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“Yes.”
“Good.” He rubbed his eyes. “Good. We should probably find food and make camp… or…”
“I have a demand of my own.”
He sighed. “What is it?”
“When I think of it, I’ll let you know,” she replied with a haughty expression.
How bad could it be? “Agreed. We have a bargain.”
He touched her on the arm, but no snap of magic solidified their pact.
“Papi,what are you doing?”
“Waiting for our bargain to be enforced by the Well.”
“Okay. How long must we wait?”
A grim frown tugged at his brows. He let go and replied, “Perhaps forever.”
ChapterThirteen
Nova woke at dawn, surrounded by whispering trees and chirping birds. Her body ached from sleeping on the ground. Her stomach felt terrible from all the nuts and wild game eaten over the past four days. And she really,reallyneeded a wash. Dirty skin and unwashed clothing made her itch.
Mister Arrogant Leaf of the Guardians refused to stop moving unless they hunted, ate, or slept. He was a machine, never letting go of his goal to ride to this frozen land where his owl-shifter leader concealed herself. She might have pushed his buttons a little too much before agreeing to help him, but she couldn’t help it.
He was Jace, but he wasn’t. He was pleasant, then he was rude. He couldn’t care less, and then he did things like helping her breathe when she felt like vomiting or fixing her oversized cape when she couldn’t work out the laces.
It wasn’t like he’d forced her to go with him. When she’d called him on it, shame had colored his pointed ears, and they twitched awkwardly. She had the sense not many people called him on his abrupt behavior, or if they had, he didn’t care. But something about her made him think twice. It was enough to convince her that she should stay with him, at least until he delivered her to his boss.
Already awake, Leaf was somewhere down by the water, flinging his hand about, trying to make magic circles in the air. He didn’t think she knew he was on the riverbank practicing, but she woke every time he left her side. It was a sixth sense. He moved, she knew.
Dusting herself off, she found a quiet place in the trees to relieve herself and heard the distinct sound of a waterfall in the distance. She cocked her head and strained her ears. Yes, cascading water. It was in the opposite direction to the riverbank. That sounded like the perfect place to bathe.
Maybe he wouldn’t complain about wasting time if she went now while he practiced.
She had a quick nibble of the foraged nuts, a drink from the waterskin, and collected the soap she’d stolen from the war camp. Leaf’s leather satchel lay conspicuously on the ground. He often flipped through that journal but refused to tell her what was inside. He also warned that her hands would blow off if she opened the bag without his permission. So… yeah. She left it alone.
She waved at the trees. “Time to bathe.”
They answered by rustling their leaves, and she smiled. Even though she was filthy and stank, being outdoors without anyone harassing her had been nice. It reminded her of home when she’d gone camping or lived out in nature while volunteering with environmentalists. She’d come across so many characters. Some were pompous and rigid in their views, like Leaf. Some were easygoing and so chilled out that she got bored. Having a little fun to brighten the day after strenuous work didn’t always go so well. Sometimes, she just wanted to play beach football, build sandcastles, or throw mud pies in someone’s face. Jace would always entertain her annoying urges. Niles hated it and said he was encouraging her.
She forced the past out of her mind, but it roared back when she emerged from the forest. She gasped at the picturesque waterfall spilling from the crumbling ruins of Mount Rushmore. The carved face of Abraham Lincoln was overgrown with vines, ferns, and moss. It broke her heart to see time ravage such memories, but it made her feel nostalgic and at peace. A small smile tipped her lips.
Even more interesting was that Leaf worked tirelessly at his magic portals from a flat rock at the base. Maybe he had the same idea as her—but his Guardian uniform was dirty, and he still had a sheen of dust on his face that had started to streak from the water spray running tracks down his angular cheekbones and jaw.
Each time he failed at the portal, his frown deepened. He scratched his thickening jaw scruff and then shook his limbs out with irritation. The familiar mannerism washed melancholy over her soul.
She’d caught Jace once in his beach house’s kitchen attempting to work the fancy blender his mother had bought. Having just arrived from a surf, his wetsuit was peeled halfway to the waist. Wet hair fell over his handsome, brooding face and dripped all over the floor. Nostrils flared with determination, he’d put the blender down and shook his limbs as if shaking off the failure. But it never worked. His shoulders would droop and hunch inward. When Jace thought no one watched, his vulnerability was there for all to see.
Nova watched Leaf as the memory took hold.
“What did the blender do?” she teased, pushing off the doorframe and walking into the kitchen.
Jace glanced at her, surprised. “Nova.”
She leaned on the counter separating them and rested her chin in her hand. “Hello, Jace.”
