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16

CALLIE

When I turn away from the open door, Benny is waiting. He's leaned against the brick wall of the firehouse. "Need some air?"

"I need to walk." I flinch at the harshness of my tone, but I know there's nothing that can be done about it. I can't believe the guys would act that way, especially when I've done nothing wrong. For a second, I feel as if my cat is still in control, and I'm running away. But she isn't. She's gone, and as much as I want her back, wishful thinking isn't going to do that.

I ignore Benny. I don't need another man complicating my life. I manage that enough on my own. '

I cross the street and head on the same path we took the last time I was allowed to leave the house. Within seconds, I realize he's right behind me.

"What are you doing?" I demand, taking out my anger on him. He may not deserve it directly, but he's the one who has annoyed my guys so much. he deserves to suffer through some of the consequences.

"Going with you." He sounds so sure of himself.

"Why?"

"It’s dangerous for you to be alone, isn't it?" His voice is pretty hot. Still not my thing, though.

I look at him out of the corner of my eye. "Do you know where the ceremony takes place?" If he's going to insist on coming with me, then he can at least give me information I don't otherwise have access to. I doubt the guys will be particularly accommodating, given everything that's happened.

"The one on the Solstice?" He sticks his hands in his coat pockets in an attempt to appear as if he isn't interested in what I want the information for, but I can tell he's faking it. He outright admits he's here for intelligence on what's going on, after all.

"Yeah."

"No." It's annoying how much honesty he manages to convey in one simple word. Either that, or he's an exceptional liar.

I sigh in disappointment. "Me neither."

"I could do a spell," he offers.

"Would it draw attention to us?" I'm intrigued. No one has done a locator spell of any kind in front of me. Perhaps because they worry it'll reveal where I am to anyone looking.

He shakes his head; as we get to the woods, we'd need to cut through to the beach. "Nope."

I consider the advisability of going to an unknown location with Benny. "Are you going to turn me over to the king?"

He laughs a rich sound. "No." There he goes again, being all honest with me. It's almost a shame he isn't my type.

"Then lead the way." I gesture for him to go ahead.

I'm still mad enough to be reckless, but I'm sure this man won't hurt me or allow me to be. I'm equally sure he won't make a move on me. I don't know how I'm so certain, but I've always trusted my gut, and I should now, too.

He turns back toward the sidewalk and then left. "Tell me about your childhood," he says.

I look at the concrete under our feet and think about what to tell him. I don't want to go into the early parts where I was turned into a sort of cat shifter. The thought of my cat still tightens my throat. Makes me ache like the loss of part of myself.

Feeling tears rise, I try to push them down, but it takes a long minute before I’m not worried I’ll start blubbering about her. What had he asked? Not to bear my soul. Just about my childhood.

Take a deep breath. Choose your words carefully.

I may be mad at the guys, but I'm still going to take their advice. The one thing they are right about is that I don't know Benny very well. I shouldn't reveal everything to him.

"I was hidden from my uncle early on." That’s enough detail about that. "And spent time in and out of foster homes. My grandmother blocked my magic, so I always thought I was human."

"How'd you get back here?" He seems genuinely interested.

"No, it's your turn. Tell me about your childhood," I say, even though there probably isn't any danger in telling him I ended up back here more or less accidentally.

He gives me an appraising look. Then he smiles and nods. I think I surprised him by firing back at him. "Nothing special. Your typical upper-class British upbringing. Lots of boarding schools. Mum spoiled me; Dad ignored me. All very proper."

Now, that’s a story I want to get into. Maybe if I get him talking about himself, he’ll forget to question me.

"That sounds like another world to me. How young were you when you went to boarding school?" A small part of me also hopes he'll reveal more about James. I know he's opened up to me about his past already, but I'm sure there's more he isn't saying.

He laughs. "Nope. Your turn."

With a sigh, I squint at him. "What was your question again?"

"How'd you make your way back to Blackwater Falls?" He turns us down another side street as he asks.

"You can take the magic out of the princess, but you can't take the..." I stop and consider the phrase. "No, that doesn't work." I roll my eyes and explain flat out. "I still suspected magic existed in the world. I started a blog documenting the real evidence I found as I explored the world." I have no idea if he knows about my cat, but I'm not mentioning it if he doesn't.

