Of Time & Spells

by Jennifer Snyder

  I had done what I’d set out to.

  I’d survived.

  I was home.

  I should be happy, but I wasn’t.

  We’d lost Anna. We’d lost Meili. We’d lost Reese’s grandmother.

  I released the breath I’d been holding and opened my eyes in the water. Bubbles rushed from my mouth to the surface, popping on contact. When my lungs burned for their next breath, I sat up and gave it to them. My moment of mourning was over. It was time I pulled myself together.

  I pulled the plug and climbed out. After I dried off and dressed, I headed back to my room. I needed to call Reese. I needed to make sure she was okay.

  I scooped my phone up off my dresser and scrolled through my contacts until my thumb hovered above her name. I couldn’t bring myself to tap it though. I wasn’t strong enough yet. If I talked to her I would break down, which wouldn’t be fair. That was her right, not mine.

  Instead, I dialed Paxton.

  He answered after two rings. “Hey, I was debating whether I should head over to see how you guys fared or wait until tomorrow.”

  “I’m glad I called, then. Saved you a trip.”

  “So how did things go? I’m assuming you managed to free the dragon magic.”

  I unplugged my cell and moved to lie across my bed. My throat pinched shut, but I managed to squeeze out a few words. “We did.”

  “Why are you not as excited as you should be then? Did something happen? Is Jasper okay?”

  A loaded question. I swallowed hard before answering. “He will be.”

  “Throw me a bone here, Piper. Tell me what happened.” The concern in his voice had my eyes pricking with tears. Maybe I wasn’t strong enough to talk to either of my friends right now.

  A long sigh pushed past my lips. “We lost Anna and Meili.” My chest ached as I spoke their names.

  “What do you mean you lost them?”

  Tears pricked the corners of my eyes. I blinked rapidly to hold them at bay. “They didn’t make it. They died during our fight against the Vodun witches,” I whispered. “I still can’t believe it. We lost people. Real people. Jasper is devastated over the loss of Anna. He’s so broken, Paxton. It makes me wonder if saving the dragon magic was worth it.”

  “You don’t mean that.”

  “Maybe I do.” I swallowed hard, unable to get the image of Jasper’s sorrow-filled face out of my mind.

  “Piper, I know you. You don’t mean it. You never would be able to forgive yourself if you had let the dragon shifters die out.”

  I squeezed my eyes shut, hoping to stop my tears from falling. It didn’t help. Warm, salty tears slipped from my eyes anyway. “I don’t know. I don’t know anything right now.”

  Everything was hitting me all at once. I was like an open wound and each thought was a finger prodding at me, causing me to feel more tender and sore. I drew my knees into my chest and rolled over onto my side, curling into a little ball while I held my phone against my ear.

  “Where is Tristan?” I knew Paxton only asked because he thought I needed someone to comfort me, and if Tristan weren’t here, he would take the job himself.

  “On the couch.” I sniffled. “He passed out when he was linked with his dragon magic. The old woman Ms. Beverly sent us to see said it was normal. She said he would wake once it settled inside him.”

  “Do you want me to come over?”

  I exhaled a long breath and felt my lips twitch into a smile. I loved Paxton; he was such a good friend. “Thank you, but no. I just need to get myself together, call Reese and see how she’s doing, and then get some sleep.”

  “Yeah, I think sleep would be a good idea.” I could still hear the worry in his tone. “Call me, text me, yell across the street, and I’ll be there if you need me.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Get some rest. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

  “Okay.” I hung up and pressed my palms into my eyes to try and stop the flow of tears. I couldn’t call Reese if I was a basket case. However, I knew I wouldn’t be able to fall asleep without talking to her either.

