Magic in Light

by Krista Street

  “Ugh.”

  Turning on stiff legs, I opened the door with a flourish and shrieked. Cecile stood in the doorway.

  I brought a hand to my chest. “Cece! You scared me!”

  She merely smiled.

  I glanced behind her, but Logan had disappeared.

  “He’s outside, standing watch now that you’re awake.”

  I leaned against the doorway, my chest still rising and falling quickly. “Did I really just take a nap with him? And did he seriously spoon me?”

  Her eyes twinkled. “He’s the one, Dar.”

  Obviously, one of us didn’t see anything wrong with his actions. I rolled my eyes. “Cece, I’m his employer, and he has a girlfriend. He is most definitely not the one! And how can you think what he just did is okay?”

  “Are you sure he has a girlfriend?”

  “Yeah, her name’s Crystal, and I’m pretty sure she’d bitch slap me if she knew I’d just spent the afternoon sleeping on the couch with her man.”

  “But the way he looks at you, I thought—”

  I pushed past her. “Trust me. Don’t think anything. It’s what I’ve been trying not to do ever since I met him.” I ducked to look out the window. “Is that a line by the magic shop?”

  Cecile fluttered her hands. “You’ve been sleeping for two hours, and your clients have refused to leave and come back, so four of them are waiting. Let me go touch base with them. Stay here.”

  Cecile rushed out of the bus, and I approached the front hesitantly, peering down to peek through the windows again. Cecile had already reached my clients and was talking to them. The window near the front was open. Logan and his friends still stood watch.

  Through the cracked opening, snippets of their conversation flowed in. I thought I heard my name.

  I tiptoed closer, unable to help myself but stopped when I heard Logan’s soft snarl.

  “You know how I feel about that,” Logan said quietly. “And Dar, she’s … I don’t know how to explain it. She’s different. I’ve never met anyone like her.”

  My heart stopped, and I stood completely still.

  “She does smell amazing,” Alexander replied. “Like blooming roses.”

  Roses? I leaned down and sniffed my arm. I don’t smell like roses.

  “I get it,” Brodie replied. “She’s drop-dead gorgeous. I’ll give you that, and fuck, those tits of hers.”

  Logan advanced on Brodie. “You’ll keep your hands off her, and you won’t talk about her like that.” His voice dropped, taking on a strange cadence I hadn’t heard before. Shivers ran down my spine.

  Brodie dipped his head, stepping back. “Whoa. Yeah, sorry, dude. I was just messing around. I didn’t mean anything—”

  A breeze cut off his words.

  I stepped closer to the window to hear better. Logan’s body had turned so stiff, I could have bounced a quarter off his shoulder, but at least he’d stopped advancing on Brodie.

  Jake crossed his arms. “Even if she blows your mind, Loges, you know what’s expected of you. And Crystal’s your—”

  A glass crashed to the floor when I bumped into the table.

  Crap! I quickly picked it up, but when I looked back out the window, all four guys’ attention had turned to the bus, their conversation stopping.

  I ducked down, feeling like an idiot for hiding, but I didn’t want them to know I’d been eavesdropping.

  “Daria?” Cecile called, her voice coming through the cracked window. I peeked outside again. She walked across the pavement, away from the four clients waiting by the magic shop.

  Double crap. So much for hearing anything else.

  Logan and his friends parted as Cecile approached. She climbed up the stairs and smiled. “Are you ready?”

  “Yeah, of course.”

  When I emerged from the bus, all eyes turned to me.

  “You’re up!” Alexander said cheerfully, his smile tight.

  “And looking stunning, as always.” Brodie winked.

  “Sleep okay?” Jake asked.

  Logan stood off to the side, his gaze averted.

  “Yeah, but I have work to do.” The tension strumming around the four of them was as thick as stew.

  “We should get moving, Dar.” Cecile bustled me toward the magic shop.

  My attention returned to the task at hand, but hearing Logan say he’d never met anyone like me made my heart slam against my ribs. But what little I had heard of their conversation confirmed Crystal was Logan’s girlfriend, or at least, someone meaningful to him which made his spooning me even worse.

