by Nicole Hall
Sera glanced back once and Ryan thought he heard her mutter, “Sleep is too good for you.”
They caught up to Zee in the parking lot. She leaned against the car, staring into the trees. Sera climbed in, but Ryan stopped Jake with a hand on his arm. “Give me a minute.”
Jake looked between Zee and Ryan, then shrugged. “Whatever you need, man.” He got in, and cranked up the radio.
Ryan joined Zee leaning against the car. “That wasn’t just your mind stuff.”
“No.”
“I felt it, you know. The pull.”
She nodded. “You would have.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
Zee shifted her focus to him. “At first, I wasn’t sure it would work. Jake is able to use Sera’s magic, but that’s not always the case with a bond. Then…” She trailed off and returned her gaze to the trees.
Ryan stepped in front of her and rubbed her arms. “You can use as much of my magic as you want, anytime you need it. I’d give it all to you if I could.” He made sure she could feel his sincerity through the bond. The magic would be in way better hands with her anyway. He almost hadn’t noticed the tiny drain while Zee was questioning Will. It’d taken him until he joined her in the parking lot to put it together.
She moved closer and slid her arms around his waist. “You’re a good man, but I still should have asked first.”
Ryan pulled her close and brushed his lips against hers. “Consider this blanket permission.”
Before he could do more than tease them both, Sera stuck her head out the window. “Some of us have things to do today.”
Zee laughed and released him. “Very well.” She got into the car, but her eyes showed him what they’d be doing when they got home. Sera raised her window again, and Ryan wondered how long before she found some other way to interrupt them.
Sera didn’t last ten seconds down the road. “I’m hungry, let’s grab lunch at that barbeque place you keep telling me about.”
Ryan checked with Zee, who shrugged. They needed to eat. “We’re in.”
“Good. Let’s go before I start gnawing on someone’s arm.”
Ryan thought Jake appeared inordinately happy considering they’d gotten diddly squat from that visit. “Shouldn’t we be discussing Will’s utter uselessness?”
Sera sighed. “That’s always a fun topic, but yeah.”
“I don’t think Will or the developers are influencing the Wood,” said Zee.
Jake glanced back at her in the rearview mirror. “I agree with you. Maybe if the sacrifice thing had worked, but Will screwed himself.”
Sera snorted out a laugh. “They’re opportunistic and morally reprehensible, but they can’t do anything with the land.”
Ryan leaned forward between the seats. “How do you know?”
Jake answered him. “Sera got a court summons. Will tried to file a claim that would make him Sera’s legal guardian because she wasn’t of sound mind. I immediately went to talk to Kathy, the court clerk. The two developer guys were with him when he brought it in. Unfortunately for them, Will was stuck in the hospital when Kathy put the claim through to Judge Anderson yesterday, who laughed it out of court. She and Evie used to be on the town council together.”
Sera smiled. “I was looking forward to finally confronting him about his abuse in front of witnesses, but the karma here is acceptable too.”
Jake reached over and rubbed her thigh. “I’ve been thinking though. We should do something with the land so that no one else can come after you for it.”
“That’s a good point. It’s not like I ever plan to sell it, so the monetary value is worthless. I should give it to Zee.”
Zee dismissed it with a wave of her hand. “I’m not legally a person, but it’s an interesting idea.”
It was an interesting idea, but the way she’d said ‘not a person’ bothered him. And it made Ryan think about all the legal problems that would come with Zee staying with him. How illegal is it to forge papers?
They were all silent for a few minutes. A sign for Old West Barbeque pointed them toward a dirt lot where Jake pulled in. He parked and shut off the car. Zee stared skeptically at the small building.
Ryan had been there a couple of times before. Barbeque wasn’t his favorite food, but Jake loved it. He dragged them out here maybe once a year to satisfy his craving. It was a miracle the place was still open. The building used to be an old gas station, but no one besides locals used this road, so it had gone out of business. Leon Walczak bought the place and reinvented it as a restaurant.
Ryan only remembered his name because the guy came out and introduced himself every time they ate there. He still couldn’t remember how to pronounce it.
They’d never seen any other employees, and the interior looked like Howdy Doody had exploded in a tragic prop accident. Despite that, it was by far the best barbeque he’d ever tasted.
They piled out of the car, but no one approached the door. Ryan and Jake had been out there at various times of the day and the door was never locked, but they were never sure the restaurant was open either. He suspected Leon lived somewhere in the back, but he couldn’t imagine where.
Sera stared for a moment, then eyed Jake. “Are you sure this is the right place?”
“Yep.” Jake grabbed her hand and pulled her forward. “Ask Ryan. He’ll tell you.”
Ryan held his hands up. “Whoa, don’t bring me into this.”
They all followed Jake into the thankfully dim building and grabbed one of six tables. Low country music was playing, but barely loud enough to make out the words. Sera claimed the plastic-coated menu sitting in the middle of the table and frowned at it.
“Is it all meat?”
Jake leaned over to look. “He has some cornbread rolls and fries too, but I wouldn’t bother with the fries. Takes away stomach space better used for brisket.”
Sera sighed and asked Ryan, “What do you get?”
