Chapter 28
Beckett
“Astrid, you can invite me in, or I’ll invite myself in, your choice.” I stood outside her door, not so patiently waiting. The hair on the back of my neck stood at attention, like a sixth sense it told me when magic was being used.
“Just a sec.” Her sweet voice carried to me and I wanted to be patient to give her the benefit of the doubt. I wanted to, but I couldn’t. I let my magic seep from my hand under the door and the lock clicked open.
“Ready or not.” I turned the knob. “Here I come.”
Astrid stood before me. Beads of sweat dotted her forehead and cheeks. Her hair was a tangled mess and fell in tatters back from her face. Her eyes darted toward the floor. I followed her gaze down toward a white fluffy cat.
“Another cat, really?”
“I practiced. She’s pretty, isn’t she?” Her words were rushed, and she shifted her weight back and forth like she wanted to pace but couldn’t.
“Yes, very.” Maze’s deep voice came from just behind the door. I hadn’t seen him when I walked in. I yanked it back, giving him space to move out from where he hid.
Why would he be in Astrid’s room and why would he be hiding it? “What are you doing in here?”
“Just hanging out?” It sounded more like a question than a statement. Why was he so unsure of himself? The only thing Maze gave a shit about was food and fun. Now he was all cozy with Astrid. When did they even become friends? Maze didn’t have friends. I was barely his friend and we’d known each other all our lives.
He moved to stand next to Astrid and the two of them faced me. I glanced from one to the other and back again. I stared, they stared. I bent down in front of the cat and met its bright brown-eyed gaze. “Why’s it so still? Did you break it?”
“I didn’t break it.”
“She didn’t break it.”
They spoke at the same time. I reached out to pet the cat and it darted between my legs then out the door. They both dove forward, trying to catch it at the same time. They smacked together and fell to the floor in a tangle of limbs and legs. Astrid was sprawled across his chest. Her hair fell over his face and her legs were wrapped around his.
She groaned and pushed up from him. “Sorry.”
“You’re crushing things you shouldn’t be.” His voice was a pained rasp. “Move your knee.”
“Shit.” She rolled to the side, scrambling off of him.
“Whoaaaa.” Maze groaned as he cupped himself and rolled to the side, curling into the fetal position. “Next time you’re on top be a little gentler, okay?”
“There damn well better not be a next time she’s on top,” I snapped and they both froze. I rose to my feet, towering over the two of them. Something inside of me shifted and I hated the way they lay next to each other, the way she didn’t stiffen, the way they seemed to share a secret I wasn’t in on. “You guys are hiding something.”
Astrid scrambled to her feet and tossed her hair over her shoulder. She tugged down on the hem of her sweater and smoothed her hands over her ripped up black jeans. Her bomber jacket hung off her shoulders at her elbows. “What do you mean hiding something?”
“Exactly what I said.”
Maze came up to his knees and sucked in a deep breath. “Don’t look at me. I’m just waiting for my boys to drop back into place.”
Astrid wrinkled her nose. “Ew.” She shoved him toward the door. “Go look for my cat and when you find her, don’t let her out of your sight.”
With his hand draped across his midsection, he limped toward the door. “Yeah, I’ll find the fluffy white thing.”
“So worried about the cat?” There was a presence here, something unfamiliar I felt it in my bones. But where is it?
“I made her. She’s my responsibility.” Astrid glanced toward the door like she wanted to follow Maze out, yet she stood there facing me.
“So now you’re taking responsibilities?” My voice came out harsher than I expected.
Astrid flinched away from me. “I told you I was sorry.”
“I would’ve helped you if you only asked me, Astrid.” If she found out how powerful her asking me would be then I’d be screwed. I’d do anything for her, make anything happen for her. But I wanted her trust, which she seemed to have in everyone else but me. It hurt like a cut deep in my stomach that just wouldn’t heal.
“Sure you would have. Right after you lectured me worse than a parent. Which I’ve never had.”
