Illicit Magic (Book 1, Stella Mayweather Series)

by Camilla Chafer

CHAPTER NINE

  Dawn crept through the slit in the curtains. I blinked through sleepy eyes and saw, not my wallpaper with the delicate pink roses and pale yellow stripes, but grey walls. Evan’s arm was still around me and I didn’t want to move, except to wriggle a little so that I was pressed into him, absorbing the warmth from his lissom body. After a few minutes of stillness, he hugged me and I climbed over him so that we were face to face. He kissed me gently and the little knot of anxiety that had formed in my stomach eased. Sleeping with someone else was actually pretty nice. I could get used to it.

  “Hey,” he murmured, his voice still thick with sleep.

  “Hey yourself.”

  “You are a very welcome sight.”

  I couldn’t help it, I smiled. How nice to get a compliment first thing in the morning. From my teacher... whose bed I was in. Hmm. I would have to have a proper think about the ramifications of that when I was alone.

  Evan twisted his head to look at the clock on his nightstand. “There’s a good half an hour before we have to get up. Do you need to conserve your energy or do you need a wake-up call?”

  As far as lines went, at least it was a funny one. I pressed my lips to his and murmured that I would happily take a morning wake-up call which led to something rather eye-opening, indeed. When we finished, I lay back on the pillows, feeling a little dazed and breathless.

  Evan traced a line down my torso. “We have a very busy day ahead of us; we should get up.”

  “Are you telling me to push off?” I wasn’t offended; I just didn’t want to get up.

  Evan gripped my hips and pulled me so that I straddled him. My hair fell about my shoulders and I had the fleeting thought that I desperately hoped it didn’t look like a knotty witch’s mess. Ironic, really, seeing as my hair would still be witch’s hair whether it was combed or uncombed.

  “I think you’re in the position of power here.”

  “Now isn’t that a nice change?” I kissed him and resisted the urge to flatten myself against him before slipping off the bed and stooping to gather up the robe I’d discarded the night before. I pulled it around me and tied the ribbon securely. I turned back to Evan who was gazing at me, hands folded behind his head, like I was a full English breakfast. “Now, I have to get ready because I have a teacher who gets very grumpy when I’m late.”

  “Shall I have words with him?”

  “You might mention that I fully appreciate his talents.” I couldn’t help but giggle at my cheesy line.

  Evan swung his long legs out of bed and stood in front of me quite deliciously naked. Oh boy, I was one lucky girl. There wasn’t an ounce of fat on his body and he was muscular in a way that said well-toned, but not crazy body builder. He was a stunning man and knew it, in a very modest sort of way. His whole torso rippled as he moved to pick up a dressing gown thrown over a chair and shrugged it on, but not before I noticed white lines crossing his back in a painful pattern.

  “I have to make it down the hall without being seen,” I grumbled, wondering if I should mention his scars. Getting back to my room would be no easy feat in a morning when students and teachers would be tumbling out of bed (together? A fleeting thought about Seren and David looking cosy crossed my mind... maybe we weren’t the only ones getting lucky last night) and heading down to the morning room for breakfast.

  “You don’t necessarily have to walk,” Evan suggested in all seriousness.

  I shook my head knowing what he was suggesting. “I’ve only moved myself that far a couple of times before and there weren’t any walls in between.”

  “Try it and see.”

  Truth be told, I was a little worried that I might shimmer and reappear in the middle of the wall or, even worse, with an arm and leg either side of one. That would be so not fun to explain, not to mention the excruciating splinters.

  “You’re more in control of yourself now, something’s changed in you. Try and see.”

  I shut my eyes and exhaled. I visualised the roses, the big iron bed, even the cream lamp and little silver clock on my nightstand. I panned the room in my head and watched it slowly unfold. I visualised myself in the room and held myself still, the concentration setting a vein in my temple throbbing, as the air fizzled and crackled around me.

  When I opened my eyes, I was in my room. I let out a triumphant squeal and punched the air. My first successful shimmer! I jumped up and down like an over-excited toddler and dashed to my door, where I stuck my head out. Evan was waiting at his door, the linen pants back on (shame) underneath his robe, concern etched on his face. I mouthed “Not. In. A. Wall!” and his face broke into the most glorious smile that made my heart ding with happiness.

