When he looked up at me again, I made sure to send him a frosty glare. He, of course, ignored it. “It’s already bruising,” he said then glanced over at Jalene again. “Where did she burn you?”
Jalene held out her hand, revealing a red splotch of skin on her palm. It was already blistering, and I wanted to apologize all over again. “It’s fine,” Jalene said, retracting her hand before I could say a word.
Xander frowned. “Are you sure no one else noticed it?”
Jalene shook her head. “I think I played it off.”
“I want a list of everyone who was here tonight. Ben? When we get home can you write everyone’s name down?” Xander asked.
Ben nodded. “Of course.”
“Good. In the meantime, go to Eamon’s and tell Peter to meet us at Alina’s house, all right?”
“Fine,” Ben said, clearly not happy about being the errand boy again. But he must have been used to it since he didn’t argue.
“Jalene, treat the burn. Go see the healer if you need to. I’ll have more questions for you after I see that list from Ben.”
“You know where to find me,” she said. And then to me, “It was nice to see you, Alina. Rest that ankle, and we’ll talk soon.”
She offered a quick smile before she and Ben walked off into the darkness toward town.
Xander waited until they were gone and then pulled my pant leg back into place. “We should get you home.”
He stood, and I considered arguing, especially since I couldn’t walk, but he beat me to the punch when he reached down and scooped me into his arms.
“What are you doing?” I demanded, flailing a bit in surprise. My legs flew up and Xander adjusted his grip to keep me level. It would have been awkward if I wasn’t so outraged.
“What the hell does it look like?” he shot back. “I’m taking you home.”
“Put me down,” I demanded.
“Not a chance, Empress. You can’t walk, anyway. What are you going to do? Crawl home?” His words were sharp, just like they’d been since the moment he’d shown up, and I was sick of it. Especially after the way we’d left things earlier.
“I can call Nightingale to come get me. You don’t have to carry me,” I protested, still writhing.
I braced myself for an argument, but he shocked me into silence when he said, “I know.”
I stopped wriggling, suddenly aware of how much friction it created between our bodies. His arms around me softened. He didn’t stop or put me down, and I knew he wasn’t going to even if I demanded it, maybe even if I begged, but the pressure gentled. Like he was giving in and not just to me.
In surrender—and mostly for balance, I told myself—I wound my arms around his neck and held on. His chest thudded harder against my ribs in response. I looked up and found his eyes already on mine. Like he’d been waiting for me to see him.
“I’m sorry. About earlier,” he said quietly as he started walking.
“You’re sorry about kissing me?” I demanded.
“No,” he said, his gaze dropping to my mouth and then quickly back up again, “Not that. It was a bad idea, but I’m not sorry for it. I’m sorry for walking away. I should have stayed and explained what I meant about the danger you’re in here. It might have helped you tonight.”
I did my best to ignore the butterflies in my stomach, and how impossibly close we were right now. “Lucky you, here’s your chance now,” I said, aiming for sarcasm and nearly hitting it.
He attempted a smile, but it was pained. “We should wait until Peter’s home. I only want to tell it once.”
“Whatever,” I grumbled, feeling a little like Ben taking orders.
We walked in silence for a few minutes. The rise and fall of his steps was a gentle rhythm. Soothing after the panic from before.
Up ahead, I could see the lights of the first rows of houses. We were almost there, which was good since my ankle was throbbing, and I seriously needed a drink of water. But even with the discomfort, a part of me wanted to convince Xander to turn around and walk right back into the woods. It felt way too good being held like this. And he was being nice again—even if it was a niceness borne from guilt.
“Almost there,” he said a moment later.
“Are you going to be mean to me when we get back?” I asked.
He frowned. “Why are you asking me that?”
“You’re always mean when there are people around,” I said. “Sometimes when there aren’t people around you’re still mean, but definitely when there are. I want to mentally prepare for the personality whiplash that’s coming.”
