A Mage's Power

by Casey Wolfe

  “So, we had to get Nyx to make you one of her cakes,” Caleb supplied, before taking a giant bite.

  Shaw had to admit it was pretty damn good. He wasn’t a dessert person, but this was nice. The peanut butter cake was nice and fluffy, while the chocolate buttercream was rich and creamy. “Consider me surprised.” Shaw licked frosting from his lips. “And very grateful.”

  He took Rowan’s hand, which happened to be his left. There was no bandage on it today. That meant when Shaw turned it over, he was able to see the raised line going across Rowan’s palm—a scarred reminder of his fight against Badger. Shaw ran his thumb gently across it.

  Rowan wrapped his fingers around Shaw’s hand, causing him to look up and meet his gaze. Shaw smiled softly, remembering himself. “You didn’t have to do anything,” Shaw insisted. “I stopped givin’ a damn ’bout birthdays a long time ago.”

  “Well, being old does that,” Caleb fired back, giving him a cheeky grin around his fork.

  Rowan smacked Caleb’s arm, ignoring his faux complaint, and said, “We got you something else too.”

  “Oh?”

  Rowan licked his lips. “We weren’t really sure what you might want. Normally, we’d just ask you, but we didn’t want to ruin the surprise, so if you don’t like it…”

  Caleb nudged him when he trailed off.

  “When we talked about fishing, you mentioned that you liked doing that and wanted to try it out on the ocean one day, so…”

  Shaw’s brows rose, and he looked between the pair. Thankfully, Caleb supplied, “We found a charter boat that does fishing tours in the Galst Deep. We’ve got a long weekend booked.”

  “When?” Shaw asked, feeling excited at the idea of finally getting to go deep sea fishing.

  “Not this one, but the next. Will you have work off? Summer rush isn’t for a while yet, so we can rebook if we need to.”

  Shaw’s initial excitement waned. “Yeah… Work.”

  Rowan cursed under his breath, apparently knowing exactly what path his mind had strayed to. After a long pause, Rowan said, “We’ll go another time.”

  “I’m sorry.” Shaw felt bad now for ruining their thoughtful gift.

  “What?” Caleb’s brows were lost behind his hair. “Why?”

  Shaw and Rowan shared a look. “There are some…things,” Shaw answered, “going on.”

  “Why do I have the feeling I won’t like this?”

  “’Cause you won’t,” Rowan muttered, then took a sip of his latte. To Shaw, he checked, “Are you sure?”

  Rowan didn’t have to finish that statement—was it smart? Likely, Rhys would kill Shaw for even allowing Rowan to know about his mission, let alone Caleb. Shaw couldn’t argue necessity in either case. But, in no way was he worried that either of them posed a threat to his safety or the integrity of the mission therein.

  “Maybe we should take this out to your place,” Shaw suggested to Rowan. He quirked his lips at Caleb next. “Good thing you didn’t make plans, I guess.”

  Caleb snorted. “Why do I suddenly feel like I need alcohol?”

  “I actually have been thinking about…” Rowan drifted off, waving his hand in a circle to encompass the Inquisition dilemma. “I have an idea.”

  “Definitely will need to stop for alcohol,” Caleb concluded.

  Shaw clapped Caleb on the shoulder, giving him a little shake. “Oh, you have no idea.”

  Caleb gazed back carefully. “Is it seriously that bad?” he asked after a long moment.

  “I’ll tell you in the car.”

  “I DON’T LIKE this.” Caleb crossed his arms over his chest.

  “Which part?” Shaw snarked from his perch on the counter.

  “Any of it.” Caleb narrowed his eyes at Shaw. The image was somehow ruined with the emerald locks falling into his face.

  “You’re acting like I like it any better.”

  Caleb’s piercing gaze went to Rowan, not that he even seemed phased by the look. “You lied to me,” Caleb accused.

  “I didn’t lie.”

  “Bullshit!” Caleb barked, hands slamming down onto the kitchen table between them. “The day after you went home with Shaw, what did you tell me?”

  Rowan looked like a kid who got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. He refused to look at Caleb as he murmured, “I said everything went fine.”