  Voices drifted to me from downstairs and I pulled my head inside just as a door on our floor creaked open. The clock’s hands pointed to eight a.m. so breakfast must already be underway. I took a quick shower, brushed my teeth and pulled on denim shorts, cut to the knee, a white blouse and flat shoes. I drew my hair back into a ponytail, added little pearl studs to my ears and slipped my watch on my wrist, before scampering downstairs, the smell of bacon and eggs leading me like a moth to a flame.

  The morning room was two thirds full. Seren and Étoile sat at one end of the table, their plates half eaten. David was reading the paper and munching toast. Meg stood at the stove, frying bacon and eggs. She put a friendly arm around me as I approached and gave me a little squeeze. Despite the warmth of the morning, she was still cold as ice. Perhaps she was ailing or something, I thought. Her body temp never seemed to get anywhere near warm.

  Looking over at the table, I couldn’t help thinking Meg was the grandmother, or favourite aunt, I never had. In a flash daydream, I could picture them all as sisters, brothers, cousins, people I never had in my life. My heart ached for the perfection of that moment.

  “How would you like your eggs?” Meg asked me, letting me go so she could reach a plate from the cupboard.

  “Let me get that.” I was a little taller so it was fairer that I did the reaching. “And, over easy?” I hoped I got my order right – who knew there were so many ways eggs could be cooked over here? – and asked for my eggs runny, not that I would complain however they turned up. I was ready to eat Meg out of house and home.

  “Coming right up. Did you have a good day yesterday, honey?”

  “Yes, it was lovely.”

  “I am glad. It was a real nice day and so good to see all you young people having fun.” Meg’s voice was so quiet I almost missed her adding, “Without the weight of this strange world on your shoulders.”

  Meg shovelled eggs, bacon and sausages onto my plate and I picked up the funny little bread dumpling they called a biscuit from the basket next to the stove. It was still warm. Without hesitating, I leaned over and kissed Meg on the cheek and thanked her for the lovely breakfast. Meg was quite overcome and shooed me away but I saw her wipe her eye and knew that the impromptu affection had touched her, making me feel glad.

  I sat next to Étoile and she bumped a knee against mine. “Ready for another day of busy, busy, don’t stop?”

  “I guess so.” I forked a big slice of bacon into my mouth and chewed.

  “If the big guy picks on you, you tell me and I’ll zap him,” said Seren, a wicked glint in her eye.

  I smiled and it occurred to me to wonder just how today’s lessons would go; would Evan still get stroppy with me if I couldn’t move an object or shimmered myself flat on my ass? He knew I could do both now and at will if I put my mind to it. Whether I could keep on doing stuff was a different matter altogether. Fortunately I didn’t have to think about it for too long because Evan turned up and helped himself to a bowl of cereal before pouring a mug of coffee from the pot on the table. At least, he didn’t have to think through the politics of where to sit, the only chair left was opposite me. He surveyed my plate and looked back at his healthy bowl with disappointment, before re-inspecting my laden plate.

  “I’m hungry,” I protested.

&nbs
p; Evan raised his eyebrows and looked over to Meg. “That looks a helluva lot better than cereal this morning. Can I get some too, Meg?”

  “Of course you can, my dear. You just wait right there now and I’ll fix you a plate and bring it over.”

  “We’ve got a packed morning ahead,” said Evan, to me. “We’re going to test what you can do.”

  “I’m watching you,” hissed Seren, only half joking as she waved her fingers at her eyes, then to his.

  Evan looked at her, his eyes darkening a shade and I wondered if he was going to get mad at her but then he broke into a smile and rolled his eyes. Seren raised her eyebrows at me in surprise. I think she wondered where “serious Evan” was and I had no intention of telling her why he was in a cheerful mood, assuming that I was the reason. Meg slid a plate in front of him and he ate with enthusiasm whilst I snuck sly glances at him until Seren caught me. I shrugged my shoulders and pretended to be as curious as she.