He scowled. “I’m not mean, I just…” His steps grew rougher, and I knew I’d pissed him off.
I tightened my arms around his neck against the extra jostling. “If you say you’re protecting me, I might lose it.”
His lips twitched. “Fine. I will try very hard not to be mean to you.”
“Good.”
If that was the best he could do, I’d take it.
We fell silent again as we neared the edge of the neighborhood. Not far away, I could see a few people out and about.
Only a few seconds left of our truce.
I looked up to see Xander already watching me. He was doing that searching thing again, looking for something important as he studied my face. Our eyes met, and his expression softened.
“What is it?” I asked, startled by the raw emotion swirling in his eyes.
“When I saw you sitting there in that field, I…” Desperation leaked in as he bent low and brushed his lips over my cheek. “Don’t ever scare me like that again,” he said hoarsely.
I couldn’t make any promises.
Chapter Fifteen
Xander pushed open the front door and Peter rushed to greet us. It didn’t take more than a glance to see that he was doing much better today than he’d been the night before. His movements were more fluid, his eyes clearer and brighter, and his arm seemed to be operating just fine as he lurched toward us. At the sight of me in Xander’s arms, he faltered and all the color drained from his cheeks. “What the hell happened? Is she all right?” he demanded in Zorovian.
His words translated through my earpiece, but not before Xander began to answer him. They spoke so quickly; the translation attempts began to overlap and I only caught pieces.
“…fell during a game with the others. She’s okay, just twisted her ankle,” Xander told him.
“Put her down on the cushions there.” Peter pointed and then followed, hovering close by as Xander set me gently on the low cushioned bench along the wall. It wasn’t nearly as soft as a couch, but it was better than the floor.
I stretched my leg out carefully as the two of them went on and my translator struggled hard to keep up.
Xander said, “She’ll need ice on it and then—”
“I’ve got ice. Make sure to elevate it. Did someone knock her—”
“—was there with her and my brother, Ben, and they both made sure she was—”
“Glad they were there. Accidents do happen and—”
“—wasn’t an accident.”
Peter stopped short and his mouth hung open in frozen silence as he stared back at Xander. The ice pack he’d brought over from the small box on the kitchen floor hung limp in his hand. “What do you mean it wasn’t an accident?” Peter asked quietly.
Xander took a deep breath, and I watched as his shoulders rose and fell with the exhale. “Something tried to drag her into the forest,” he told Peter.
“Who?” Peter asked. He sank slowly toward the chair beside the bench where I was sprawled, and I managed to snag the ice pack just before he moved out of reach.
I placed the ice gingerly over the throbbing area just above my ankle. Xander adjusted it and sank down next to me, careful to keep away from my injured leg.
Peter didn’t even react. He only continued to stare expectantly at Xander, waiting for an explanation.
I knew what he was thinking. He’d thought we were s
afe here. We both had. Only to find out we’d traded one threat for another.
“It began when Neila did the Calling Ceremony awhile back,” Xander said and the weight of his words were like an alarm bell in my head.
Whatever “it” was, I knew it wasn’t good.
“What did?” Peter asked.
They were speaking slower now, allowing plenty of time for their words to come through my earpiece. I stayed silent, not wanting to interrupt or risk missing anything.
“Dark magic,” Xander said.
Peter frowned.
I bit my lip, confused. “Dark magic?” I repeated in English just to be sure it had translated correctly.
Xander nodded at me.
“But dark magic is forbidden,” Peter said, shaking his head, his brows knitting in puzzlement. “Hestia bound our people from using it the day she took the throne.”
“She did,” Xander agreed. “But I think Hestia’s death loosened the binding.”
“How do you know?” Peter asked.
“I’ve seen evidence that someone or something has called up an energy outside themselves. First, it was the occasional campsite with crystals arranged into the ancient symbols of the dark gods. After that, I began to notice bark burned completely off some of the trees on the north side of the mountains. Then, a couple of weeks ago I found another campsite and there was a dead bird inside the crystal circle.”
