by Allie Burton
My feet slowed, heading up the stairs. More wasted time I didn’t have. The music roomed acted as an interrogation room. I really didn’t want to talk to Ash. Maybe he knew where Math was and how long he’d be gone.
Standing at the entry to the room, I watched Ash glare out the window at the sunny afternoon. He looked similar to the other male warriors. Dark hair, green eyes, fantastic body clothed in khaki pants and a T-shirt.
I bit my lip and knocked on the side of the door. “Math told Aria I should come see you.”
“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.
Which made me like and trust him less.
“I wanted to see Math.” I forced a smile on my face. I’d already irritated Aria and I couldn’t go around making them all mad. Not if I wanted their help in the future. “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 farthest 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. I tried to snatch my hand back. “What’re you doing?”
“Math wanted me to analyze 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 me. 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 reached out to me in 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 didn’t think so. “I might be able to sense the trumpet but I don’t have residual magical whatsoever.”
“How many red lights did you stop at on your way to and from your mom’s house?”
His targeted question was spot on. “None.” Never. Ever.
Chuckling, he 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 Soul 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.
“Hold your hands up, palms out.” Ash 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.
The room stilled, sitting silently with his hands on top of mine. I didn’t feel anything. Just his hands lying on top of mine. 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. I turned to ogle.
He rested against the door jamb with a missed-you smile. Or at least, I hoped that’s what the grin meant.
Sliding my hands from under Ash’s, I beamed at Math. “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.
His joy bubble burst with excitement. He’d sensed it the moment he’d met her, and Ash’s assessment confirmed the belief.
Today she wore high-waisted jeans and a black top. She must’ve changed out of the sweats when she went to see her mom.
When they’d been training in Sebekkah, he’d 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.
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 at him, 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 was similar to her. Not normal. Not regular. Special.
His heart dropped and melted into a slushy pile. He loved Piper.
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, some day 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 that emotion.
“I don’t have super-strength or super-agility. Tell him, Math.” Piper’s request 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, for her to realize her love at the exact same moment. Except she hadn’t even realized she had powers.
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. “The more time you spend with the trumpet, the more pronounced the powers become.”
“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 basem
ent. She really hadn’t been exposed.
He’d spent the morning, while Piper was with her mom, gathering 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.
Now that he understood what the trumpet could do for Piper, he wasn’t sure he wanted to stop the instruments’ powers. If Piper enhanced her powers, she could become a Soul 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.
A sheen of fear covered Piper’s gaze. She placed her palm on the stool, needing support.
His chest concaved, resembling a geometric pattern and segmented into interior points of hurt and confusion. Did she want powers? Or did the idea repulse her?
“How could I possibly have powers?” 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.” Math placed his hand on her shoulder, wanting to touch her, 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 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?”
“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.
“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. “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.
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 sandwich. The round disk became a half-moon.
Piper 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 I have will go away when the trumpet is gone.”
He gripped her hands tighter. Did she think she wasn’t strong enough? Her powers would continue to grow. “It doesn’t matter what happens to the trumpet. The powers are part of you.”
“Will I have healing powers like you?” Her hope twisted around his gut.
He wanted her to want powers, except the specificity of her question had him doubting her motives. Had trusting her been a mistake? “Why do you want healing powers?”
She squeezed his hands so tight her nails dug into his skin. “I need to tell you something, and it’s important—”
“Math!” Antony skidded to a halt in the music room. His appearance was similar to all the brothers except for his expression of fear.
“What’s wrong, Antony?” Math got to his feet still holding Piper’s hands, unwilling to let go.
“The Isis package has arrived in the country.” Antony’s serious tone communicated more than his words. “It’s being delivered and I need your help tracking the contents.”
Piper’s hands stiffened. “Through my uncle’s pawn shop?”
“No.”
“Can it wait?” Math nodded his head at Piper. He wanted to finish their discussion. “Plus, Falcon and I need to take care of the trumpets.”
“Both trumpets are in our possession. Safe.” Antony’s expression darkened, conveying more than his words. The Isis package was dangerous. Dangerous especially if the item fell into the wrong hands. “The person delivering the Isis package has been killed. We need to act now.”
Chapter Sixteen
Piper
“These should fit.” Aria shoved pink pajamas patterned with musical notes at me. She’d been acting weird since I’d been rude to her this afternoon, and probably didn’t want me staying in her bedroom.
Washing up and changing in the bathroom, I thought about people’s motivations. Math wanted me to stay at the professor’s house for my own safety. Aaron wanted me to stay here too—until I found the trumpet. My motivations were mixed. I wanted to stay to be with Math even though I hadn’t seen him this afternoon or gotten to talk to him. And I needed to find the trumpet.
Desperation stretched my muscles and nerves so thin I thought they’d snap.
The clock was ticking.
I wanted to find the trumpet and get back to Mom, yet once I found the trumpet I’d have to leave Math. Forever.
Maybe I had snapped.
“I’m sorry about being snotty this afternoon.” Jiggling my leg, I took only one step into Aria’s bedroom. “I really wanted to talk to Math.”
Needed to talk to him. I couldn’t tell Aria or any of the other Soul Warriors about my Mom and my dilemma. If I did, they’d probably lock me up and keep me away from the trumpet. I had to play the friend card.
“I understand.” With a dreamy expression, Aria plopped on her bed. “Falcon and I hate to be separated, but Grandfather is old-fashioned.”
“You and Falcon are together?” I’d wondered.
“For eternity.” She sounded dreamy, too. As if Falcon was her forever guy.
Something Aaron had told me tickled my brain. “When you say eternity, what do you mean?”
She pursed her lips and leaned toward me sharing a secre
t. “Falcon and I, and Olivia and Xander, and all the Soul Warriors are immortal.”
The tickling thrust and punched. Aaron had said the Soul Warriors came from stone and were immortal, meaning will live forever. Math was immortal. He’d live forever. While I might not make it past tomorrow. I knew this and yet hearing it confirmed shocked me. Even if I wanted to be with Math I could never be with him for his forever.
“What’s going on between you and Math?” Aria’s gaze held a glimmer. She wanted the latest scoop.
Except I didn’t know the scoop. I’d been about to confess everything to Math—my original intentions, my upbringing, Aaron’s demand to steal the trumpet, my mom—when we’d been interrupted by Antony with an emergency. Frustration pulled my thin nerves tauter. I hadn’t seen Math for the rest of the day. He’d sent a text asking me to spend the night at the house and he’d talk to me soon. His warrior duties had taken precedence over me.
Would that always be the case?
It was too late for us. Too late for me to confide and to count on him to help Mom. Too late to do anything except grab the trumpet and get it back to Aaron.
The ticking in my head sounded louder, quicker.
Confusion took the ticking off-timing, vibrating unevenly. About Math. About us. About my own motivation. Uncomfortable, I wasn’t used to sharing my thoughts and feelings, especially to a stranger. “I don’t really know.”
“He watches you in a certain way.” Aria giggled and flopped back onto the mattress. Her short blonde hair splayed behind her.
“What way?” Was this how girlfriends talked to each other? Gossiping and laughing and discussing their love lives?
A warm glow encompassed me. Nothing as strong as what I felt around Math, but it was nice and I enjoyed the feeling. I wished I would’ve grown up with friends. Normal friends.
I cut off that way of thinking. Cut off the glow.
“You know.” She sat up and batted her eyes in an exaggerated fashion. “The look of love.”
Love? Aria thought Math loved me?
The last word squeaked in my mind. Squeaked in excitement. Squeaked like a normal teen girl.