  Étoile and David busied themselves clearing away the breakfast things and stacking the dishwasher. It never ceased to amuse me that with all the magic present in the house, they still needed a dishwasher. Evan twirled a pencil between his fingers, then stabbed at the notepad he produced from his pocket. “Okay, this morning we’ll pair up to practice. Seren take Kitty, Étoile take Jared, David you take Christy and Clara too. Stella, you’re with me. Warm up and consolidate what you’ve learned. Find somewhere quiet to study and we’ll meet up in the living room later today and do a little show and tell. Now’s the time to really show off your progress.”

  “Will you be having lunch together?” Meg inquired.

  Evan shook his head. “If you’d be kind enough to leave out a cold lunch, people can come and go as they get hungry. There’s no need for all of us to sit together today.”

  Chairs scraped against the floor and the household headed off two-by-two as they filtered through the house and into the garden. Then there were two.

  “We’ll go up to the balcony,” said Evan, ticking off his list.

  I frowned. I’d never been on the balcony though I caught glimpses of it from outside. It led off one of the upstairs rooms, though I wasn’t sure which one and had never had cause to investigate.

  “C’mon,” Evan said as he scraped back his chair and led the way, a flick of his fingers summoning me to follow. I traipsed after him through the hallway and up the stairs. We walked down the hall past my room and to his. He opened the door and ushered me in, and just as I was wondering what was going on, he opened the floor to ceiling windows that had previously been covered by curtains and beckoned me outside. I followed.

  The balcony was the same one I’d seen from below. On three sides it was framed by a half-height white trellis, over which trailed climbing flowers, which pretty much concealed it from view, at least, from below. The panoramic vista over the ocean was gorgeous. The balcony was set up like a little bistro with a seating area of two iron chairs along with a wooden bench that overlooked the other side.

  “It’s so pretty,” I said, my eyes venturing over the edge. I spotted David and Étoile, with Jared, Christy and Clara sitting cross-legged in front of them, on the lawn below.

  “I like it,” said Evan simply as he ducked inside and came back out with a bag of tennis balls.

  “No rackets?”

  Evan snorted. “Not quite.” He knelt on the tiles and spread the balls out on the floor in a ring before he stooped to go back inside. He returned with a couple of floor pillows and tossed one to me. “Take a seat.”

  I arranged myself on the pillow, facing the balls as I assumed I was meant to do. Evan sat opposite me and looked at me expectantly.

  “What am I supposed to do?”

  “Move them.”

  I poked one with a finger and it rolled out of formation.

  “With your mind.”

  “I suspected as much.” I concentrated but when one ball rolled across the balcony, I wasn’t sure if it was me or a gust of wind.

  “Try moving them up.” Evan jabbed a finger towards the sky.

  I shuffled on the pillow and refocused, visualising the ball, any ball, moving upwards.

  Evan sighed. “Stella, you have to open your eyes.”

  I opened my eyes. None of the balls had moved. I groaned in annoyance.

  “It may seem easier to move things with your eyes closed so that you can visualise objects, but when you are faced with... situations other than the classroom, you need your eyes open. When you’re fighting, Stella, you need to see where you’re going if you expect to manipulate things around you.” Evan looked at the balls and slowly they began to rise, whipping around each other, then holding still again. Some began to rise while others rotated. It was like a little dance of tennis balls. One danced towards me until it was level with my nose then glided around my head before drifting back to the other balls. They rotated again and I wrenched my eyes from them to Evan. He was looking at me, not the balls, and his face did not seem at all strained in concentration.

  The balls dropped to the floor and Evan swept them up into a neat circle, but this time he used his hands in the conventional way. “Your turn.”

  I concentrated with my eyes open and felt like I’d been sitting there for hours by the time I shrugged my shoulders. I hugged my knees and rested my chin on them as I stared at the balls some more. None of them moved, no matter how intensely I insisted they should.

  “I almost think you’re trying too much,” said Evan, as he got to his feet and tossed his cushion behind me. I was wondering if he was cross when he sat behind me, spread his legs either side of me and pulled me into him. I relaxed against him, glad to feel the tension drain from my muscles and rested my head on his chest. “You are straining and it should be more natural, more of an organic action. The magic is part of you, not something you need to strive for. You just need to find it and channel it.” He tickled me and I squirmed and giggled. “Nah, it isn’t there.” He wrapped his arms around me again and nuzzled at my neck. “Try again. Don’t visualise the balls anymore, just feel what you want them to do.”

