“They haven’t,” I snap, nursing my own insecurities.
Connor turns so my shoulder is against his stomach, and his free hand brushes along my hair to the nape of my neck, massaging the tense muscles there. Quietly, he lets his devotion to me shine through our bond, assuring me that there isn’t any guesswork regarding his feelings.
“Ever consider that the others don’t have a mate bond or spirit witch pixie dust rolling around inside them to let them know you feel the same way?” Donovan points out, being obnoxiously wise.
“Well, I didn’t know I was creating a mate bond,” I grumble, pressing myself into Connor when he stills so he knows I’m not angry, “and I tend to leave the spirit witch pixie dust for emergencies. You know, like making sure you have full use of your legs.”
“Will that happen every time you do that spell?” Donovan asks, leaning back against the thick marble railing that lines the balcony, and if I didn’t know better, I’d swear there’s a hint of jealousy in his voice.
“No,” I reassure him, reaching for his wrist and feeling his pulse jump underneath my touch. “What I left behind within you was on purpose.”
“Good,” he states, turning his hand so he can slowly run his fingers along the underside ofmywrist.
The way he caresses my skin, his fingers hidden underneath the flannel’s sleeve, reminds me of the time we were alone in the gym. Innocent touches that are anything but, and any hope of hiding my feelings goes up in smoke. It’s like they’re playing a game where they pretend not to notice the other while they both molest my hands to see how fast I’ll turn into a melted puddle.
“What exactly is spirit witch pixie dust anyway?” Donovan queries innocently.
It takes me a moment to register his question, because Connor’s hand has headed south from my neck to the base of my spine, sneaking up under the flannel. He appears determined to win the puddle contest.
My ‘pixie dust’ is something heartfelt, and Donovan deserves my full focus when I answer. Pulling away from them, I wrap my arms around my waist with my back facing the sliding glass door.
“It’s me,” I answer softly, feeling suddenly shy. “I left a part of myself within you that will never burn away, so that…” I trail off, my mind focusing on the fact that what I left within Donovan and Connor are parts of me that will never fade away. Magic that can never be extinguished.
“So that…” Donovan prompts, but I’m already spinning around and running back inside.
“I think I’ve figured it out,” I cry over my shoulder.
“Figured what out? Callie?” he calls after me to no avail.
Kaleb, Nolan, and Felix jump in surprise when I come barreling in, all of them collectively hovering over notes spread across the kitchenette table.
“Good talk?” Nolan inquires, looking up from the book laid out in front of him.
“We’re about to find out,” I chirp.
Unlike me, he changed into dry clothes, and he’s now wearing a pair of sweats and a tank top with a towel wrapped around his neck. His gaze trails up from my bare feet to the wild strands of my damp hair, giving special attention to the trade of his jacket for Connor’s flannel.
Not having time or the brain space to figure out whether there’s a deeper meaning to the look, I grab the towel lying over the back of the couch and attempt to dry my hair. I sigh longingly at the clean, dry clothes Nolan also procured for me, and mentally promise to come back for them once I find out if I’m a genius or just crazy.
Plopping down on one of the wooden chairs, I question, “Undead vampires are able to stay alive how?”
“Because they consume a massive amount of blood,” Donovan answers from the sliding door, with Connor following him inside.
“But it’s not the blood specifically they need. It’s the magicinthe blood, right?” I clarify, hoping that my understanding of blood and magic is correct.
“Yes, Callie love, but that’s true for all vampires. Not just the demon possessed ones,” Nolan comments, stepping back with his hands in his pockets and wearing a look that says he’s thinking I’m more crazy than genius.
“I know that, but Felix is dead,” I counter, frustrated because he’s sidetracking my thoughts.
“And not a vampire,” Nolan points out, which earns him one of my deadpan stares.
Kaleb plays peacekeeper by summarizing, “Yes, undead vampires are able to survive because they can absorb magic by digesting blood.”
“An ability that is unique to vampires, and if they couldn’t, they wouldn’t be able to survive because the body no longer has magic within it to keep it alive,” I follow up, and Kaleb looks just as lost as the others.
“If you’re suggesting we put Felix’s soul into a vampire, that won’t work,” he ventures, trying to wade through the convoluted thoughts I’m spelling out. “Vampires are a completely different species, and the souls aren’t compatible.”
“Huh, I hadn’t thought of trying to resurrect Felix into a vampire. That would’ve been cool if it could work,” I mumble, tapping at my lips, and there’s a collective groan. If I wasn’t working so hard to keep my train of thought together, I’d be amused that for once it’s the guys who are lost instead of me.