  Annoyance sparked within me again, but I took a deep breath and tried to focus on work. Clearing my throat, I said to Cece, “You weren’t kidding about the line.”

  A small group of my clients congregated in the parking lot. I strode toward them. Logan automatically fell into step beside me, but he still wouldn’t make eye contact.

  I bristled.

  He frowned, his heavy footsteps landing on the pavement. “Are you okay, Dar? Ready to work?”

  “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

  His frown grew. “Did you, uh, hear what we were talking about back there?”

  I stopped so abruptly that I caught him off guard. He backpedaled until he stood in front of me. His warm chocolate irises gazed down at me, but his frown stayed in place.

  “Yes, I heard. Something about Crystal, and me smelling like roses.”

  He sucked in a breath.

  “And if it isn’t bad enough that you spooned me while I was sleeping, it’s even worse that you’d do that to your girlfriend.”

  His scowl deepened. “My girlfriend?”

  “Yeah, you know, Crystal?”

  His mouth parted, shock making his eyes widen.

  But he didn’t deny it. He didn’t deny that Crystal was his girlfriend.

  A million tons of disappointment fell down on me. I swung around, intent on returning to work, but Logan’s hand shot out, stopping me mid-stride.

  His warm fingers closed around my bicep. A thrill ran through me at the feel of him touching me again, and I wanted to kick myself for my reaction.

  “Daria? Just what exactly did you hear?”

  I brushed him off, pulling my arm away. “Nothing I didn’t already suspect.”

  His jaw locked, and he opened his mouth again, but a fifth person rounded the corner and stepped up behind my waiting clients. Unlike the first four people in line, he appeared fine. He looked middle-aged and had dark-blond hair partially hidden by a baseball cap.

  If I had seen him on the street, I would have assumed he was healthy.

  Cecile gasped and grabbed my arm, her fingers digging into me and effectively ending my conversation with Logan, especially when my light seeped out of its storage box. Unlike with her usual touches, she didn’t let go.

  “What is it?” I asked.

  The blood drained from Cecile’s face as the fifth man began walking toward us. At the same time, Logan moved in front of me, protecting me, despite our second argument of the day.

  “Cecile? What’s wrong?” he asked in a deep voice.

  She cleared her throat and pointed at the man approaching us. Her hand shook. “That … man.” She licked her dry lips. “That man is Daria’s father.”

  Chapter 14

  My eyes widened more with every step the man took.

  I pulled away from Cecile, the zapping jolts from her touch becoming too much.

  The man was only fifteen feet away, his swift pace bringing him closer to me by the second. I tried to see his features better, but Logan cut off my view.

  My heart pounded. My father is here? The man who left me when I was a baby? The man I wondered and dreamed about my entire life? He’s actually here?

  Sweat erupted across my forehead, and I had the urge to fan my face. Logan reached around and lifted the back of his shirt. I gasped when his fingers curled around the gun peeking out of his waistband.

  “Daria? Is that you?” the
man called.

  I peeked around Logan’s shoulder. The man had stopped two yards away. He was craning his neck, trying to see around my bodyguard.

  I sidestepped Logan, getting a disapproving hiss from him.

  “Yes,” I said shakily. “I’m Daria.” I brought a hand up to shade my eyes. The afternoon sun spilled onto the pavement, creating a glare. In the distance, my other four clients all fanned themselves in the heat.

  The man removed his hat. “Your hair is blond, like mine.”

  My eyes narrowed as I took in his hopeful expression. Then, emotions welled up inside me like a tidal wave. Years of pain, loss, and the feeling that I hadn’t been good enough poured into my response. “My hair is blond like my mother’s.”

  He opened his mouth to respond, then seemed to think better of it.

  Logan continued to hover in front of me, his body like a tensely coiled spring, ready to jump into action.

  Blood pounded in my ears. If the man truly was my dad, I would never have known. He was of average height, had a broad nose, and a square jaw. Clad in jeans, a collared shirt, and a baseball cap, he looked like the average American dad. Yet he’d been anything but that. He had never been a father to me.

