Total pages in book: 115
Estimated words: 109329 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 547(@200wpm)___ 437(@250wpm)___ 364(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 109329 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 547(@200wpm)___ 437(@250wpm)___ 364(@300wpm)
I dove down to him. As the well-oiled flight machine they were, everyone dove with me. Ulric and Jasper drifted closer, in case they needed to grab me if I couldn’t pull out of the dive. Nearly at the ground, I pulled up, wobbled a little, and then set down.
I shifted quickly, ignoring everyone else.
Austin’s gaze had followed me, and now he nervously watched me walk toward him.
“I mean”—I put out my hands—“obviously, we’re fighting now. So that’s happening?”
His expression didn’t register the half-joke meant to lighten things up. We never really fought. We discussed. Usually that discussion was talking things out, but sometimes it resulted in very loud yelling. Almost always the end result was compromise and aggressive lovemaking.
This situation would absolutely become the yelling variety, but we’d deal with that when everyone was safe again.
“We’re doing this together, Austin.” I sent a peal of magic at everyone gathered here, telling them to head away.
“Jess, no,” Austin pleaded desperately. He was scared now—scared he’d lose himself to the darkness and hurt me.
Gargoyles pushed into the air but didn’t go far. Basajaunak retreated a bit, and the rogues fell back with them, but they didn’t leave. The first circle of defense didn’t move at all.
“We don’t know what’s going to happen,” Austin told me. His arms hung at his sides, and his body was almost bowed in defeat. If I needed further proof, I had it. He didn’t crave the power he could get through Ivy House; he was afraid of it. He was doing this solely for me.
“Do you remember when I was a Jane and newly here?” I asked. “I sat by the lake and contemplated taking the magic. I sensed the darkness, too. The pushiness of it, honestly. Do you remember what you did?”
His gaze stayed rooted to mine. He didn’t answer.
“Despite your misgivings, you let me ride on your back into battle, and then you fought the enemy while I claimed the magic. Do you remember?”
He inclined his head.
“You jumped through terrible magic and onto a cage in the middle of a sea of spikes to help me find my gargoyle. You allowed yourself to be blasted into trees, cut up—all to help me.” I paused for a moment. “And now I will help you. If you want to take the magic, then take it, but do not block me from helping you. As I told you, we will do this together…or not at all.”
“You should do it here,” Ivy House told me. “The magic is less likely to fluctuate that way.”
I waited for him to take a very large inhale, hold it, and let it out very slowly. Finally, he inclined his head again.
“Okay.” I told him what Ivy House said, which just made sense. Of course it would be better to do it there, near the root of the magic.
And back we all flew, with the shifters in cars and basajaunak running alongside them. This time, as we passed by downtown, a gargoyle rose into the sky with a collection of grocery bag totes. Mr. Tom. Why he didn’t put them in the trunk and return for them was anyone’s guess.
I landed on the backyard grass with my crew. The rest of the gargoyles stayed in the air, circling.
Tristan shifted, as did I. The others followed suit.
“I hope I did the right thing,” Tristan told me.
“You did.”
“Big day, huh?” Cyra came over with a smile. “I don’t know what any of this means, but it certainly seems like a big deal. Glad I got to randomly participate. So…are we supposed to work together to kill him if it all goes tits up?”
Fred lifted her hand. “I was on the exact same page with her right up until she talked about killing. So…that’s where I’m at. Super excited. Hope no one dies.”
“So, he’s finally going to take it,” Niamh said, looking at the bags Mr. Tom had set down before he shifted. “Did ye get any beer or wine or—”
“I got nothing that I’ll offer you,” he replied, gathering up the handles again.
“Ye don’t need to offer, like. I can just rummage around in there and get it meself.”
He sniffed at her and turned toward the back door. “Miss, I’ll be back when Austin Steele shows up. You’ll want your council with you.”
“Ye’ll want to kick that eejit off the council,” Niamh told me.
It wasn’t long before Austin arrived, his shoulders squared and head high. He walked onto the grass like he was walking into battle.
“A little dramatic,” Ivy House said.
“Um…he’d rather not kill me. I hardly think his mentally preparing to fight your magic is dramatic.”
“He shouldn’t fight it. He needs to acclimate to it. Let it consume him. It needs to be part of him. Only then can he control it.”
“Did the others do that?”