“I found it ironic.” Her glare softened a little. It was more like a cute scowl now. “I thought it could help me understand some things.”
The pain in her voice sobered me right up. I knew she was lost and furious at the world—at all of us, really—and looking for answers she might not even be ready to hear, but seeing this sliver of vulnerability was enough to rein in my teasing. I’d see her laugh again, but maybe not for a little while.
“Pretty much everything in there is wrong,” I told her. “But I’ll teach you everything you need to know. I swear it. I won’t let you get lost, babe. No matter how much you push me away.”
Her eye roll was paired with an adorable growl, but there was no heat behind it. Some of that rage in her melted. She didn’t drop it completely, but it was a start. I winked and left her therewith her thoughts. Not even three seconds later, her little feet were pounding on the hardwood behind me.
“Where are you going?” she asked, seeming just as surprised as I was that she followed me.
I kept my smile pleasant, not wanting to lure her into another argument, and she eyed me warily.
“I was going to let you study.” Her textbook was still clutched in her arms, and she looked down at it and then back at me with a confused pout.
“But you just told me it's worthless.”
“Andyoustill signed up for the class and have to pass their lying little tests,” I countered. “But I didn’t say it wascompletelyworthless.” She huffed again, more than a little annoyed, and I fought a smirk. “I’ll tell you what; do the reading, finish your assignments, and each night we’ll discuss where the humans got it wrong, okay? Sound good?”
“Good isn’t the word I’d use,” she murmured. “Tolerable, maybe.”
“I’ll take whatever you can give me, babe.”
I left her standing in the foyer with a look of contemplation on her face. I loved stoking her temper, setting her off, and basking in the consequences. One day, I was sure it would be fun for her too, but right now, she needed someone to curb that attitude. Someone who could redirect it until she was strong enough to control it again. Good thing my specialty was ice. I couldn't wait to see the steam we created when we came together.
The moon shone high and fat over a calm ocean, its pale glow reaching out to cover the entire property. My bare feet were caked with sand as I walked a calm circle around the house. Over my shoulder, I carried a mesh bag, heavy with fully charged crystals I’d freshly dug up before the tide came in. After absorbing the power of the saltwater in the nights leading to the full moon, they were as strong as I could make them and should easily last us the month.
Water dripped from my clothes and hair. The ground hummed under the soles of my feet with hunger, the last of the previous month’s protection grid fading with the slow rise and arc of the moon. By tomorrow, it would be gone completely, unless I finished before the sun touched the horizon.
I’d already set a large chunk of black tourmaline under the loose floorboard in the center of the house. It was a strong anchor, the strongest I had, and combined with the others, I was confident Rani would be well protected within its borders. In a mild trance, I walked east from the center of the house, pulling a line of energy from the tourmaline and holding it until I reached the furthest point of where I wanted to lay the barrier.
Grabbing an empty bag—identical to the first—from my pocket, I knelt on the grass near the tree's edge and dug up the near-empty crystal from last month. It would be cleansed and recharged in time for the next full moon.
I pulled out another piece of black tourmaline, roughly the size of my hand, from the ocean bag and held it in both palms. Closing my eyes, I maintained calm and clear intentions ofprotection before burying the crystal and sealing it within the earth. The line of power continued as I walked clockwise to each point of the compass.
My bag was significantly lighter now that the larger crystals were buried, but there were still midway directions left to complete. Each step was harder to take as I pulled the line of power connecting each crystal, as well as their intentions, with me. Pain radiated from my knees and into my thighs as I slammed into the ground.
With quick and precise digs, I unearthed the smaller clear quartz and amethysts, then buried the new ones to form the grid line for north-east. South-east, south-west, and north-west followed promptly until the grid was complete.
I was a shaking, sweaty mess by the end, but the barrier crackled around me with renewed strength. I set the bag of used crystals by the front porch to begin their cleanse with the sunrise. There was something peaceful about creating wards, and the greeting of the silent house as I closed the front door was gentle. It was almost as if the house took a giant sigh of relief, or maybe that was me. Knowing Rani was safe allowed me to breathe. Too soon, some other worry would rise to the surface of my mind, but tonight it was enough.
Until an uneasy twinge punctured the peace of the house. I rubbed at the center of my chest. It was weak, more a feeling of unease than danger, but it was out of place within the newly laid crystals. When it happened again, I knew it came from inside the house, and I took the stairs three at a time until I stood outside Rani’s room.
Muffled sounds and brief whimpers carried through the thin door. I eased it open with a racing heart. If she wasn’t in danger right now,Iwas about to be for busting in without her permission. It was one line I refused to cross, no matter howvolatile she got; when she retreated to her room, I didn’t follow unless she asked.
From my view at the door, all I could make out was the massive four-poster bed in the center. The gauzy curtains were still tied back, giving me a direct line of sight to the middle of the mattress where Rani tossed and turned. Restless and fitful, the small cries that escaped her tore at my heart.
“Rani,” I whispered from the doorway, still unsure if I should cross the threshold.
I wanted nothing more than to rush in there, gather her in my arms, and silence those heartrending sounds. To comfort her. Protect her, even from the nightmares plaguing her. I wasn’t an idiot. Even if Eryn hadn’t told me, I could clearly see my bond was stuck in a permanent state of exhaustion.
She went to sleep early, but still woke with the darkest circles under her eyes. No matter what I cooked, she barely touched her food, and it was starting to show in the looseness of her clothes. I worried she was going to crash soon. Carrying all that anger had to be taxing,andshe was ignoring her magick on top of it.
I shook my head and risked a small step into the room. Her pain hit me even harder the closer I got, like she couldn’t hide it when there wasn’t an entire house and walls of her ire separating us. Our bond was still in its fledgling stages; there wasn’t enough physical contact lately for it to grow, but our emotional connection was enough to allow me to feel her sometimes. When she let it. Or didn’t realize her walls were down.
Sometimes, in those moments, I looked into her eyes and saw the other half of me looking out. I wondered if she felt it too, but usually within seconds, she was pushing me away and lashing out, leaving me to wonder if the fleeting exchange was even real.
The sheets twisted and knotted around her legs until they exposed pale, creamy skin. The moonlight through the half-closed curtains danced over a generous flash of calf and thigh,her skin sparkling like the very crystals I just finished burying. She was glowing again. Proving another theory of mine that her magick found a way to escape her binds when she wasn’t conscious.
Dangerous. For herandanyone close enough to fall under her unintended spell. I knew it was something she needed to work on, despite her protests that she had it all under control. I’d been letting out small bursts of my own magick for days now, to see how she would react and also to try and get her used to the feel of it.
