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He laughed, loudly. The sound so evil it made me cringe. “This was so much fun. Please do tell them it was all me.”

In an instant, everything went back to normal. I sat up straight on the couch, taking in a deep breath as if this was the first time I’d been able to breathe in a long time.

“Norah!”

I stared back at Travis. He reached for me and I felt his hands on my forearms. I squeezed his arm, too, my limbs moving when I asked them too. I never thought I’d be so relieved to feel that way. To know that I had control over my own body. “Jax,” I said. “It was Jax.”

“What was Jax?” Travis asked.

Liam stood right behind him. All four pairs of their eyes were on me. “Jax. He made it so I could see everything that was going on, but I couldn’t move. I couldn’t even talk. I woke you up,” I said, staring at Travis.

He nodded. “I heard you.”

I breathed in a rugged breath. “He said he wanted me to feel what it was like for him. He also wanted you guys to know it was him who did it.”

A muscle in Travis’s jaw feathered. Liam looked down, his head shaking back and forth. Gabe ran his hands through his hair. And Randy? Well, Randy cracked his knuckles in front of himself as if he was preparing for a fight.

Jax had invaded me. He’d gotten into my head. He—

My skin tingled.

“What are you doing, Norah?”

“Nothing.”

Pin pricks started all over my body. I looked at the four of them surrounding me and smiled. I was back here with them, and I could feel all their energy intent on keeping us safe.

“You’re doing something,” Gabe said.

I glared at him. They were ruining this moment for me. This moment of true love I felt just bursting from me in waves. If I’d felt this when I was trapped inside my own head, there was no way Jax could’ve ever been there at the same time.

“Sweetie,” Liam said. “You’re glowing.”

6

Istared down. The most brilliant white infused purple shone from me as if I was my own personal spotlight, lighting up everything within a few inches from me.

Travis pulled his hands away from my skin, then put them back on me. “You’re so warm. It’s overflowing.”

Randy’s face scrunched. “Does anyone else think this is really weird? The only other time one of us glows with our color magic is when we’re using our elements.”

Liam echoed the word at the same time as if the same thing dawned on him at the right moment.

“So, what’s Norah’s element?” Gabe said. “Lighting up like a Christmas tree?”

“Maybe it’s light?” Liam asked. He moved forward. He put his arms on my shoulders as Travis touched my forearms. “He’s right. She’s so warm right now. Not hot, but just…” He almost sighed.

Each of them held their hands out to me. “You feel like a bonfire,” Randy said. “Like a bonfire that would never burn me if I got too close.”

“That is the most romantic thing I’ve ever heard,” I said, rolling my eyes.

Randy shrugged.

“You’re beautiful,” Gabe said, his voice in awe.

“Okay, okay.” I stood and pushed away. I hated when they all looked at me like that. It felt like a lot of pressure to be something perfect and I was a far cry from that. “I’m just me.”

Liam cocked his head. “You’re dimming.”