Was she right? I replayed our months together since the blood bond was broken. The progression of our relationship didn’t feel forced or unnatural.
It felt right.
I remembered the mind tricks Martyn had used to torture me. There’d been fears that haunted me—Abraxas and my brother. But no fears about Callan. Deep down, I knew the truth. Maybe I was just afraid of accepting it. That because of what had happened before—what I’d done—that I didn’t deserve love. Gods, Alana would be so proud right now.
“If you’re really concerned, you should talk to him about it,” Mia suggested. “At least let him know how you’re feeling. That’s part of being in a relationship. Honest communication.” She paused. “Not that I would know.”
“Aw, don’t worry, Mia,” Bryn said. “It’ll happen eventually. We all know you’re a Keeper.” She laughed at her own joke.
“Thanks,” I said. “You witches always know the right thing to say.” Haggis objected when I stopped petting her and moved to the windowsill to rotate my collection of rune rocks. I moved Gunak the Great, my brother’s toy wizard, into pride of place in the middle. Then I paused to admire the new additions, a reminder of my recent achievements.
Mia came to stand beside me. “Have you decided which runes you want to add to them?”
“Not yet,” I said, my gaze fixed on the new stones and Gunak the Great. “I figure I have plenty of time.”
“Oh, wolf alert,” Mia said, glancing out the window.
My heart skipped a beat as I caught sight of the handsome werewolf striding toward the building. “He didn’t say he was coming over.”
“He’s used to spending quality time with you now,” Dani said. “He probably misses you.”
I missed him, too. I couldn’t wait to spend more time with him during the break. “I’ll be back,” I called over my shoulder and dashed out the door.
I used my speed rune and intercepted Callan on the steps to the residence wing.
“There’s the vision I’ve been dreaming of,” Callan said.
“I wasn’t expecting you,” I said.
He cocked an eyebrow. “Disappointed?”
“Never.”
“Care to take a turn about the lake?” he asked and extended his arm.
“Are we planning to transport ourselves back a couple of centuries?” I teased.
“I know how you like being outdoors,” he said. “Same as me.”
I looped my arm through his and we sauntered away from the building. “There’s a question I need to ask you.”
“Hit me,” he said.
“Have you ever thought that maybe our blood bond is the reason we’re together now?”
“Of course it’s the reason,” he said, completely unconcerned.
I jerked my head toward him. “That doesn’t bother you?”
He snaked an arm around my waist and tugged me closer. “If it weren’t for that annoying bond, we wouldn’t have been forced to spend so much time together. I wouldn’t have gotten to know you. Learned all the hidden parts that make you Cerys.”
I stopped walking and faced him. “But you don’t worry that it was the magic that made us think we’d developed feelings for each other? That it isn’t real?”
“Oh, it was magic all right,” he replied. “But it had nothing to do with Bryn’s blood bond. We’re good for each other, lemon drop. You’ve got that rainbow and unicorn thing going on and that balances out the grump in me.”
“You’re not a grump.” I gave his arm a playful punch. “And what do you bring to the table?”
He smoothed back my hair. “I remind you that underneath that cheerful and responsible exterior, there’s a badass witch who deserves all the love in the world.”
I gazed up at him. “Yours?”
“Mine, theirs, everybody in the damn realm.” He kissed me and I practically vibrated off the ground. “You’re as rare as they come, Cerys. Any fool can see that. And since we’re asking deep questions, here’s another one. Still think you’ll be an Enforcer of the East when you graduate?”
I bit my lip. “Where did that come from?”
“I’ve been wondering, that’s all. You’ll need to know soon. Fourth Year is decision time.”
“I’ve been thinking about it,” I admitted, “but I haven’t decided.”
“Mona says that Warden Armitage thinks you’ve hit your stride this year.”
“They’re still talking?”
“Seems so,” Callan replied. “She doesn’t say much about it, but I think they may have reconnected after the Hunter.”
“That’s great,” I said. I liked both of them. It would be nice to see them happy.
“I just want to tell you…” Callan hesitated. “Don’t take me into account when you make your decision.”
My heart squeezed. “What do you mean?” Was he trying to tell me he didn’t plan to continue the relationship anyway? After everything we’d just said?
“I mean I’ll do whatever you want me to,” he said. “I’ll go where you go. I don’t want to end up like Mona and Armitage. They were both morons, throwing away what they had.”
“But Terrene is your home. You’re happy there.”
“I’m happy with you, in a cave in the djinn realm. In this world. In Outer Mongolia. Wherever that is.” He tipped up my chin. “So I figure home is wherever you are.”
“I’m so glad you said that,” I told him.
He patted my lumpy pocket. “Are you already carting around those new stones?”
I smiled. “I still need to make room on the windowsill.” I emptied the two new additions from my pocket and held them in my palm for closer inspection.
“You already added a rune to the prince’s stone?” he queried. “Fast work.”
“I carved it during a session with Alana.” She’d watched me work but had asked no questions. She knew I liked to keep my hands occupied when we talked. It made me feel more comfortable to express my feelings. “She was pleased to hear all about my progress.”
“What’s it for? Perseverance?” he asked, staring intently at the stone. “I don’t recognize the characters.”
I rubbed my thumb across the deep lines, remembering how good it felt to carve the word. “No, not perseverance.” My eyes met his and I smiled. “Redemption.”
Also by Annabel Chase
Thank you for reading Outlaw, the final book in the Enforcer of the East duology. If you enjoyed Cerys’s story, please consider signing up for my newsletter here http://eepurl.com/dsug5j and receive 2 FREE short stories-one set in the Spellslingers world and one in the Magic Bullet world. You can also like me on Facebook.
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Outlaw: Spellslingers Academy of Magic (Enforcer of the East Book 2) Page 18