Page 15 of Brave Spirit (Bound Spirit #6)

Callie

T he sun decides to continue to bless us with its warmth, allowing all of us to spend lunch under our favorite tree. Connor looks better after he spent the morning resting, and he’s decided to thank me by pulling me into his lap and feeding me literal grapes. At least he didn’t peel them first.

Sitting to my left are Mei and Rand, and it’s obvious that Rand wants to mimic the gesture with Mei.

However, since they are in a kind of nebulous place of whether they are dating or not, he wisely refrains.

Instead, he sits as close to her as she’ll allow and shares his peanut butter cookies with her.

She compliments the cookie, and Rand blushes as he admits he asked his mom to teach him how to make them.

A warm joy fills me as I listen to them discuss different baking techniques and recipes.

Mei has no idea what’s fully in store for her, but I’m happy she’ll experience what it means to be loved and adored for all that she is.

Under all her sass is a deeply empathetic and loyal person who deserves someone who is the same, and Rand seems to fit that description perfectly.

My warm fuzzies are once again popped by that creepy feeling of being watched.

This time, Gina is much easier to spot, sitting alone at one of the few picnic tables under the cafeteria awning.

Normally, one of those tables would be packed on a day like this, but Gina’s popularity took a nosedive when her Barbie crew started avoiding her like she had a transmittable flesh-eating disease.

Everyone in the supernatural community avoids her, terrified that association might incur my wrath.

Part of me pities her when even her best friend, Anastasia, walks past like Gina is invisible.

The pity lasts for only a moment when I turn my attention to Nolan sitting across from me.

A genuine, easy smile pulls at his lips as he shares one of Alicia’s famous dishes with Felix, who’s sitting beside him.

Gina tried everything to break Nolan and force him back to her, destroying anything and anyone that dared to bring him joy outside of her.

Loneliness is the least of what she should suffer.

My gaze sweeps over my guys, my heart swelling with love and a fierce desire to protect them from any and all that would dare to hurt them. Connor kisses the top of my head, the bond clearly telegraphing my emotions to him. At the same time, Nolan looks up and flashes a grin in my direction.

Before Connor can start to tear my PB&J apart to feed me after the grapes run out, I decide to share my big news of last night’s events.

Not really knowing how to start, I blurt, “I met the goddess in a dream.” Everyone stops what they are doing and looks up at me with various expressions of surprise.

“Oh, and Mischief shifted into his high-fae form. He won’t tell me his real name, but he did tell me a lot about the last high priestess spirit witches.

He knew the Volkov high priestess personally. ”

Mei, having been mid-sentence in her side conversation with Rand, redirects to me.

“Wait. Back up. You met the goddess last night. Like the goddess. Are you sure you didn’t have a normal dream after reading too much of the family grimoires?

Were you wearing clothes? I hear nakedness is a good indicator that you’re actually dreaming.

” She flashes a wide-eyed look at Rand. “Not that I would know personally. I have totally never dreamed I was naked while taking a test for a class I didn’t know I was enrolled in and didn’t know any of the answers for. ”

Rand tilts his head in the way shifters do when they are paying close attention to what they are hearing. “That’s very specific for a dream you’ve never had.”

“It’s just an example of a possible dream that can in no way happen in real life, therefore it shouldn’t be thought much of and definitely shouldn’t turn into a very real anxiety,” Mei replies in her rapid-fire manner, her pitch climbing toward the end.

“Anyway, we were talking about Callie’s dream, not mine—I mean, dreams that I’m not having. ”

“I’ve had that dream,” Felix announces thoughtfully while taking a sip of one of those high electrolyte sports drinks. “I’m not always naked, but definitely unprepared. It usually happens around midterms and finals.”

“Which clearly indicates the whole experience is scarring our young psyches, and the whole concept shouldn’t exist,” Mei adds, pointing her reusable water bottle at him before taking a drink, clearly parched after talking so fast.

“It wasn’t a dream,” I insist, getting back to the whole I met the goddess point.

“Or at least not a dream dream. It was similar to when Felix used to visit me while I slept. I was fully aware, but unlike with Felix, I had no control over my surroundings. She created a safe place where she could visit me through my unconscious mind. Apparently, being in her presence for too long can have damaging consequences.”