“Whatever Jake orders for me. Usually meat drenched in sauce with rolls.”
She muttered something derogatory about men under her breath, but his focus had shifted to Zee. She looked around the restaurant in awestruck horror. “What do you think?”
“I think I saw this place in a horror movie once.”
Leon chose that moment to bustle out of the back with four waters on a tray. Ryan wanted to ask when she’d watched a horror movie, and with who. He knew she preferred Jane Austen to Stephen King, and he had to push down a rising sense of jealousy that someone else had convinced her to try something new. It was a completely irrational set of thoughts, but he was becoming more and more irrational about Zee.
Leon stopped next to their table and smiled, a slight man with wispy facial hair and a heavy Eastern European accent. “Greeting, my guests. My name is Leon Walczak. Ah, Jake, welcome back, my favorite cowboy. Would you like your usual?”
“Sure, Leon.” Jake plucked the menu out of Sera’s hands and plopped it down on the table. “Could you bring us four of those please?”
“Of course. Do you want four sweet teas too or only one for you?”
“Four teas too.”
Leon winked, making an awkward finger gun with one hand. “You got it.” He put the four waters on the table and hurried back through the door.
Sera picked up the menu, smacked Jake with it, then put it back in the stand. “I love when you order for me. How often do you come here?” Jake grinned and moved the menus out of her reach.
"It's not his first time,” said Ryan.
"Don't you mean it's not his first rodeo? Where's your Texas?" Sera snarked.
Jake shook his head. “No one actually says that.”
“I’m going to start saying it. I’m a Texan now.”
Ryan made a harsh buzzer noise. “Nope, sorry, still a California transplant.”
“What do you know, you moved here where you were seventeen.”
“Yeah, but I moved from Austin.” He pointed to himself. “Texan.”
Sera harrumphed, but Jake’s shoulders were shaking with silent laughter.
Zee chimed in. “What does that make me?”
All three stared at her for a second. Ryan finally responded. “I’d say Texan. You were born in the Wood, which is in Texas.”
The mention of the Wood sobered them. Ryan had been playing around with Sera’s idea in the back of his mind, trying to find a way to protect the land without forging papers for Zee, and he thought he might have come up with an idea that could work.
“What if you turned it into a nature preserve?”
Sera tilted her head, but she followed his train of thought. “Can we do that?”
Ryan shrugged. “It’s your land. If you can turn it into luxury housing, I don’t see why you can’t go the other direction.”
Sera nodded as she warmed to the idea. “A nature preserve. I like it. Zee, what do you think?”
Zee stared at him, unblinking. He couldn’t read her face, but the bond told him that she was surprised and proud. “I think it’s a great plan if your government allows it.”
Sera leaned forward and started rattling off ideas for ways to make the preserve work. Jake nodded along, throwing in an occasional comment, but Ryan tuned them out. A sheen of tears had come and gone in Zee’s eyes. He reached under the table to take her hand, and she linked their fingers tightly. It felt like she was holding onto more than his hand, and he was surprised by the strength of his own feelings.
The food came out shortly after, along with the absurdly sweet teas, and they threw stupid ideas at each other for naming the preserve while they dug in. Ryan ate with one hand, unwilling to let go of Zee, and she did the same. The meal provided a welcome respite from the stresses they’d been dealing with.
Soon enough, the food was gone, the bill paid, and they were back in the car heading to Mulligan. As usual, Leon had been strange but kind, insisting the ladies take some rolls home with them. Objectively, his barbeque was the best around. Sera groaned and rubbed her belly, while Jake laughed.
“Told you it was good.”
“I retract my previous snark about you ordering for me. You can order for me whenever you want.”
Zee sighed. “The food was delicious, but we’ve only solved one problem so far today.”
“If Will’s not involved, then who or what could it be? The Wood has been in the same place since Mulligan was founded, before probably, but it’s just recently decided to turn rogue?” Sera glared at the trees they were passing.
“There’s more information we’re missing,” said Jake.
Ryan grimaced. “No shit, but how do we find it?”
Zee slipped her hand into his and squeezed. He looked over at her, and she sent a single thought to him. I have an idea. He nodded slowly. She clearly didn’t want Jake or Sera to know about her use of his magic, and honestly, he was happy to tell them as little as possible about it. He’d spent years cultivating the idea that he was powerless, so it was second nature to hide it.
The three of them brainstormed the rest of the drive, but Zee stayed silent and distracted. Whatever she had in mind, he was all in for it.
12
ZEE
Zee and Ryan got back to the apartment late in the afternoon. She hadn’t meant to pull on his power while talking to Will, but it had been second nature to use what was at her disposal. There was something wrong with Will’s mind all right, but she’d been able to pull what they needed out of him. Even so, she was concerned with the aftermath.
Ryan kept searching her face on the drive back. He held her hand, but he’d raised his shields, and he was being cautious with his thoughts. Zee’s idea pushed the boundaries of their relationship. His magic would play a key role, which always made him uncomfortable, but it might help reunite her with her people. Which might separate her from Ryan for good.
The apartment door closed solidly behind them, and Zee twisted her fingers in front of her as she hesitated. Had she thought through all the possibilities? Caution had served her well, but it felt like the stakes had never been so high.