  “You’re all grown up.” His expression turned sheepish. “You look just like your mother. I would have recognized you anywhere.”

  It was on the tip of my tongue to tell him that of course I looked like my mom. My father could have had dark hair and dark skin, but those dominant genetics wouldn’t have mattered—my magic wouldn’t allow it. My skin still would have been pale, my eyes still turquoise, and my hair still flaxen blond. It was how the Gresham women’s magic worked. We all looked the same regardless of our paternity.

  But maybe my father had never known about my mother’s magic.

  He twisted his hat in his hands. “When I heard you were going to be in the area today, I … thought I’d come down and see you.”

  “How did you know—”

  “Ms. Gresham?” An older man with stooped shoulders and a cane shuffled up behind my father. “My wife is getting very uncomfortable in this heat. Are you able to see her soon?”

  I took a deep breath, forcing myself back into my healing role. “Of course, I’ll be right there. Cecile? Can you help them inside?”

  When Cecile stepped forward, my father dipped his head. “Cecile. It’s been a long time.”

  She nodded stiffly, her expression guarded, before approaching the older gentleman. “If you’ll come with me.” She steered him away.

  My heart pounded more since my father stood so close, but at the moment, I couldn’t deal with that.

  Too many conflicting emotions battled within me, making any further conversation impossible. The bottom line—he had abandoned me. Years of pain had followed his absence. He couldn’t possibly think I would forget that he’d been a deadbeat and act as if nothing were amiss between us.

  “I have to go.” I stepped stiffly around Logan and past my dad.

  My father’s hand shot out, and I sucked in a breath when he grabbed my arm, but Logan intervened.

  “Get your hands off her!”

  A burst of energy from my father’s touch shot through me. Painful shocks followed. He let me go when Logan advanced, but his pleading tone stopped me.

  “Please. Please, Daria.” He gave Logan a wary glance. “Just give me a chance. I’d like to speak to you. We’ve missed so much time together. Can I take you out for dinner tonight or a drink? I’d just like to talk to you. That’s it.”

  Still reeling from the contact and my light’s erratic response, I faced him squarely. With trembling movements, I crossed my arms over my chest. Part of me wanted to scream at him. Another part wanted to cry.

  And one small part wanted to throw my arms around him and ask him why he’d left me.

  Don’t lose control, Dar. Not here.

  I took a deep breath. “Why now? My entire life I was here, yet you left us. You left Mom and me, never to return. Why do you want to see me now?”

  His hazel eyes softened. “I tried to find you earlier, but I couldn’t. Your life was too transient. Trust me—if I could have found you, I would have.”

  My tensely crossed arms loosened. I let them fall to my sides. “How did you find me this time?”

  “It’s a small town. People talk. I heard you were coming here.”

  I glanced at Logan. A heavy frown marred his firm lips, and he still seemed ready to strike at any moment.

  Shuffling my feet, I crossed my arms again. Nothing about my father was familiar, and everything about this encounter felt so weird, but my father was right. I’d lived like a nomad my entire life. It was plausible that if he’d tried to find me he wouldn’t have been able to. Maybe I should hear him out.

  I waved up the road. “There’s a diner on the corner a few blocks that way. If you’d like, I’ll meet you for dinner there at eight.”

  My father stopped twisting his baseball cap and grinned. “Eight o’clock, it is. I look forward to it.”

  ∞ ∞ ∞

  It was just past seven in the evening when I emerged from the bathroom. Since the rest of my healing sessions had gone relatively easily, I’d actually been able to take my time in the shower. Steam rolled into the hallway, fogging my view. If I wanted to blow-dry my hair before leaving I would have to hurry and—

  “Oh!” I collided with a steel wall, or rather—Logan.

  “Sorry.” Logan faced me squarely in the narrow hallway. “I was pacing.”

  I waved away the steam that had temporarily blocked him from view. At least I was fully dressed in skinny jeans and a billowy short-sleeved top.