“I don’t understand,” Peter said. “Our people have seen what dark magic can do. They wouldn’t unleash something like that. Do you think something outside has gotten in?”
“So far, the wards are holding,” Xander said.
Peter didn’t look relieved about that. If anything, he looked more worried. “Then what could it be?”
“I don’t know. But those of us who are attuned have felt a shift in the energy for weeks now,” Xander said.
“Stronger on the full moon?” Peter asked sharply.
Xander nodded, and Peter cursed then shoved to his feet and began pacing. “It grows then. Shit. This is a problem for sure. Why didn’t Eamon say anything to me about this? I was with him all day.”
“We’re under strict orders not to share this with anyone. And there have been no attempts to harm anyone. Not even a sign of it in weeks. Eamon probably hasn’t thought of it,” Xander said.
Peter huffed then turned to face me, switching to English. “What exactly happened to you tonight? Tell me everything.”
Slowly, I told him the chain of events that had led up to my being grabbed. Peter’s frown didn’t budge the entire time.
When I was done, Xander had leaned in to scrutinize my expression. “What?” I asked, the single word coming out sharp.
“Have you eaten anything today?” he asked.
“I had some fruit earlier.” I frowned. “Why?”
He looked up at Peter. “She needs to eat.”
“What does that have to—”
“Someone brought a casserole,” Peter said, waving a hand toward the kitchen. Xander rose and began poking around in cabinets and drawers while Peter went back to interrogating me.
“So you didn’t see anything?” Peter asked.
“I told you, no,” I said, watching Xander scoop food from a casserole dish onto a plate.
He carried it over and held it out to me. I gave him a suspicious glance, but his expression held real concern. I took the plate hesitantly, and Xander sat down again, this time picking my legs up and then depositing them gently across his lap so he could lean all the way back on the narrow bench.
I glanced over at Peter who had also paused to notice Xander’s closeness. But he only blinked and then went right back to questioning me.
“What about symbols? Did you see anything strange etched into the ground nearby?” he asked.
“Peter, I’m telling you, I didn’t notice anything. It was pitch dark out there. Even if there had been a symbol, I missed it. I’ve told you everything.”
Peter sighed. “It’s just very important we nip this before it becomes a bigger threat.” He looked at Xander again. “Do you have any suspects at all?”
Xander’s expression didn’t offer much reassurance. “I’ve had a few men that I trust looking into it, but so far we haven’t turned up anything. We’ll keep at it, though. After tonight, we’ll add more scouts, too.”
Peter nodded. “Good.”
He might have said more, but Xander cut him off. “Eat,” he said to me.
I glared at him and shoved a bite of casserole into my mouth. “Happy?” I asked around a mouthful of food that tasted a lot richer than I’d expected. Flavors burst across my tongue until I had to hold back a groan of appreciation.
“Thrilled,” Xander replied, flashing me a triumphant grin.
I rolled my eyes but shoved a second bite in right after the first. The casserole was better than I’d expected. And I was apparently starving.
Not that I was going to admit that to Xander.
While I ate, the guys talked more about possible places to search for evidence of the dark magic that had been used against me tonight. When I’d cleaned the plate, my nerves had settled, and the memory of whatever had yanked on me dimmed to something not quite as terrifying as before.
“The problem is that we don’t know exactly what this magic user is capable of,” Xander was saying now. “Animal sacrifices mean drawing on power that we can’t exactly predict.”
His hands had come to rest lightly on my knees which were still draped over his lap. I wondered if he even noticed how casually he was touching me. Or how easily he’d shown concern for me earlier when he’d taken the time out to notice I should eat something.
But I had a feeling if I pointed any of that out, it would only ruin it and make him mean again. Instead, I kept my mouth shut.