  I raised my head and studied the balls, thinking how nice it was to be sitting up here in the warm sun, completely alone and relaxed with the heat of Evan’s body warming me. I thought vaguely about the air and the balls and how they were part of the ebb and flow of life. I thought about the climbing foliage, their green leaves and the budding pink flowers. Evan put his hands to my temples and I relaxed. Finally, the balls began to rise.

  “Hold them,” murmured Evan, his hands steady.

  The balls held still. I thought about the balls moving higher and they did. Lower and they followed. I got cocky and had them move slowly in a circle.

  Evan nuzzled at my neck. A ball dropped to the floor but I raised it back to the others and kept them still again mid-air. When Evan slipped his hand inside my top, the balls exploded upwards and shot in different directions. I heard a yelp from below as one of the balls hit someone and I had to stifle a laugh. “What are you doing?” I asked softly so that my voice would not be heard by my unfortunate target on the lawn below.

  “You need to be able to continue to focus even when under attack.”

  “Will my attackers be nuzzling my neck and slipping their hands inside my top?”

  Evan stopped and his hand rested on my stomach. “No,” he sighed, his voice heavy. “When they come, it will be much, much worse.”

  “Shame,” I muttered, not even wanting to fix on the certainty in his voice. “I could cope with a nuzzling attack.”

  “Apparently not. Try and gather up those balls. You don’t know where they are but you need to retrieve them. I will continue to, um, distract you.”

  “Poor you,” I huffed but I was amused more than anything and relaxed into his arms while I sent my mind out to retrieve the balls. When I concentrated, I realised that I could send slivery pulses from my mind to locate things I was looking for. I found and moved all but one ball back to rest at our feet.


  “Pretty good,” nodded Evan, whose hands were still inside my top, as the last ball whizzed over our heads to land in the middle of the little pile.

  “How did you learn this stuff?” I asked, realising I knew very little about Evan.

  “Trial and error mostly. Magic has always been part of me. I grew up with my mom and she had some power of her own. She died when I was a teenager, before I had really gotten to grips with what I could do.”

  “How did she die?”

  “She was attacked one night. She couldn’t defend herself. I was at school – I was on the track team and putting in some extra time – when I got home she was dead.”

  “I’m sorry.” Evan didn’t need to drive home the point about me being able to defend myself. I didn’t want to end up dead too soon either. Nearly falling into the hands of the Brotherhood had given me a healthy respect for my life. I shivered. I did not need to be thinking about them.

  Evan changed the subject quickly to bring us back to the lesson. “See if you can move just two balls around. I’m going to give you instructions and I want you to match them.”

  “When did you come here?” I asked, ignoring him briefly.

  “The first time I was seventeen, after my mom died and I’ve come back a few times over the years. I come and go as I please. Concentrate. Pick up the balls.”

  I moved two into the air so they were parallel with my face. Evan kissed my neck and murmured instructions. Whilst he tried to distract me, I moved the balls left, right, up, down, circled them and moved them independently as he instructed. I could barely contain my glee that not only was I moving the balls at will, but I could see what they were doing too. It was far more interesting than shutting my eyes and visualising an object moving then opening my eyes to see that, yes, it had actually moved. This was way cooler even if the concentration was making my head throb a little.

  “Okay, drop ‘em.”

  “I beg your pardon?”

  “The balls.” Evan gave a little snort and I blushed. “Forget them for a while now. You did good. How far do you think you moved yourself this morning?”

  Assuming he wasn’t talking about our nocturnal acrobatics, I calculated the distance between Evan’s room and mine; it was a big house. “Twenty feet, maybe?”

  “I guessed thirty. You said you’ve not shimmered that far before?”

  “Ye-es,” I said, struggling to think over my burgeoning headache. “Well, I’ve panicked and moved myself across the street, which was probably the same distance and I can get myself across a room, but through walls, that was a first.” Intentionally anyway, I thought. “I thought I’d get stuck,” I admitted, then added, “I’ve gone a lot further when Étoile held on to me. How far can she go?”