  Logan’s gaze flickered over my face. Jake, Alexander, Brodie, Cecile, and Mike all lounged at the front of the bus, giving Logan and me relative privacy since we were in the very back. From the tapping sounds coming from Alexander’s fingers, I knew he was working on his laptop again. As of that afternoon, my stalker still hadn’t clicked on any of the phishing links Alexander had sent.

  I began towel-drying my hair. “Why were you pacing?”

  Logan scowled and didn’t seem to have any intention of telling me why he’d been waiting outside the bathroom.

  “Is there something I can do for you?” My irritation over him spooning me that afternoon still hadn’t worn off. If anything, the anxiety I felt over the upcoming dinner with my dad only strengthened it. Between the “present” I’d received that morning, my exhausting session with Lucy, and an impending dinner with my father, I was at my wit’s end and couldn’t handle any further arguments.

  Logan’s frown didn’t lessen. “You’re meeting him at eight?”

  “That’s right.”

  “Jake and I are going to sit two tables away from you. That’s far enough to give you privacy but will also give me a clear view of what’s happening and who’s entering and exiting the building. Brodie and Alexander will be at another table, keeping watch. We’ve already staked out the restaurant. I’d like the hostess to seat you at a specific table.”

  I frowned and draped the towel on a rack in the bathroom, letting my damp hair trail down my back. “About that. I’d rather go there alone tonight.”

  Logan’s eyebrows shot up. “Alone?”

  “Yeah. Just me. It’s only two blocks away, and I’ll be with my dad in public. I’ll be safe.”

  “Have you forgotten what happened this morning?”

  A chill ran through me at the reminder. I crossed my arms tightly over my chest. “No. I haven’t forgotten, but I don’t want the four of you hovering around me in there. It will be hard enough as it is.”

  “What if we stay outside and keep watch?”

  “Or what if you see me there safely, then give me some time alone to have dinner with my dad? I’ll call you when we’re done so you can walk me home.”

  His nostrils flared. “Not happening, Dar.”

  I bristled, my arms falling to my sides. “You know, last time I checked,
I hired you.” I poked a finger at his chest. His rock-hard muscle didn’t soften, not even a little. “Which means I can tell you that I don’t want your protection for one freakin’ hour. I’ll be in a public place with my dad. Even my crazy stalker wouldn’t do anything in that circumstance. Considering how secretive he is and how he keeps covering his tracks, he obviously doesn’t want to be caught. Showing up at a diner and cutting my head off probably isn’t how he’s envisioned killing me.”

  Logan’s jaw clenched, the muscle in the corner pulsing. “Is this a game to you?”

  “A game?” I scoffed. “Hardly. I’m taking this very seriously, actually, but tonight…” I tried to envision having dinner with my dad, having a conversation with him while four huge dudes hovered around me, distracting me at every turn. I swallowed tightly. “I just need to do this alone. I’m not stupid. I know my stalker is a threat, which is why I’d like you to escort me there and home. All I’m asking is to have dinner alone. That’s it.”

  But Logan shook his head. “That’s not how this works. You hired me to do a job. As a professional, I do the job until it’s done which means I come with you and stay with you, whether you like it or not.”

  “And does that ‘job’ of yours,” I replied, putting air quotes around the word, “also require you sleeping by me?”

  His mouth slackened.

  “Cause doing that doesn’t seem very professional to me.” The words came out harsher than I intended them to, but whatever was going on between Logan and me was a mistake, a mistake I couldn’t let happen, especially not when I was possibly facing the most important dinner of my life.

  A moment of silence passed. Alexander’s tapping continued in the background.

  Finally, Logan lifted his chin, his eyes dark. “You’re right. It wasn’t professional. I won’t do it again.”

  I swallowed and crossed my arms again, trying to tell myself that the hard look in his eyes didn’t affect me. “As for tonight, I’m still doing this alone. Please, Logan. I want this dinner to be private.”

  The stormy expression on his face grew, but he replied in a clipped tone. “Understood.” He turned, his shoulders tight, and walked stiffly back to the front of the bus.