She and I were too similar for words. I wanted to tell her about everything about how both of us didn’t have the families we needed, how I understood her more than everyone else could because she was mine and I was hers. “I get it.”
“Do you?”
Maze ran back into the room. He hunched over in front of Astrid and sucked in deep breaths. “Can’t find the cat.” He stood up straight. “But the front door was open.”
“Shit.” She dashed for the door. “Beck, I gotta go.”
I reached out and wrapped my hand around her upper arm, stopping her from leaving me. “You can trust me, you know.”
She placed her hand over mine and gazed up at me. “I want to.”
“All you have to do is try.” I pressed my fingers into her skin and flashes of the dream I’d had flew through my mind. My fingers on her stomach running lower, her hair spread over my pillow, and the way her breaths came in little puffs.
Astrid pulled her arm free of my grip. “I gotta go.”
Without another word, she ran after Maze and the two of them together went to look for her fluffy cat. How could she trust Maze over me? I glanced around her room once more then stormed out. There was nothing there for me but fresh torture. How the hell was I supposed to fix any of this? I marched down the hall toward my room. There was only one thing I could think of that could help me ease this frustration. The second I got to my room I quickly closed the door behind me and ripped my shirt over my head. I threw it on the bed and swung my arms across my body to stretch them out.
When I turned, I froze. That damn fluffy cat sat perched on my dresser, staring at me. “Astrid!”
I waited for a response, but there was only silence. She had to have left the house looking for this cat. Without me…
Chapter 29
Astrid
“How could this happen?” I chided Maze as we hurried down the path toward the school. It was late afternoon and this time of year the sun began to set at 4:00 p.m. Cool air seeped in through my sweater and I pulled my bomber jacket higher on my shoulders to fight the wind.
“Your crazy friend showed up,” he snapped back.
“You didn’t have to let her in!” Classes were over for the day and the other students were all heading back to their houses or hanging out laughing in groups of friends. Their lives all seems so carefree. I almost missed the days when all I had to worry about was classes and Tilly.
Maze tapped his temple. “She’s important. I’ve seen it.”
I stopped in my tracks. “Important to what? What’s going to happen to her?”
“Nothing, if I can help it.” He turned from me and kept walking.
I quickened my pace to catch up. “What the hell does that mean? If you can help it?”
“We’re going to need her. That’s all I can say.”
I grabbed his jacket and jerked him to a stop. He arched his eyebrow at me and pointedly looked at my hand.
“Ballsy.”
“I don’t give a shit how ballsy you think I am. You need to start talking and you need to start talking now.” I shook him. Some of the students openly gaped at me, but I didn’t care. “Tilly is freaking lost in this magical hell she has no clue about. She’s a cat and is probably losing her shit. So if you know something, spill it now.”
Gold magic poured from my hand and surrounded him.
He looked down at my hand once more. “You’re gonna want to let me go.”
“Or what?” I wasn’t scared of him the way everyone e
lse was. This was Maze and after living with him for weeks, the only thing I was worried about around him were my goldfish snacks.
Green smoke poured from his hands and the lapels of his jacket opened wide. Tarot cards flew from his pockets and surrounded me like a tornado. They glowed and the images blurred together as they moved faster and faster. Students ran and ducked for cover as I stood in the middle of this. My own magic rose to meet his and I didn’t stop it. His cards glowed to a blinding color and I dropped my grip and shielded my eyes. Green smoke blasted me and my body flew up and back. I twisted in the air and dropped toward the ground.
I held my hands out and let my magic go. I pictured myself floating down to the ground and my fall slowed to a float and I righted myself. I dropped down a few feet away from him and stepped from the air like I was walking off the bottom step. I straightened my jacket and stomped up to Maze. “What was that for?”
The cards drifted back down into his pockets and his smoke dissipated as quickly as it came on. He cracked his neck and locks of his midnight hair fell asleep. His eyes darted around to the crowds watching us. When he didn’t turn to look at me, I snapped my fingers in front of his face.