  “Conveniently leaving out the part where you found out he was a witch. And then, when you learned the truth about this undercover shit, you left me in the dark! Just like you did with the goddamn shapechanger!”

  “You already yelled at me for that,” Rowan shot back, brow lowering.

  “Who the hell am I gonna tell?” Caleb growled. “You seem to forget that you’re my pack!”

  Rowan reeled back as though he’d been slapped.

  Shaw slid off the counter, moving to intervene. “Everybody chill out, okay?” He pushed his powers out, trying to bring the situation under control.

  He watched Rowan’s eyes fall shut, taking a deep breath as he absorbed the familiar energy.

  Caleb twitched, shaking his head. “Well, that’s annoying,” he grumbled. Shaw could see him visibly relaxing all the same.

  “Now,” Shaw continued, when the atmosphere in the cottage calmed down, “what happened, happened. Can’t change that. Right now, we move forward.”

  Caleb was looking elsewhere when he spoke to Rowan quietly, “I get why you didn’t say anything about the mage. But, why not tell me about all this? You’re supposed to trust me.”

  “I do.” Rowan reached out, grabbing Caleb’s arm as he came around the table. “That’s why I’m telling you now.” He rubbed Caleb’s arms up and down, tension leaving Caleb’s body. “I get that you’re upset with me. But, what kind of person would I be to tell you something that Shaw told me in confidence?”

  Caving, Caleb dropped his head onto Rowan’s shoulder, arms coming around to hold onto the back of Rowan’s shirt. Rowan drew him closer, wrapping him into a hug. “I’m sorry,” Caleb said, voice muffled.

  “You were worried,” Rowan replied, rubbing his back. “I get it.” He nuzzled his nose against Caleb’s cheek.

  “So,” Shaw ventured, “can we get back to the part about how this plan isn’t the smartest?”

  “I hate to agree with him,” Caleb said, “but I think it’s stupid.”

  Rowan shoved him. It was more out of good-natured scolding than anything antagonistic. “I’d like to see either of you come up with better.” Shaw and Caleb traded a look. “That’s what I thought.”

  Shaw sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Let’s go over this again.”

  “What’s there to go over?” Rowan retorted. “You take me in, book me for a made-up offense. If they’re taking powerful magicae, they won’t be able to resist, and they’ll move me to wherever it is they’re holding the others. You follow. You expose them. Job done.”

  “Except for the part where how we’re supposed to follow you,” Caleb replied, looking pointedly at Shaw. It was a clear message; Caleb’s involvement wasn’t up for debate.

  “I’ll make a charm, obviously.”

  “Doesn’t a tracking spell require you to have a charm on your end?” Shaw checked. “They’re not going to let you keep anything.”

  “They have to let me keep my blood.” Rowan smirked.

  “Well,” Caleb snarked, “or at least most of it.”

  Shaw wet his lips, brows pinched together. “Blood magic.”

  Rowan looked at him carefully. “You can’t tell me you’re still nervous about that.”

  “No, I just don’t know enough about it. I’m not sure how it would work.”

  “Easy enough.” Rowan pulled his necklace off, the aqua aura gem glinting as the light hit it. “You know how scrying works? It’ll work like that.” He gently moved the crystal in a circular motion. “The charm will be keyed to my blood, so it will locate me wherever I am, at any given time.”

  “And we’re testing
this out first, right?”

  Rowan gave him a look that fell somewhere between exasperation and fondness. “Yes, Shaw, we can do some trial runs.”

  “That gets us to the kidnapped magicae,” Caleb pointed out the obvious, “but what about getting you out?”

  Rowan shrugged. “That part is more Shaw’s department than mine.”

  Shaw rubbed his jaw. “The problem is that we don’t know where they’re being held. They could be taking them back out of Osterian once they get here. Unless they are in Calagon, my squad can’t help us. But, Rhys can get us intel, pull strings. I can probably arrange it so that the appropriate military gets tipped off.”

  “Allow them to lead the raid,” Rowan figured.

  “It’s the only way to go about it that would be legal. I risk political blowback should anyone know I was involved in an assignment like this.”

  “That’s why they call it black ops,” Rowan said with a little smirk, repeating Shaw’s explanation of what he did for a living.