  “Both she and Seren can go very far. When they were stronger, they could go even further.”

  “They’ve both said that but I don’t know what they mean.”

  “They had a sister once. Three is a very potent number in magic and they were stronger,” Evan replied at last.

  “What happened to her sister?”

  “That’s a story for another time,” said Evan, who seemed about as willing to be drawn as Seren and Étoile were. At least, I had a new little piece to their puzzle, even if I wasn’t sure what it meant yet.

  “That’s what everyone else says,” I huffed.

  Evan looked at me and seemed to be puzzling something in his mind. “I’ll tell you but only because it explains things about Étoile and Seren and they are your friends. Just the basics though. I don’t know a huge amount and it’s their story, not mine,” he emphasised.

  “Okay.”

  “Étoile is the oldest, then Seren and finally Astra. They look so alike you would, and people do, mistake them for triplets. They are, indeed, very close in age. All three born in under three years. Their family is pure magic, barely of this world at times. Their mother more so and I think that made them stronger still but the sisters are better at integrating than most of their kind. They’re like a super witch. Rare and powerful. Étoile and Seren have told you already that they can do similar things. That power is magnified when the three are together.”

  “Where is Astra?” I asked.

  “I’m coming to that. Étoile used to work on Wall Street, did you know that?”

  I shook my head. I was surprised but when I thought about it, it made sense that she was a financial whiz. She didn’t seem to work but had a lot of money.

  “She packed it in when Astra disappeared. Astra was the more flighty of the three. She was less concerned with the world, less concerned about protecting humans from us and not all that interested in concealing ourselves from them. She was getting reckless. She was starting to use magic openly and her sisters, as well as others, had to cover her mistakes. It got old very fast for them. Then one day, Astra left. Nobody was too bothered at first. She’d had an argument with her sisters and they thought she had just gone away in a huff. But she stayed away and they started getting concerned.”

  “How long has she been gone?”

  “Two years.”

  “Can they find her?”

  “They should be able to in theory; their bond is a strong one, but they can’t and because of that, they’re afraid for her. We’ve all put our feelers out but no one has seen or heard from Astra in these two years.”

  “What do they think happened?”

  “They know she’s alive because they would know if the bond had been severed. They think something has happened to her.” Evan didn’t have to spell out that he thought it was something terrible. “She’s unstable as it is. It isn’t good that no one can sense her anywhere. There’s another theory.”

  “What’s that?”

  “She’s gone stark raving mad,” he said bluntly.

  “I don’t know what to say.”

  “Best to say nothing. Étoile and Seren are pretty sensitive about her, worried and also, I think, a little embarrassed. They’ll find her and deal with her eventually.” Evan shrugged his shoulders. “Or, she’ll find them.” Evan didn’t sound too happy at the latter prospect.

  “I hope they find her again.” I knew what it was like to lose a family. I didn’t envy them their pain.

  Evan changed the topic swiftly, reminding me he was still here to teach. “So you shimmer further when you panic and when you’re...” Evan struggled for the right word before settling on, “relaxed?”

  “Or not wanting to get caught barely dressed. Definitely a first.”

  “Not wanting to get caught barely dressed?”

  “Next to your room,” I added to clarify, lest he get any funny ideas.

  “Okay, so we need to work out a trigger for you. Something that you can control so you can actually move when you want to, not when you panic and need to.” Evan thought for a moment. “What did you do when you wanted to leave this morning?”

  It was only a couple of hours ago so it wasn’t hard to remember. I had pictured my room very clearly. I felt the softness of the bed covers and the strong iron bed frame, imagined the light trickling through the curtains, the pink roses on the walls, and everything else as fully as I could until I had recreated the room in my head. I could feel the desire to be there reverberating through my bones.

  “I made a picture in my head,” I told him excitedly. I could feel my blood jump as the slightest traces of electricity coursed through me. “I could see exactly where I wanted to be and I moved. It’s not like it was that far.”

  “Baby steps, honey.” Evan ran his hands along my forearms and pulled me into the here and now.