“Maze, what happened?”
He leaned in closer. “You aren’t the only one who can’t control yourself sometimes. I don’t like being touched, okay?”
Any kind of annoyance I had at him vanished. “Okay.” I didn’t know what happened to him, but whatever it was I wasn’t going to push a boundary he had.
“I-I mean it’s not always. Just when I’m nervous.” He shifted from one foot to the other.
In all the time I’d known Maze not once did his feathers get ruffled. “Are you nervous?”
“We have a human lost. She’s going to be important. And yeah, I might be a little nervous about that.”
“Astrid!”
I spun around toward my name only to see Leo running to me. “Hey, I got your text. What do you mean have I seen a white fluffy cat?”
He stopped and looked over my head at Maze. His eyes widened behind the thick rims of his glasses. “Mazerial.” He whispered his name like a curse. “Your reputation is . . . are you sure you should be out?”
The longer we stood still, the more the students began to encroach on us. Each of them giving Maze sideways glances.
Maze spun in a circle. “I’ll be fine.”
“Why are you both out here looking for a cat? Is it cursed or something?” Leo lowered his voice. “Because if it is, I know a place we can hide it.”
“No, it’s Tilly.” I hooked my arm with his and turned him so we could continue walking.
“Tilly your friend, Tilly?” He glanced from me to Maze and back. “She’s not the—”
“Cat, yup.” I sighed. “It was a bad idea and now she’s running around here somewhere doing God knows what and probably terrified.”
My cell buzzed in my pocket and I pulled it out to show Maze the screen. “Beckett.”
I slid my finger across the screen. “Hey.”
“Hey.” His voice was warm and sultry, and goose bumps broke out over my skin at the sound of it. “I got something you want.”
So many things. “Oh yeah?”
“Give you a hint. It purrs when I touch it.” He chuckled.
She better not be freaking purring. “You found my cat.”
Leo’s eyebrows rose nearly to his hairline and he mouthed the words oh shit. Maze pointed back toward the house and we all began walking in that direction.
“Yeah, you better come and get her. She likes to knock things off my dresser.” He sounded out of breath.
“I’ll be right there.” I paused. “And, Beckett, thank you.”
“No problem.” The line went dead and my heart rate skyrocketed.
“Guys, I can’t believe he has her. I mean, what if she changes back in front of him?” I quickened my pace and we all began to jog back. “We need to get her out of here and back to New York. She doesn’t belong here.”
Maze shook his head. “It’s too late now.”
“I honestly don’t care what you say. I don’t care how important you think she is. This can’t happen, Maze. She’s a human in a warlock world.” How could I protect her from myself?
The three of us hustled up the steps to the house and into the foyer. Becket stood in the middle of it, waiting for us. He was shirtless and grains of sand clung to his skin. Within his arms he cradled Tilly to his bare chest. His hair flew out in all different directions and my eyes couldn’t decide where they wanted to look first.
“Damn,” Leo muttered.
You have no idea. I held my hands out. “Thank you for finding her.”
“No problem.” As he handed her over to me, my fingers brushed over his bare skin. He was warm to the touch and looked like he’d been working out.
I wrapped her up in my arms and held her tight. Though she squirmed in my grip, I didn’t let go. I just held on tighter. I pressed my face to her ear. “Keep squirming and I’ll turn you into a spider.”
She froze. Tilly hated spiders. I ran my fingers over the top of her head. “I hope she wasn’t too much trouble.”
Beckett gave her a sideways look. “She’s oddly smart but nah. It was all good. But if you guys are okay here, then I’m going to take a shower.”
“Can I watch?” Leo whispered low enough for only me to hear. I stifled a giggle and jabbed him with my elbow.
“Okay.” I held Tilly close to me as I walked by Beckett. “I’m just going to take her back to my room.”
“Okay.” He began to follow me up the stairs.
I froze. “Are you coming?”
“Um, no, but I’m going to shower . . . like I just said. Are you okay? You’re acting weird.” He looked at me like I’d sprouted eight heads.