“No offense, angel, but that just sounds like how dreams work,” Donovan challenges, leaning back on his hands.

“What’s more plausible? The goddess chose now to visit you—when you’re still in high school, located in some fucking tiny town—or you dreamed about her because she’s been on your mind since learning about spirit witches? ”

“Trust me, I laid into her hard about her shitty timing.” I lift my chin and cross my arms over my chest. “She told me she would have contacted me sooner if she could, but she was only able to because I came into my powers.”

He gives me a look that clearly expresses that sounds like a very bullshit kind of answer from a supposedly powerful goddess of creation.

“Fine, let’s put it to a vote.” I raise my hand in the air. “Who believes that I met the goddess?”

Connor, Nolan, Felix, and Kaleb raise their hands with me. Rand has his hand half raised, clearly conflicted between agreeing with his alpha or the girl he’s head over heels for. Fortunately, it doesn’t matter which direction he believes to be true.

A triumphant grin crosses my lips. “Majority wins.”

Donovan shifts his gaze to Nolan, his brows raised with surprise. “You believe it’s true?”

He shrugs in response. “Considering all the crazy shit that’s happened since Callie got here, anything is possible at this point. Her house cat is a shape-shifting fae—a being from a different dimension that I didn’t know existed until now.”

“Speaking of him,” Mei pipes up, raising a single finger in the air. “It’s well known that fae rarely share their true name, since it can give that person power over them. That’s why he hasn’t told you his name yet. It requires a lot of trust.”

Placing my fingers against my lips, I tilt my head to the side.

“That makes sense. Considering his background, and the fact that I have a lot of control over him because of what I am—fae are elemental beings, and I can control all elements—it’s reasonable that he’d like to reserve some control for himself. ”

Donovan turns his attention to Mei with an exasperated expression. “How can that possibly be well known if no one knew they were real until right now?”

“Romantasy books,” she replies like he’s an idiot. “Clearly you need to read more.”

While Donovan glares at Mei, Felix squints at Kaleb. “I know why I voted yes. It’s cool, so of course I want it to be true, but you? You’re always the skeptic. I don’t believe you. You just voted yes so you could stay best boy.”

“Still an empty title,” I grouse, rubbing between my eyebrows. “Literally made up on the spot as a way to get back at all of you.”

Kaleb ignores Felix’s suspicions, instead leaning into his vote. “It’s incredible that you met her,” he praises from his position on my right, gazing up at me with open wonder. “What was she like?”

“Forget what she was like,” Donovan interrupts before I can answer, sitting up and brushing the grass from his hands. “Assuming she was real, no divine being shows up after doing jack shit to help anyone unless they want something. So what did she want?”

“Gifting us all with life and our continued existence isn’t helping?” Kaleb challenges, while unintentionally squishing his turkey sandwich between his fingers.

Donovan doesn’t bother replying, instead leveling his intense gaze on me. Turns out it’s less fun being on the receiving end of these kinds of stares.

I sigh as I start tearing the crust off of my sandwich just to give my hands something to do. “She wants me to find the other high priestess potentials and help them fully come into their power.”

“Fucking knew it,” Donovan sneers, the words laced with grim distaste.

“How exactly are you supposed to find them?” Nolan inquires dryly, his tone clearly aligned with Donovan’s sentiment.

“She said I would recognize them when I found them,” I answer, taking a bite of crust. This wasn’t how I expected this to go. I met the goddess of all creation, and Kaleb seems to be the only one excited about it.

“So you’re supposed to, what? Search the entire world until you bump into them?” Nolan scoffs, handing the rest of his lunch to Felix after seemingly losing his appetite.

Connor wraps his arms around my waist and gives me a comforting squeeze. “The pack will help. You smell different than average witches.”

“That’s why she smells different?” Rand exclaims with the relief of someone who’s been puzzling over something for months and finally has an answer. He quickly looks over at Mei. “I still like your scent more.”

“You better,” she retorts before she has a chance to think. “I mean, whatever. Again, the scent thing is weird.”

Rand gives her a knowing smile. “And you like weird.”

She blushes as she gives him a playful shove. “Quiet, you.”

Felix takes a bite of Nolan’s leftovers, the only one seemingly not put off of food by the conversation. “When you find all of them, how are you supposed to help them come into their power? Are they bound like you were?”