful tone held a raw, powerful, sadness and drew out my sympathy.
Who knew I’d feel sympathetic toward him?
Aria and Olivia both came from this time period so it must not be one of them. So who? Not that it mattered to me. His relationships were no concern of mine.
“Math thinks it’s important to discover why you have a connection to the Trumpet of Peace.” Ash stilled the cymbal and pulled a second stool close.
Crossing my arms, I leaned back. I now believed the trumpet had powers and so did the Warriors. Me having powers? I wasn’t so sure. “I might be able to sense the trumpet, but I don’t have any residual magic whatsoever.”
“How many red lights did you stop at on your way to and from your mom’s house?”
Math must’ve told him about that. “None.” Never. Ever.
Chuckling, Ash showed big, white teeth. “And you think that’s normal? You know what people would pay for that ability?”
The question threw me off balance and I almost fell off the stool. Is that what this was about? Did the Warriors want to use me for powers I didn’t believe I had?
“So I have an affinity for mechanical things.” I tried to blow off the evidence.
“Let me decide that.”
“Why should I let you decide?”
He let out a huff as if dealing with a child. “I’m like the Harry Potter sorting hat except I classify people by their magic.”
I snorted. “I think you weigh too much to sit on top of my head.” And I wasn’t going to allow it.
He cocked his head and examined me, trying to decide if I was joking.
My face heated. My comment had been childish and ridiculous. I needed to quit arguing and get this process over with. He’d discover I didn’t have powers and leave me alone. “I’ll agree to this madness, if you tell me where Math is.”
“Okay.” Ash had agreed too easily. “Hold your hands up, palms out.”
I did as asked, and he laid his palms on top of mine.
“Close your eyes.” His request caused me to stiffen more. “Relax, I’m not going to hurt you. Math would kill me if I did.
”
I took comfort from Ash’s words. Math would protect me like Antony had said.
The room stilled. I sat silently with his hands on top of mine. I didn’t feel anything. Just his hands lying there. Actually, I felt silly.
“Find anything?”
I jerked at Math’s endearing voice. His essence filled the room, making me feel complete, excited, loved. My heart wobbled.
He rested against the door jamb with a shy, missed-you smile. Or at least, I hoped that’s what the grin meant.
Sliding my hands from under Ash’s, I beamed and breathed a sigh of relief. “Nothing.”
If Ash had found a single ounce of power inside me, he would’ve told me, or I would’ve sensed a charge, or static electricity, or something. Standing, I stared at Math. We’d only been separated a few hours, yet I’d missed him. Missed his strong presence and his comforting ways.
Ash cleared his throat. “If you call super strength, super agility, and an electrical force having power over machinery nothing.”
Chapter Fifteen
Math
Math knew it.
He knew Piper had powers.
He’d sensed her magic the moment he’d met her, and Ash’s assessment confirmed the belief.
When they’d been training in Sebekkah, Math had used all his strength and she’d protected herself. And the things she could do with machines was amazing. Machines didn’t exist in his original time period and he’d been curious and had learned what he could to understand their complicated mechanisms. What Piper did wasn’t in any technology manual.
She was special. A special girl and not only because of her powers.
And she’d come back to the Warrior’s base in the professor’s house.
He’d worried when she’d rushed out of here. He didn’t know where she lived. He had her cellphone number but calls and texts could be ignored.
She’d changed into high-waisted jeans and a black top—what appeared to be her regular attire. He loved the gleam in her chocolatey eyes and her sense of humor. He loved how she cared about her mother and understood her uncle was an idiot. He loved how she smiled, how she was smiling at him right now. Her upturned lips were welcoming and warm. The left side of her mouth rose a little higher and the off centeredness reflected her. Not normal. Not regular. Special.
His heart dropped and melted into a slushy pile. He loved Piper. He’d felt the emotion the moment they’d met, but he’d ignored it or pushed it aside. He’d thought it was because she was the first unattached girl he’d known, or it was only attraction.
He love-loved her. Like Olivia and Xander, and Aria and Falcon. Like the forever-through-immortality kind of love.
Except Piper didn’t have immortality.
His body shocked at the thought. Even if she felt the same for him, someday he’d lose her. She’d move on to the Afterlife and he would stay here. Alone. Forever. Frustration and desire, sadness and joy, sent a pulsing rhythm through his body. He loved her, trusted her, and wanted to be with her for as long as possible.
He glanced at Ash, finally sympathizing with the guy’s situation. He’d lost his forever love in his previous time period. Which was why he acted like such a jerk. Now, Math understood the emotion.
“I don’t have super strength or super agility. Tell him, Math.” Piper’s sassy-skeptical tone brought him back to reality.
A reality skewed in a different light. The light of love.
She didn’t glow or blush. She appeared the same. He’d expected a spotlight to show her beauty, and for her to realize her love at the exact same moment. Except she hadn’t even realized she had powers. Because of her upbringing was she less aware of herself? Less aware of her powers and her feelings? Had the other Warrior couples realized their love at the same time? He hadn’t asked those questions. He opened his mouth to explain she did have strength.
“It’s latent.” Ash slipped the stool from beneath him and placed it to the side.