  Pulling in a long breath through my nose, I exhaled through my mouth and headed back to the kitchen for a glass of water and the apple I’d left on the counter. On my way there, I passed Jasper’s bedroom. His door was closed, but I could see the light on from beneath the door. I lifted my fist to knock, but the sound of him talking to someone had me pausing. Had he taken my advice and decided to reach out to Anna’s family for the funeral arrangements? I didn’t want to interrupt if so. I turned and continued down the hall. The sight of Tristan lying on the couch sent my heart dipping into my stomach. He still hadn’t come to. My lips pressed into a thin line, and I made my way to the kitchen. The apple was still on the counter where I’d left it. So were the carrots. I pulled a glass from the cabinet and filled it with water before grabbing the apple and heading back to my room.

  After drinking a third of my water and polishing off the apple, I picked up my cell and scrolled until I found Reese’s name. I tapped it and ringing filled my ear.

  “Hello?” Her voice was scratchy with sleep, and I knew I had woken her.

  “Hey, it’s me. We just got back about an hour ago, and I wanted to see if you were okay. See how you’re doing.”

  “Piper?” She yawned.

  “Yeah.”

  “Oh my God, I’m so glad you’re okay! I was so worried about you.” A rustling sound filtered through the phone, and I imagined it was her sitting up in bed. “I’ve been having nightmares, and I was so worried something happened to you.”

  “I’m fine.” Not technically a lie, but still so far from the truth. “What are your nightmares about?”

  “I really don’t want to talk about it. I want to know how you are. You said you’re back, so I am guessing that means you were able to free the dragon magic from the mirror, right? Does it also mean you were able to kick some Vodun ass for me?”

  “Yeah, you’d be thrilled with how much Vodun ass I kicked.” A small chuckle slipped past my lips. Tension eased from my muscles because of it. “And we were able to break the cloak and get the dragons back their magic.”

  “I knew you could do it. I didn’t have any doubts.”

  “Thanks for the vote of confidence.” I took a sip from my water while I thought about how to word what I wanted to say next. There was no easy way to bring up her grandmother. “Are you okay? I’m so sorry about your grandmother, Reese, I really am. I can’t believe she’s gone, and I’m glad you don’t hate me because it was my fault.”

  She sighed into the phone. “It wasn’t your fault, and I’m hanging in there.”

  “It was. If I hadn’t agreed to help the dragons, she would still be alive.”

  “You were saving an entire breed of shifters from dying out, Piper. That’s big. Besides, you couldn’t have known they would come after my grandmother. No one could have. I can’t be mad at you for not being able to predict the future.” She paused long enough for her words to soak in. “Besides, you said you took care of them. You said you’d kicked their asses for me.”

  “We did, but we didn’t end them. Actually your grandmother’s friend, Kalisa, was the one who did. She crafted a crazy spell I’ve never seen before that turned them into statues.”

  “Seriously?”

  “Yeah, it was amazing. I wish you could’ve been there to see it. It was like something out of a movie.”

  “Me too. Did you smash them into tiny bits because that would’ve been fun?”

  “No. We should have though. It would’ve been fun.” I took another sip of my water. “All of our attention sort of went to Liam after that. He was working with them the entire time. In fact, one of the sisters was actually his lover.”

  “No way! Start from the beginning and give me details. I want to know how everything went down.”

  It took a while, but I managed to tell Reese the entire story. I didn’t leave anything out. Not even the death toll we managed to rack u
p along the way.

  “Poor Jasper,” Reese whispered. “I can’t believe he lost her twice in such a short span of time.”

  “I know.” My heart broke for my brother all over again.

  “Do you think he’ll decide against his decision to not go to her funeral?”

  “I don’t know. I think I heard him on the phone with someone earlier. I’m not sure if he was diving back into business stuff, or if he was taking a second to contact her family and give them his condolences or something.” I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “Honestly, I don’t even know if I want to go. I can sort of see his point when he said that he’d already said his goodbye to her. I did too. And I’m not sure I want to have my last memories of her replaced by the sight of her lying in a coffin. Funerals aren’t my thing, I guess. Does that make me sound disrespectful?”

  “No, I understand. Funerals are hard.” Her words were soft-spoken. I wondered if her mind had dipped back to thoughts of her grandmother. “Make sure you send flowers or something though. Flowers are always nice.”