  “I don’t know if I can do it again.” I might have been saying one thing but my blood was telling me something else as little licks of power hit my pulse points.

  “Try. Try now. Visualise my room.” Evan stood up and took a few steps towards the doors before closing them.

  I breathed deeply and closed my eyes to concentrate, allowing the little surges to well in my veins now
that Evan wasn’t touching me to ground me. I pictured the grey walls of his room and the big bed. I pictured the neat desk and the little stack of books. I breathed, once, twice exhaling and vanished.

  The door was shut when I opened my eyes and seconds later, Evan was filling the door frame.

  “It worked.” I grinned.

  “Do it again. Visualise the hallway.”

  I saw it clearly in my mind and poofed myself away in a burst of energy. Evan followed me through the door.

  “So you need to visualise,” Evan decided. “How much detail do you need?”

  “A lot. I need to see a lot of the place I want to be.” But when I reflected on it that didn’t explain all the times I’d ended up in places I’d never even thought about.

  Evan drew me back inside and for a moment, his eyes went from me to the bed; then he shook himself with a grunt and held my hand as he led me back outside. Truth be told, I was both elated that I could move myself again at will and disappointed that the bed wasn’t figuring into the scenario. I sat opposite him and watched as he puzzled in thought, stroking my hands absently.

  After a while, he said, “I don’t think you’ll always need as much detail but the visualisation can be your trigger for now. Right now when you’re learning, you’ll need to be certain of where you want to be. When you’re more practiced at it, I think you’ll just be able to get a general feeling of where you want to be. Maybe you’ll even be able to get there just by seeing a picture or reading an address or even just thinking of a person to be able to find them.”

  “But what use is it? Other than I’ll be able to get places quicker?” I paused. “So, maybe one day I can just think about being in Paris or Rome or LA and just magic myself there?” I’d always wanted to travel. Now there was a chance I could be my own private jet. Cool!

  “Maybe, though it takes some strong magic to go those kinds of distances at will.” He mulled it over. “Regardless, you will be able to get places quicker or get out of situations faster. People pay good money for fast, efficient service, especially in our world.”

  “Are you saying I have a future career as a supernatural Fed Ex?”

  Evan laughed. “With your potential, you can pick and choose what you want to do.”

  “When Étoile came to me in London, she moved me just by holding me. I didn’t do a thing. When I was thinking about how I could move before, I could feel it in my veins but when you touched me, I felt it fizzle out. Do you think I could move people too?”

  “Maybe.” He looked at me for a minute and, as if he could see what I was thinking, said. “You are not trying with me.”

  “Oh.” I tried not to sound sullen.

  “It’s not exactly an exact science. You might move me, but not my clothes. Or forget my head.”

  “You’re right.” I sighed. “Can I try with something else?”

  “Start small. Try the tennis ball.” Evan picked one up and set it on the table between us. “It isn’t like telekinesis this time. Think where you want it to be.”

  “Okay.” I stared at it for a full five minutes but the damn thing never moved a millimetre.

  “Relax a bit. You’ve used up some energy just moving yourself. Twice,” Evan reminded me with obvious approval.

  I stood up and walked over to the edge of the balcony, closing my eyes. I let the cool breeze wash over me, imagining it was cleansing my body of the energy I had spent. I knew I could do it. I just had to tap into the power, wherever my body held it, and use it to move that stupid tennis ball. I’d drop it on the lawn. I could visualise it now. I could see the yellow ball disappear from the balcony. I could see it drop at the foot of the tree.

  “Stella,” said Evan, his voice wary but pleased. “The ball has gone.”

  I swung round. I hadn’t even been looking at it. It had gone, but it wasn’t the only thing.

  “Where’s my table?” Evan asked, looking for all the world like he was trying not to burst out laughing. The corners of my mouth were twitching too.

  “Oh... hell.”

  I looked over my shoulder and sure enough, the tennis ball, and the table, were under the tree just where I thought I would send it. Nearby, Étoile and David had interrupted their lesson to look in surprise from the new table and then up to the balcony. David gave me the thumbs up. Étoile cupped her hands to her mouth and called, “Perhaps some iced tea, too?”

  Evan could barely constrain himself now, laughter escaping from his mouth.