"And that led you here?"

"Right to my uncle's front door." I sigh as he leads us off the sidewalk.

"Not far now." He looks around and then continues on slightly to the right.

I wonder how he knows that if he doesn't know where the ceremony takes place.

For a moment, I reconsider the advisability of going this far away from the house with Benny, but what's done is done. My magic likes him, so that's good enough for me.

I'm loathe to use it, but I coax it out and toward Benny, walking through an empty field in front of me. It's almost dark now. Walking back will be a bit sketchier.

My magic sneaks forward with delight, happy to be out and useful again.

One thing I've learned is that magic wants to be used and be helpful. It's a little mischievous, as well. Like a delighted child eager to please their mommy.

The trickle of power snaps onto Benny's butt. He jumps into the air with a yelp and whirls around. I'm far enough behind him that it couldn't possibly have been me, so I throw up my hands in innocence. "What's wrong?"

"I know how you did that." He narrows his eyes on me, and the next thing I know, something pinches my butt. Hard.

Unintentionally imitating Benny, I squeal and jump into the air. When the sting fades, I glare at him.

His eyes widen in mock horror, and he turns and sprints away.

"You come back here," I holler and run after him. "I'm going to get you!"

This is what I always imagined having a sibling would be like. The butt-pinching wasn't hot. Not at all. It hurt. But the feeling between us isn't malicious. It's fun.

Once again, he's taken my mind off of my anger at the guys.

Maybe I overreacted. They did walk in and see their new friend—girlfriend, by Will's words—dancing with a guy they don't really trust.

As I laugh and run after Benny, I decide to apologize to them when we get back. I think I just expected to be so relieved when they got back and for them to be happy to see me that I hadn’t even considered that I’d be faced with jealousy and anger.

Plus, it ticks me off that they don’t seem to realize just how much I care about them. Don’t I show them enough? After all we’ve been through, don’t they know how important they are to me?

Benny stops short after hopping over some rocks.

I launch myself over the same rocks. "I'm going to get—" A sense of somber respect falls over me, and I freeze beside Benny with my hands in the air. "This is it, isn't it?"

He doesn't have to answer. We're in the spot where The Designation happens. The magic in the circle settles over me like a warm blanket. The stones whisper to me, words I can't quite make out.

"It's wondrous," I whisper. "I never want to leave."

Walking around the circle, I want to roll around on the soft grass and let my magic frolic with the power that permeates the atmosphere. It’s almost like a smell, like the scent of a beloved relative. But it’s more than that. It’s the feeling of coming home.

Of coming home. The thought rings through my very soul. This place feels more like home than any place I’ve been in my life.

What does that mean?

The thought slowly drifts away, and then it’s just me and the magic. Time slips away, and it’s as if I’m flying… as if I’m dancing.

And it’s amazing.

I sigh after a few minutes. Benny stands to the side and lets me commune with the magic. But when I look up at the moon, I’m surprised to see how much time has passed.

Reality crashes around me like a brick wall. "I have to go back. I have to do what's right and apologize to the guys."

He smiles, his eyes crinkling. "You care about them."

Of course, I care about them. I care about them more than anyone in this world. I don’t know what I’d do without them.

But I don’t say that. I just nod and say, "Very much."

He sighs, and I know he understands. “I care about James too, even if he doesn’t know it.”

“Yeah?” I smile.

"James is a good man. He got into a bad crowd in England. The queen hates that little secret society. But he got himself out, and not many can say that." He takes a deep breath. “As for the others, they seem like decent guys too.”

My heart softens. "Let's go back."

It's hard to walk away from the circle. When I step completely out of it, I stagger for a second, surprised by the feeling of loss inside me. My magic was so happy there.

That feeling of happiness and belonging makes me freeze as a realization comes over me. Not everyone feels this way in the circle; I know that deep in my heart. James, Will, or Hank would have mentioned the extreme emotion I felt in the circle if they’d ever experienced it themselves. If nothing else, I know I'm doing the right thing.

My magic connected to the magic in the circle. It will choose me. It wants me to be the catalyst.

Now, I just need to survive that long.