  “We will.”

  “Well, I’m sure you’re exhausted. I should probably get off here and let you get some rest. Call me later?”

  “Yeah, I am. Talk to you later.” I hung up at the same time she did.

  Once I set my cell on my nightstand, I climbed beneath the covers. My gaze drifted to my ceiling as I replayed our conversation in my head. Had Reese noticed or been told about the flowers we’d set on her grandmother? I hoped.

  My eyelids grew heavy. I was out seconds later.

  Chapter 25

  I woke to someone shaking me gently. The soft murmur of speech lulled me even further from sleep. My eyes blinked, and it took me several times before they were able to commit to staying open. Tristan’s face hovered above me, grabbing my attention.

  “You’re awake.” My voice sounded scratchy. I cleared my throat and tried to speak again as I moved into a sitting position. “How are you feeling?”

  A slow smile stretched across his face. “I’m good. Really good.”

  “Can you feel your magic? Is it still there?”

  He nodded as he moved to sit on the edge of my bed. “Yeah, I can feel it. It’s strong. Stronger than I thought it would be.” His eyes shifted to mine, and an intense, almost sorrow-filled expression formed on his face. “I want to say I’m sorry for everything you’ve been through. You and Jasper. I’m sorry about Anna, and I feel bad for being as happy as I am about you helping me and my tribe out.”

  I leaned back against my headboard. “It wasn’t your fault, and I’m glad I was able to help get your tribe’s magic back before it was too late.”

  Tristan rubbed at the back of his neck. “So, how is Jasper holding up?”

  I chewed my bottom lip while deciding how to best respond to his question. Words spun through my mind, but none of them seemed like the right ones. Describing Jasper’s state was hard, especially when I didn’t want any sense of blame to fall on Tristan’s shoulders.

  “He’s in a dark place right now, but I know he’ll get through it. I’ve seen him do it before.” I locked eyes with Tristan to get my point across.

  “Right, with your parents.” He dropped his gaze to my comforter. “Listen, would you want to get out of here for a minute? There’s something I’ve been wanting to do and only one person I want to do it with.” His gaze locked on mine, causing a fluttering sensation to rush through my stomach.

  “And what is that?”

  “Try flying,”

  My heart kick-started as mind dipped back to thoughts of the bet we’d made in New Orleans the night before the Snake of Possession tried to attack. It had to do with whether Anna and Jasper would get married after everything with the dragon magic was said and done. I thought they wouldn’t, and Tristan had thought they would. If Tristan were right, he would get to go on my trip across Europe with me, and if I was right, I would be the first person he took flying when he got his magic.

  Anna was dead. I guess it was only fitting I would be the first to go flying with Tristan, because there was no possible way he could win the bet now.

  Tristan’s hand cupped my knee. His eyes were still on me, I could feel them, but I couldn’t bring myself to meet his stare. I’d dipped into a dark place and was struggling hard not to cry in front of him.

  “I’m sorry. I know what asking you to come with me brought to mind.” His hand lifted from my knee to run through his hair. “I didn’t mean to remind you of our bet.”

  A tear slipped down my cheek. I caught it with the back of my hand before it dripped from my chin. “I know you didn’t.”

  “I wish there was something I could do.”

  “Me too, but there isn’t anything.” I wiped my eyes and sniffled, struggling to gain control over my emotions. I hated crying in front of people. I hated crying, but it seemed like I was doing a lot of it lately. “It’s going to take time, but things will be okay. We all will be okay.”

  My words held truth. I’d seen it before with the death of my parents. It had taken time, but eventually, Jasper and I were able to get into a rhythm and move forward with our lives again.

  This situation was no different.

  Forcing a small smile onto my face, I met Tristan’s gaze. “So, flying? You really think you’re ready for that?” I arched a brow.

  “Heck yeah, I am.”