“Right, yes. No, I’m fine.” Why was my voice so weird? You’re a shit liar, Astrid. I moved up the stairs quicker.
Logan paused at the top of the steps to let me pass. “Where are we all going?”
“To the shower.” I blurted out then shook my head. “No, I’m going to my room. Beckett is going to take a shower.”
He glanced past me toward Leo and Maze. “And them? Is there some kind of meeting I don’t know about?”
“I mean, is the shower an option?” Leo teased and Beckett’s cheeks flamed bright red.
Funny, I didn’t think I’d ever seen him blush before. I reached back and tugged Leo with me. “No, it’s not an option.”
Leo hiked his thumb at me. “Then to her room it is.”
Maze didn’t say anything. He simply followed me farther down the hall and I was glad to get some distance between Logan and Beckett.
I waved over my shoulder. “Catch you guys later.”
Before either of them said anything to stop us. I waved Maze and Leo into my room and slammed the door behind them. I dropped Tilly on the floor. “Bad, Tilly, bad.”
“Can she understand you?” Leo bent down low and examined her.
Tilly swiped her paw at him, and he fell back onto his hands.
“Yeah, she gets you.”
I held my hand out and pictured her changing back into her normal form. Gold smoke poured from my hand and surrounded her. It curled around her body as she grew in size. She turned from house cat, to the size of a jaguar. Her lips pulled back from her teeth and she hissed at me.
“Just another second.” I held her there with my power. Until she contorted up on her hind legs and slowly the fur receded back into her skin. Her face changed from feline back to Tilly’s soft elven features. Her bright blond hair popped from the top of her head and fell down past her shoulder in wild ringlets. A golden glow that matched my magic clung to her skin, making her shine like a star. She was back in her fuzzy cream sweater and dark blue jeans she’d been wearing when she arrived.
I dropped my hand and Tilly hunched over and coughed. “Ugh.”
“Just take a deep breath. I know it’s a lot to take in.” I stepped
to her side and ran small circles over her back.
“Ew, yuck, blah.” She suck her tongue out and pulled pieces of hair off it. “That was . . .”
“I know and I’m sor—”
“Awesome.” She stood up straight and met my eye. “This place is amazing. Sign me up.”
“Seriously?” When I’d first arrived, I was terrified and wanted nothing more than to be normal. To go home. Leave it to Tilly to be ready to jump in with both feet.
“When we were eleven, did you get a letter of acceptance here and not tell me? Because if I had known, I would have kept an eye out for my owl.” She sauntered up to Maze. “What about you, big guy, you got some kind of freaky power going on too?”
He took a small step back from her. “You could say that.”
“I’m into it.” She winked and he swallowed.
“Till.” I snapped my fingers to get her attention. “What are you doing here?”
“Isn’t it obvious? I’m here for you.” She shrugged.
I hated every second of not being able to tell her. I dropped down to sit on the foot of my bed. “I didn’t want to keep any of this from you. But I had to. At least that’s what Beckett said was necessary.”
“Oh him, dude is intense but in like a I-can’t-get-enough-of-Astrid kind of way. He’s got it bad for you. My recommendation is you just give it to him. Whatever it is.”
Heat flooded my cheeks. “Tilly!”
“What? It’s true.” She pressed her hand to Maze’s chest and closed his eyes and sucked in a breath.
“Till, don’t touch him.” I rose to my feet to grab her.
Maze held his hand up. “No, it’s okay. I can handle it.” He went motionless and his eyes locked on hers. “Be gentle.”
“Oh, big guy, for some reason gentle is the last thing I think you need.” She bit her bottom lip and smiled up at him. I’d never seen Tilly be so forward with a guy before. What had gotten into her?
I reached out and yanked her back. “I think my magic has gone to your head.”
“I’ve never felt better.” She didn’t take her eyes off him.
Wicked Wish (The Royals: Warlock Court Book 2) Page 14