  “Jeez,” I muttered, turning away from the gardens. “Now I’ve got a future as a cosmic waitress.” And I rolled my eyes as Evan guffawed. Turning back to concentrate on the two objects on the lawn, this time, I didn’t surprise myself when I brought both back to where they should be.

  “Just be grateful it wasn’t your pants,” I muttered.

  “Stella, you’ve cracked it,” Evan said at last, rubbing his ribs as I watched him with my arms folded. “I’m not sure I’m ready for you to move me but I am awed at how fast you picked that up.” He earnestly added, “Perhaps the key is just having faith in yourself.”

  “Can we take a break?” I kneaded my temples where the throbbing vein told me I was going to get a major headache if I didn’t relax for a while. I closed my eyes for a second to take the throb away.

  “Sure.” Evan checked his watch. “It’s after midday anyway. We need to eat.”

  “Already?”

  I followed him into his room where I asked him. “You’re not going to bind my powers are you? Not now that I’ve finally cracked them.”

  Evan looked shocked. “No, of course not. Whatever gave you that idea?”

  “Marc told me that Seren had bound Jared.”

  “Ye-es,” agreed Evan, “but only so that he’d stop breaking all the chairs and no more of the windows. It’s not exactly convenient to get a glazier out here and there would be questions. Besides, Marc probably told you that Jared knows and was happy to ... actually. He asked. Why would you think I would want to bind yours?”

  “So I don’t accidentally zap you somewhere. Or your clothes.” I ran my eyes over him. Actually, that wasn’t a bad idea. I smiled to myself.

  “Stella.” Evan placed both hands on the tops of my arms and looked at me square in the eye. “I would never bind your powers and certainly not without your permission. I trust that you will be careful and you won’t toss one of us out a window or into the ocean. And, I truly mean this, if you want to practice removing my clothes I am quite happy for you to do so in here. Alone. And you can use your hands.” Evan winked and pulled me closer as I tipped my chin up, just about standing on my tiptoes so he could kiss me and let me melt into him. With the connection I felt between us, I never wanted this day to end.

  We ate outside, a few of us on the grass in the shade of the tree while the sun was at its highest. I sat with Seren and Étoile and wished that I, too, had a sister. My surrogate sister, Kitty, as she appointed herself, was apparently running errands in town with Jared.

  Evan sat with David, their heads bent together. They sounded like they were reminiscing about times long gone and I wondered if they had known each other prior to coming here. I wondered where they had been, and what they had done, in their other lives away from the safe house. The cut that marred David’s face was less prominent now, more of a dark pink than an angry welt. I noticed his fingers sometimes trailed the length of it and I wondered what scars he carried inside. I also wondered if Seren was taking his mind off them. I thought back to the scars on Evan’s back; where had they come from? I liked these people but there was so little that I knew about them.

  “Evan seems to be a little less unhappy,” observed Étoile softly as she chewed a sandwich.

  “I hadn’t realised he was unhappy,” I replied. I picked up an apple from the basket Meg left for us and rubbed it against my jeans. Meg never seemed to join us outside and I wondered what she busied herself with during the day.

  “Oh, I didn’t mean to imply he wa
s miserable.” Étoile was picking her words carefully. “I just don’t think he was overly enthusiastic about being here, but he seems quite cheerful now.”

  “He’s grateful I didn’t zap him into the ocean by accident in today’s lesson,” I deflected.

  Seren chuckled. “We’re all grateful for that.”

  “There’s time yet.” I laughed and Evan caught my eye and smiled.

  “I rather thought it was because he had found something to interest him.” Étoile was watching us from under her lashes. She had that air of amusement about her as if she were already fully aware. If I wasn’t sure then, I was a moment later when she rested her fingers on Seren’s wrist and Seren smiled and said, “Ahh.”

  So the cat was out of the bag.

  “It wouldn’t have taken her long to figure it out.” Étoile seemed to be apologising for whatever had passed between them.

  “I don’t suppose I can ask what you saw?” Was it much of a future? I wanted to ask. Or a future at all?

  “Snippets, but you’ll find out soon enough. I wouldn’t want to spoil the surprise.”