  “Then what are we waiting for?” I slipped out of bed and grabbed a hooded sweatshirt from my closet.

  “You really want to come?”

  “Of course I do.” I made my way to my window and forced it open.

  “What are you doing? I’m sure your brother is fast asleep and wouldn’t hear us if we went out the front door instead.”

  I popped the screen out of the window and set it to the side before glancing back at him from over my shoulder. “And tell me, dragon boy, where’s the fun in that?”

  A wide grin spread across his face as he started toward me, shaking his head. “You got me there.”

  I slipped out the window and into the night. Cool air pressed against my face and legs. I covered my hands with my sleeves and wrapped my arms around my middle. Tristan climbed out the window and stepped to where I was standing.

  “Where should we go so you can change?” I asked. We didn’t have a privacy fence or trees to block his change from the neighbors.

  “Actually, I was thinking I could just do it right here. It’s like midnight. There’s hardly anybody awake on the street, and it’s pitch black out.”

  “Oh, okay.” I leaned against my house, trying to stay out of his way. “So, do you know how to do this?”

  Reese and Paxton had their families to talk them through their first shifts. Tristan didn’t. Unless someone had mentioned what he was supposed to do in a situation like this, should his tribe ever regain its magic, but I thought it was doubtful.

  “In some strange way, I do.” He slipped his T-shirt off and tossed it on the ground. My nerve endings caught fire sending desire burning through me at the sight of him shirtless. I licked my lips in an effort to force myself to behave. “It’s like an instinct or something. I know all I have to do is let my magic take over. It seems simple; I just hope it really is.” Tristan’s eyes locked with mine, and I could see the worry present in them.

  I pushed myself off the side of the house and erased the distance between us. I cupped his face between my palms and brushed my lips against his in a soft kiss. “You’ll be fine. I’m right here with you,” I said as I pulled back.

  “Thanks,” he whispered.

  “You’re welcome.”

  This was a big moment for Tristan. It was his first time tapping into his magic. The first time he set his wings free. His first time flying. And I was honored to be here to witness it all.

  “Can you take another step back? I don’t want to accidentally poke your eye out with one of my wings or something,” he said with a nervous chuckle.

  I did as he asked. “Su
re.”

  Tristan closed his eyes. His arms lifted at his sides as he shook his hands and fingers out, readying himself for the change. The sound of him inhaling and exhaling deep, measured breaths could be heard over the chirps of crickets. My heart pounded as I mentally prepared myself for what I was about to see. The image in the mirror from the Vodun house was one thing, but this was different. This was real. It wasn’t a trick of magic.

  And it was about to happen right in front of me.

  As Tristan’s breathing became labored, I noticed a slight sheen of sweat glistening across his beautiful skin. His lips pressed into a thin line, and his nostrils flared with the force of his breath. The air around him seemed to charge with energy. Was it due to the change building inside of him?

  Tristan tipped his head back, his face scrunched up in agony, and my stomach dropped to my toes. I was positive he was about to let out a scream that would wake my brother and send him charging outside, looking for a fight. The air vibrated against my skin as what was happening inside Tristan intensified. His mouth opened, but he didn’t scream like I expected. Instead, he released a long breath of air. His chest heaved as relief rippled through his eyes. Scales spread from underneath his eyes and continued toward his ears. They trailed down his neck and across his bare chest until he was covered with them. Next came the spikes. They started where his brows should be and continued around his head in an intricate pattern of waves and small circles. Again though, his large wings stunned and fascinated me most. They were bright blue and gray, and the edges were trimmed in a deeper, darker shade of blue that still reminded me of the ocean during a storm.

  They were beautiful.

  His eyes shifted from their usual color into a shade of gray far brighter than anything I’d ever seen before. The corners of his lips quirked into a smile as he held my stare.

  “So, what do you think?”

  “I think you’re beautiful.” My words came out in a breathy whisper.

  “Now that’s something I don’t think I’ve ever been called before.”

  I rolled my eyes. “I find that hard to believe.”