“You haven’t really spent any time with the trumpet besides the few minutes at your uncle’s shop and driving the instrument from the mansion to here.” Math had held the trumpet and put it in the hidden basement. She really hadn’t been exposed. And yet, her powers were already strong. The magic just hadn’t been brought to the surface yet.
While Piper was with her mom, he’d spent the first part of the morning researching ancient lapis lazuli jewels hoping to figure out how to find her lost one. The second part of the morning, he’d gathered the supplies needed to reunite the Trumpet of Peace with the Trumpet of War. Falcon had to find one more item before they could begin the process.
But if Piper’s powers were latent, did they need the Trumpet of Peace to bring them out? Math’s heart pounded. If she enhanced her powers, she could become a Warrior. They’d be a Warrior couple similar to Olivia and Xander, and Aria and Falcon. Their relationship might not be immortal, but it would last a long time. Math was positive.
Now that he understood what the trumpet could do for Piper, he wasn’t sure he wanted to stop the instruments’ powers. “If we destroy the trumpet—”
“If?” Ash raised a dark brow.
“When we destroy the trumpet, will that affect Piper’s powers?”
He shook his head. “Now that her powers have been initiated, they will continue to grow.”
“How could I possibly have powers?” A sheen of fear covered Piper’s gaze as if the news terrified her. She placed her palm on the stool, leaning against the furniture needing solid support.
Math’s chest carved into geometric patterns that segmented into interior points of hurt and confusion. Did she want powers? Or did the idea repulse her? Did he and his powers repulse her?
She plunked down on the stool and crossed her arms. “I haven’t been exposed to a magical amulet or come from a previous century.”
“You’ve been in contact with the trumpet.” He placed his hand on her shoulder and squeezed, wanting to touch, trying to gauge her reaction. “And there are other factors to consider.”
“I didn’t play the trumpet.” Her anger seemed more fearful than furious.
“There’s something called hereditary magic.” Ash sounded so calm, almost annoyed. Like he didn’t want her to have powers, either.
“That’s good.” Math said at the same time as she spoke.
“That’s bad.”
They looked at each other and then to Ash.
“One simple exposure could bring all your power to the surface.” Ash stood and started strolling toward the door. “I’ll leave you two to discuss the possibilities.”
“I don’t have powers.” Piper’s lips set in a thin line.
Math grabbed the extra stool and pulled it in front of her. Sitting down, he straddled her legs trying to get close. Her scent of lotus wove around his brain. “Since we’ve been together, I’ve seen you manipulate machinery. There has to be an explanation.”
“Back in ancient Egypt there was no electricity. No machinery.” She emphasized her point with a bobbing chin. It was as if she sort-of believed, and yet didn’t want to. “How could my ability be related to the trumpet?”
He wanted to push her into understanding, he wanted her to believe.
“Since the beginning of Earth there have been electromagnetic waves in the atmosphere.” His science aptitude kicked in, except he needed to keep this simple. Believable. “They’re formed when an electric field combines with a magnetic field.”
“Like static cling and magnetic attraction.”
“Exactly.” Like he was a magnet attracted to her and wanted to cling to her.
He must’ve always known his feelings. Known they were soul mates. He’d always found her distracting and never had his wits around her. Did she feel the same? His stomach swirled with possible rejection. His head filled with self-doubt. And his lungs ached with the thought of Piper saying no.
No to him. No to her powers. No to becoming a Warrior.
“What you’re saying
is I have electromagnetic power?” She pursed her lips in a cute-disbelieving way.
He wanted to kiss her disbelief away. Prove to her she had powers and she had his love.
He placed his hands on her thighs wishing they were someplace more comfortable. The two round stools limited his ability. “That’s how you’re manipulating cars and stoplights and even the security mechanism hiding the trumpet in the bust of Imhotep.”
She angled her head in a considering expression. “What about the other stuff? The super strength. And super agility.”
“How about a demonstration?”
“You’re going to show me your muscles?” Her lips lifted in a teasing smile.
He was glad she still had her sense of humor. When she learned of all the challenges facing the Warriors, she’d need it. “No. You are.”
Jumping off the stool, he searched around the room. He stopped at the drum set and the round, gold cymbals. He unscrewed the cymbal and brought it over. “Bend this.”
She shook her head. “I can’t do that.”
“Afraid to try?” He held the cymbal closer.
“I feel silly.” She took hold of the round metal. “No one can bend metal with their bare hands.”
If she didn’t believe, she wouldn’t try.
“You can do this.” He injected positivity into his voice. She could do this. He knew it.
She gripped the cymbal on both sides. Her face firmed with concentration. Her arms started to shake. The cymbal folded similar to a taco. The round disk became a half-moon.
She lifted her gaze. Brightness shone in her eyes. “I can’t believe I did that.”
Pride in her, for her, puffed his chest. “You did.”
Her expression crumpled. The brightness of success blurred into tears. “But…but…”
“Don’t you want powers?” He grabbed both her hands and the cymbal fell to the ground, clattering. The clattering echoed in his body. Maybe she didn’t want powers because she didn’t want to be like him. Or be with him.
“If I get my powers from the Trumpet of Peace and you’re going to destroy it, then whatever powers it has to cure…I mean, whatever powers I have will go away when the trumpet is gone.”
