Cara came over to us. She looked between Riggs and me. Her eyes lit right up, and she smiled.
“Come with me, you two,” she said.
I glanced over at the Hippogryph table, but there was no sign of Tez. When he didn’t appear by the time we got to the back field, I made inquiries.
Her brows dropped. “Tez has been accepted back into his family.”
“He’s gone?” Riggs sounded as shocked as me.
Cara nodded. “For now, anyway. There is much more to that young man than there seems. And I fear it is going to surface, sooner or later.” She shot me a grim look. “I expect he’ll find himself back here when that happens.”
I wondered about that, and also debated my acute sense of disappointment at his absence. I barely knew him, yet there had been something between us. First Caliel. Then Riggs. And now Tez? What in the hell was going on with me?
Riggs moved into me, bumping me with his shoulder.There was something about that dude. Something almost dangerous.The emotions running beneath the words were difficult to identify. Uncertainty was prevalent.I’m leaning toward him being a Slash.
What’s a Slash?
He frowned.Think he was both friend and foe to the superheroes in those turtle movies.
Turtle movies?My mind filled with images of tiny snappy turtles in starring roles.
Yeah. Apparently, I was a big fan. They were turtles, but also warriors. Called everyone by unusual nicknames.
My mind struggled with the pictures of those turtle things nibbling on toes and actually accomplishing more than just gnawed tootsies.
He grabbed the images from my mind.They were mutated to be as big as me.They wore bandanas and had weapons.
Giant mutant turtles?
Yes.
It obviously made sense to Riggs.Is that why everyone calls you Michelangelo?
His lips twitched.Apparently.
I rubbed my temple and refocused.If Tez had stayed, he could have figured out his talent,I said.Why would he leave?
He must have had his reasons.Riggs took my arm, but I sensed a surge of relief that Tez was gone. Along with something less definable. Was he jealous?
You were meant for me,he said firmly.
Umm, I think, actually, you were meant for me,I corrected.
He snorted a laugh as Cara took us through to the beach. He folded his arms around me, and I unsheathed the sword. It blazed brightly as he pushed the tip down into the sand in front of my body.
“Very good,” Cara approved. “The trick is to keep her from transforming while she taps into her talent.” She touched my arm, and her brows drew down. “I can barely feel Caliel. When did you last speak with him?”
I experienced a twisting tingle of guilt. “Yesterday evening,” I said.
“Let’s see if the sword can boost him,” she urged. “Concentrate on absorbing its energy. I don’t want to call Bree’s Ice Drake without connecting to him.”
Cara kept her hand on my arm as the sword’s light washed over, and through us.
Caliel, are you there?I asked. And then almost panicked when there was no response.
Does he usually answer you?Riggs asked.
Not as much lately,I admitted.He’s been getting weaker, and we don’t know why.