  Caleb didn’t seem as amused. “So, basically we’re gambling that we won’t be able to get Rowan out.”

  “We’ll get him out,” Shaw replied, tone brokering no argument. “I’ll go in and get him myself if I have to. This shit ends here. These assholes won’t take anyone else from me.”

  Rowan laid a hand on top of Shaw’s clenched fist. Shaw hadn’t realized he’d allowed his anger to show that much. He forced his hand open, pressing his palm flat to the table, absorbing the feelings Rowan was sending him.

  Shaw turned his hand over, wrapping his fingers around Rowan’s. “Thank you,” he murmured, returning Rowan’s soft smile.

  “We can do this.” Rowan’s voice was gentle but also filled with confidence.

  In that moment, Shaw believed him with all his heart.

  Chapter Sixteen

  IT TOOK A few days to get the supplies he needed. Rowan didn’t typically use vials for charms, so it wasn’t something he kept on hand. He brought everything to the cottage, knowing full well that what he was about to do would be draining. It was safer to be home, shielded from the rest of the world behind his wards—all shored up with added barriers after the whole Badger ordeal.

  Shaw had insisted on being there. Rowan wanted to tell him no, but seeing the worry on his face, Rowan had caved. At least Shaw was staying out of the way, watching from the couch. The coffee table had been moved, creating a work space in the middle of the room, where Rowan sat.

  He took a small glass vial from the box. He also grabbed one of the titanium casings. If he had to order a whole dozen, he figured he may as well have picked nice-looking ones he could potentially use in the shop too.

  “Can you come hold this for me so I don’t spill it?” Rowan asked.

  Shaw hesitantly sat cross-legged in front of him, holding the vial. “What’s that for?” he inquired of the small bottle Rowan produced.

  “Lotus oil.” Rowan used the dropper to put three drops in the vial. “It will help enhance the spell.”

  “If you say so.” Shaw shifted uncomfortably.

  Rowan picked up the small knife he had prepared beforehand, making sure it was sharp and disinfecting it. He pricked the pad of his thumb on the tip. The sting was brief and blood welled immediately. He held his thumb over the vial, squeezing it with his other hand to let the blood drip a little faster.

  Under his breath, Rowan spoke the incantation, linking the vial to his energy signature. When it was nearly filled, Rowan pulled his hand away. Rubbing his thumb and forefinger together, he felt the tiny wound heal.

  Rowan took the vial, putting the stopper in, before slotting it inside the metal casing. It was sleek and modern looking, rather attractive to counter the slightly morbid contents. He gave the vial a good shake to mix the blood and oil together. Looking up at Shaw, he announced, “Here. All finished.”

  Shaw took the offered charm, turning it over in his hand.

  “I’ll put it on a chain,” Rowan continued, “but it’s all ready to go if you want to test it out.”

  Shaw gazed intently at the vial, frowning.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I’m worried.”

  Rowan smiled a little. “I know you are, but I honestly think this is our best shot.” He took the charm back, rooting in one of his boxes for an appropriate chain. “The maps you wanted should be sitting on the printer in the other room. I forgot to grab them.”

  Shaw got up without a word, going into the turret room where the wireless printer was kept. Normally, Rowan would never think of letting anyone in his magic space unsupervised, but he knew he could trust Shaw. Like with all things since meeting him, Rowan simply went with the flow of his feelings, rather than trying to fight them.

  “There.” Rowan held the necklace up like a pendulum, smiling at Shaw when he returned. Rowan passed it over and said, “Try it for yourself.”

  Shaw held the necklace over the map of the Sacred Timber, startled when the pendant yanked and hit the page right where they were currently located. He looked at Rowan wide-eyed.

  “Told you it would work,” Rowan said with a smirk.

  Shaw’s lips curled up into a smile. “I never doubted you. It’s the rest of this plan I’m concerned with.”

  Rowan leaned forward, brushing their lips together. “I’ll be fine.”

  When Rowan sat back, Shaw gazed thoughtfully at the charm once more. “Since I have a way to find you, maybe I should let you have one of these for me.” He looked up, biting his lip.