She sank onto the couch as Ryan grabbed his laptop from his room. He slowed as he came back into the living room and cocked his head.
“What’s wrong?”
Zee smiled. He was getting better at using the bond. “I think I might have a way to contact my people.” She stopped talking out of habit. Never reveal more than necessary. But this was Ryan, and he deserved more than that. “I’d need to use your magic.”
He set the laptop aside and sat next to her on the couch. “I meant what I said earlier. Use as much as you need.”
Zee met his eyes and searched the bond, but all she found was truth. He was genuinely offering himself up to help her. Her anxiety melted away, replaced with hope. Perhaps she’d exaggerated the risk in her mind. “Okay. It’ll have to wait until tonight though.”
“Why tonight? Do I get to be in on the plan?”
She laughed. “I think I can use your magic to fuel a dreamwalk with my second, Lana.” The laugh died, and she frowned. “If she’s willing. We didn’t part on the best terms. As for why tonight? She has to be asleep. You and I would have to maintain contact for this to work. I’d depend on you for that.”
Ryan reached out and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, then trailed his fingers down her neck over the sensitive spot above her collar bone. “I think I can handle it.”
“Contact that won’t distract me.”
“Well, that’s less fun, but still within my capabilities.”
Zee captured his hand before it could wander any further. “I’d like to try another magic lesson.”
Ryan perked up. “Naked magic time?”
“You are incorrigible.” She shook her head, but she was smiling. “I want to teach you how to heal properly.”
He sobered instantly. “How are we going to do that if we don’t have any injuries?”
She pulled out a pack of sewing needles she’d found buried in the back of the pantry and stuck in her hoodie pocket. “We’re going to make injuries.”
“You are not hurting yourself so I can practice a skill I may or may not have.”
Zee shrugged. “Okay, I’m not above making you bleed instead.”
“Uh-huh, I can feel the concern.”
“It’s a tiny moment of pain. I’ve had worse trying to cut an apple in your kitchen.”
“Yeah, but that wasn’t intentional and for no good reason.”
She laid her hand on his arm. “It’s a good reason. A little blood now to be able to stop something more serious later.”
He was going to give in. She could feel it through the bond and see it in the frustration on his face. His nature was to protect, so he was fighting the logic, but the logic would win. Instead of pushing him further, she got up to sanitize the needles she planned to use and to collect some clean washcloths.
In the end, they both ended up bloody. It was necessary to have him practice on himself to feel the impact his magic had on the wound. She’d learned the same way, with needles and pinpricks. She and Lana had practiced on each other until Zee could perform the basics. Lana was a natural healer. She hadn’t needed the extra experience, but she’d done it for Zee.
Ryan learned at almost the same pace as Lana had. His skill as a healer far surpassed her own. When she called a halt, he wasn’t tired from the expenditure, and Zee had no pain from the repeated punctures.
She threw the spotted washcloths in the laundry bin in his bedroom and sanitized the needles again before rejoining him on the couch. He stared off into the distance, but she could tell he’d quieted his magic.
“You have a great deal of talent. Natural healers are rare, and you wield the magic with a finesse that I certainly didn’t teach you.”
He met her eyes and let his distraction fade. “Are you claiming you don’t have finesse with magic? Remember, I watched you make Will spill his guts without our friends knowing you were using magic.”
> “Sera suspected.”
“Yeah, but she believed your answer without question. That’s smooth right there.”
Zee inclined her head. “I’ll accept your point, but I’ve had many years of practice. You’ve had three sessions, and only one where you used your real talent.”
He picked up her hand and played with her fingers. “Maybe you’re a good teacher.”
“It’s more likely you’re highly motivated to learn this particular skill.”
“Okay, we’re both awesome.” He pulled her closer and brushed a kiss over her mouth. “How long do we have until you try to invade Lana’s mind?”
She grimaced. “More than an hour, and I’d prefer if we phrased it differently. I’m not trying to control her.”
“We can call it whatever you want, princess.” He kissed her again, lingering longer this time. “Have you factored in the time difference between here and the Glade?”
“I’m under the impression that when the barriers fell, the Glade’s time aligned with the time out here and has followed suit since.”
Ryan didn’t ask another question. He drew his lips along her jaw and down her neck. Zee sighed as she tilted her head up to give him better access. His hair tickled her face, and she noticed again how long it was getting, past his ears. An image of him with braids in his hair excited her. She wanted that for him. Fae braids for her human warrior.
The hoodie was getting in his way, so he released her hand and pulled it over her head, taking her top with it. Zee smiled at his efficiency. The cool air hit her skin, and she shivered. Ryan tossed her clothes somewhere behind him and pulled off his own shirt. She’d never get tired of touching his chest. Her greedy hands reached for him, but he stalled her.
“I’m all for naughty couch time, but I have plans for you that require more space.”
Zee raised a brow, but let him lead her to the bedroom.
She missed her hour mark, but it was worth it. They lay naked with Zee sprawled on top of him, tracing designs on the planes of his chest.
“Are you ever going to explain the symbol you drew on my hand?” His voice rumbled under her cheek.