“Whatever attacked Alina tonight was invisible,” Xander continued. “So it’s not like she could identify her assailant even if we had caught them.”
“They’ll make a mistake,” Peter said, but neither of them looked very convinced.
I shook my head, unable to keep quiet any longer. “Let me see if I understand this. I thought the energy we all wielded—the power we had—was a life force thing. It comes from within. And now you’re telling me there’s magic too? Like, Harry Potter or the Craft? Something we can just call down willy-nilly?”
“Not just magic. Dark magic. And it’s nothing like the movies back on Earth,” Peter said with a frown.
“Neither are we,” I said. “We’re powerful. What we can do should be more than enough to stop this thing. I did it tonight, eventually.”
“What does a potter have to do with magic?” Xander asked. “And why is he hairy?”
I shook my head, trying to decide if it was worth trying to explain, but Peter wasn’t done. He sat again, this time leaning in close so I could take in the full weight of his grave expression.
“Alina, if one of our people is using dark magic again, and it’s anything like it was before, we should all be on our guard.”
“Why?” I asked. “I mean, I get it. Dark magic doesn’t sound good, but I’m sure if we work together, it won’t be hard to stop whoever has gotten out of hand.”
“You don’t understand,” Peter said, sharing a dark look with Xander, “Dark magic can’t be contained by any mortal. It becomes too much for them and they go crazy with it.”
“Any mortal?” I echoed. “What does that even mean?”
Xander turned to me, his hands tightening on my legs and his expression hardening until all I saw was the army general he claimed to be. “The only creature powerful enough to wield dark magic is Tharos.”
I nearly choked on the panic clawing its way up my throat. “What the hell?! Do you mean Tharos might be here?” I sat up and tried yanking my legs to the floor. Sprained ankle or not, if Tharos was here, on Bardawulf, we had to…
“No, that’s not what I’m saying,” Xander was quick to assure me. He held tight to my legs, holding o
n as he explained. “With Neila’s shield up, Tharos doesn’t even know where we are. And if he even tried to enter our atmosphere, we would know it immediately. He’s not here,” he repeated firmly, holding my gaze as if to dispel the panic with only his eyes.
I forced myself to take a deep breath as Peter added, “Xander’s right, Alina. Calm down. We’re safe.”
I scowled. “We’re not safe,” I shot back at both of them, already regretting how nonchalant I’d been about the whole dark magic thing. “Clearly, I mean, look at my ankle.”
Xander nodded. “You’re right. Someone is trying to get to you. And whoever they are, they’ve found a way to wield the sort of magic that was once too powerful for any one Zorovian.”
“Then Tharos isn’t the only one capable,” I said, more confused now than anything. Peter had assumed someone or something had snuck through the shields, but from what Xander was suggesting, it seemed like the only plausible explanation was one of our own people had somehow done this. “You’re saying it could be someone already on the planet. Zorovian. Wolf…”
I trailed off as I realized I didn’t even know what other creatures called this planet home. I’d spent the day exploring a place that was full of potential threats without a care as to which of them wanted to hurt me.
Idiot.
I wouldn’t make that mistake again.
“Yes, it could be anyone,” Xander said quietly. “But they aren’t acting alone either. This magic is dark. Everything about it feels like Tharos.”
“You think Tharos is basically letting someone else borrow his power for a while?”
Xander blew out a breath and shook his head. “Honestly, I don’t know.”
“I think we have more questions than answers right now,” Peter said.
Xander didn’t respond.
I looked up and found both of them frowning and staring at the floor, obviously lost in thought over what all this meant.
I wasn’t sure if that helped or not—knowing Xander and the others were just as clueless as me. From the moment I’d met Xander and Eamon, I’d felt like they had an advantage. Growing up here among their own people with all the memories of the war we’d lost and the threats that waited. It felt like I’d be playing catch up forever. But now, with this new threat, we were all scrambling.
The Girl Who Called The Stars Page 15
