Chapter 30
Mason woke with a killer migraine and his head in a fog. He couldn’t remember anything but sensed something different.
Fingers trailed over his shoulders, sensation tripping along his nerves, magic waking up. He closed his eyes again, enjoying Josephine’s touch.
The pain and fog melted away. “Did it work?” he asked, his voice hoarse.
“Better than I could have imagined. Now, you need to learn how to cast illusions, to warp reality, and all the tricks you need to bring Chatan to me.”
He pushed himself up, looking into her eyes. “Not Wendy?”
“She’ll come after him if she’s still there and they’re together. If not, I’ll find her later. But Chatan might be the key to fix my current problem. I’ll be able to go as long as I want without resorting to killing. I can drain a little magic and not all the essence. I could be whole.”
He nodded.
“And in the meantime, you can become as strong as I am. Would you like that?”
“Would you?” he asked.
She knelt before him, taking his face in her hands. “If it will keep you by my side and happy, yes. You need to tell me what you want.”
“Honest, Josephine, I don’t care either way about the magic. I want to make you happy. Not because you’re in my head like Maxine believed, but because your smile makes me whole.”
She smiled. There was enough of him in there to truly love her. She may have influenced him, but he wanted her. That was enough for her.
“I want you strong so I can keep you.”
He caressed her face, then pulled her close for a kiss. “Then I’ll take more magic, after you teach me to use what I gained.”
“You need food before I train you. Orlando wants to help. He’s seen her use her magic more than I have. He can hopefully explain better.”
“Have I given you the impression I’m worried about Orlando?”
Her lips quirked. “You don’t like him.”
He lifted a shoulder. “Not for that reason. He’s an asshole. I don’t have to like him to learn from him.”
Josephine smiled. “I like it when you give me your opinion. Don’t hold back, Mason. I chose right when I took you in.”
“Hmm?” he asked.
She sighed. “Butch got himself and several others arrested by doing what I told them not to.”
“Arrested?” He laughed. “What did those fools do now?”
“Smashed through a motel room window. Slipped inside. Found nothing but her scent. And I’m letting them rot in jail.”
“They may try to pin it on you,” he stated.
She shook her head. “Nope. They won’t. I can wipe their memory from a distance. I already did. They don’t know what they were doing at all.”
Mason nodded. What else could he say?
* * * *
Going back to his parents’ cabin had been the best decision Chatan had ever made. For the first time since his mother’s death, he felt at home.
Jacinda lay in his arms, her back snuggled against his front. He had one hand on her stomach. His other fingers were intertwined with hers. He could have stayed there forever, but he needed to get them moving.
First, he needed to know what happened with the Saint Morton asswipes. Then he needed to take Jacinda to breakfast. Later, they needed to go to the nursery. And all he wanted to do was stay in bed with Jacinda and enjoy her presence.
His phone buzzed and he reached back to grab it, looking at the text.
Loretta – Are you coming for breakfast?
Chatan – We’ll be there. Are Taryn and Loval coming?
After the night before, there was a good chance they were.
Loretta – They want to know what happened. Of course they’ll be here.
Chatan kissed Jacinda’s shoulder. “Hungry, Jace?”
“Hmm? Oh, yeah.” She yawned, stretching. Her silky skin pressed tighter. “I like waking up with you.” She turned over, wrapping her leg over his hip. “Tell me she doesn’t expect us yet. I have a craving for you.”
“We have time, if we’re fast.” He rolled on top of her, taking her mouth in a kiss as he slid inside her warm depths.
* * * *
Chatan still held onto a few secrets, but after spending a night in his mother’s home, she finally felt as if she understood him on another level. He needed acceptance. He needed to believe he was more than he thought.
With the right person beside him, magic resonated from deep within. She took his hand as she drove back to his aunt’s. “Who told you that you couldn’t cast?”
“What?” he asked.
“Who told you that you couldn’t do something?”
He snorted. “Everyone. Started with my mother. She would try to teach me to heal her way. I had minimal results. Nothing my aunt showed me worked. Taryn gave up on teaching me potions.” He sighed. “My brothers get frustrated when trying to show me what to do.”
“Well, shit, what about your dad?”
He groaned. “He tries to make me do shit I don’t even understand. Says I can do it, but I can’t even get a spell to fizzle. It’s too much pressure.”
She nodded. “So because you couldn’t do it their way, they decided you couldn’t do it at all?”
“Something like that.”
“I have a better approach. I can show you what I know, and we can tweak it until you find a groove, or you decide that magic isn’t for you.”
“You won’t get fed up with me?” He stared out the window, not bothering to look.
“Never. My mom had an amazing amount of patience teaching me. I can’t use magic the way she can. There are things she can do I can’t even begin to emulate. She guided me through teaching myself. So that’s what we’re going to do. I’ll take the pieces I do know, and we’ll experiment until we find what works. That is after work.”
“Why?”
“Well, who taught you to do what you do with plants?”
“No one.”
“Exactly. You felt a natural draw to it and it happened. Well, most magic is like that. Either you can or can’t, but if you can do a little, there’s a good chance you can do more. We just have to find the right way to balance it out so you can find your way.”
“You cast nothing like your mother?”
She shook her head. “She’s a seer. She can see the future. She’s also good with plants. And exceptional at potions. I’m limited in both, but those aren’t my gifts. I feel no draw to them. So, I practiced what felt right and tried new things. It works. For me.”
He took her hand. “Tonight, I’ll order out and we can eat at home. You and I can try. But I may be a bad student.”
“You won’t be. I’ll make this as painless as possible, and I’ll reward you well.”
Grinning, he squeezed her hand. “I hope you do teach me to better use my magic.”
“You said you couldn’t heal well, and you fixed my foot. I think there’s a good chance you had the wrong people helping you before. We’re going to fix that now.”
“I’m looking forward to it,” he admitted.