  “Really?” Rowan wasn’t sure what else to say. Shaw had already proven leery about blood magic, yet there he was, not only suggesting he partake but that Rowan would always know where he was. It was flattering in a way, and it clearly involved a lot of trust on Shaw’s part.

  “Yeah. I’m yours, Ro. I want you to know that.”

  Rowan’s lips tugged up at the corner. All the same, he shook his head. “You don’t have to prove anything to me.”

  “I’m not. It’s just…” Shaw sighed, chewing at his lower lip a moment. “I don’t know how to explain it. What’s between you and me? I’ve never felt anything like it.”

  “Can’t argue there,” Rowan agreed softly.

  “All I know is that if witches and mages had mates, then you would be it for me.”

  Rowan’s heart skipped a beat. “I…I hadn’t thought of it like that before.”

  “Well, I’ve been thinkin’ about it a lot,” Shaw admitted, a hopeful smile on his face. “There’s nobody else for me out there.”

  “You are—” Rowan shook his head, launching himself at Shaw and holding on tightly as he chuckled. “I love you.” It was all he could think to say.

  Shaw held him in return, nose falling into Rowan’s hair. “I love you, too.”

  As they stayed like that, an idea came to Rowan. “You know,” he mentioned, “I think there’s a way I can bind the charms together.”

  “Wha’ do you mean?”

  Rowan pulled away, resting back onto his heels. “There might be a way to use the blood charms to create a mating bond. Of sorts.” He twisted his hands together, looking away as he started to babble. “I’d have to look at some of Gram’s books. Maybe call Sacha for advice. But, I think I could figure it out if I have the time to—”

  Shaw silenced him with a kiss. Rowan sank against him, lost to emotion and forgetting about the details for the time being.

  “Well,” Shaw said, cupping his cheek, “if you do figure it out? We’ll do it.”

  “You mean that?” Rowan breathed.

  Shaw smiled. “You make my soul sing.”

  Rowan felt the heat on his face and tried to cover it with his hand, but Shaw took his wrist, chuckling a little.

  “Who’s to say that we don’t have soul mates?” Shaw continued. “Even science can’t explain how it all works. Hell, they can’t even explain what a soul is, let alone the specifics of a mate bond.”

  “You make a point,” Rowan said. “Never
put much thought into it.” There was no reason for him to—not when he would never have a mate—or so he believed.

  “See?” Shaw’s fingers were rubbing the inside of Rowan’s wrist. “No reason we can’t have soul mates ourselves.”

  “Can’t deny the way I feel about you. It’s not anything I can explain, but maybe we don’t have to.”

  “Really, isn’t that what mates are anyway? Something unexplainable by any test, any measure, any—?” Shaw cut himself off with a sigh, shaking his head ruefully. “Now I’m the one rambling.”

  Rowan leaned forward to press their heads together. “You’re right. It’s something they know at their cores, a pull that brings them together.” He let out a little laugh, almost in disbelief. “And that’s exactly how I feel about you.”

  Shaw kissed him, hard and fast, taking him off guard. There was a familiar prickle of magic on his skin, warmth spreading through him. “That mean I can keep you?” Shaw asked, brushing their lips together.

  “Long as I can keep you.”

  “It’s a deal.” He grabbed Rowan, yanking him forward and causing them to topple over. Rowan was laid out on top of him, and he shook his head at Shaw’s cheeky grin.

  “We’re supposed to be doing something,” Rowan pointed out.

  “We can finish that up later.” Shaw’s fingertips ran along Rowan’s ribs, his other hand hooking around Rowan’s neck to bring him down for another long kiss.

  Rowan wasn’t going to complain about where things were heading. He still remembered their first night together, how high he had flown. In hindsight, he realized why it had felt so magical—because it was.

  Shaw groaned, apparently picking up on Rowan’s lustful feelings. Their positions were flipped, the vials clinking as the box was hit.

  “Is it always like this?” Rowan panted.

  “No.” Shaw was taking deep breaths of his own. “I’ve had intense before,” he clarified, “but never like this.”

  Rowan was strangely satisfied by that. Perhaps because it reflected his own experiences, as well as their talk of soul mates.