“Hey. Hi. You’re up,” Domenic spluttered. “The draft that’s blowing around my room right now? That’s you, right?”
“Uh…” She focused on Domenic, three doors down in his hotel room. “Did it just get stronger?”
“Yeah.Howare you doing that?”
“I don’t know! Since this afternoon, I’ve still… felt you?” Ellery cringed. “I can try to stop it—”
“No,” he said hastily. “I mean, just tell me how you did it. I want to try.”
“Are you holding your wand?”
After some shuffling and muttering noises, Domenic returned. “Okay. Got it.”
A few moments later, EllerysensedDomenic, as though he’d sank onto the bed beside her. If she closed her eyes, she could half-convince herself he was there. The unmistakable scent of honeysuckle drifted through the room. And a sudden warmth chased away any hint of cold.
His presence was an overwhelming sensation, but not an unwelcome one.
“Ha!” Domenic exclaimed into the phone. “That worked, didn’t it? It’s like you’re right next to me.”
Ellery suddenly, desperately wanted to know how her presence felt to him. “Guess you don’t have to knock on my window the next time you want to get my attention.”
“Hey now.” Domenic’s exhale brushed against her ear. “I’ll be honest, even if you hadn’t done… whatever you just did, I don’t know if I could’ve fallen asleep.”
“What, because of the prophecy piece?”
“No, it’s not that. I thought magic on the scale of what we did today would be terrifying. But it wasn’t. It was easy. And I can’t stop wondering what else we can do, what else we might be capable of.”
Ellery’s grip tightened nervously around her wand. “Oh?”
“So I guess what I’m asking is…” He paused dramatically. “Wanna go find out?”
“Why do I always have to drive?” Ellery teased as she turned onto one of the bumpy back roads away from the quiet village of Undermere. This time, they hadn’t stolen the car; they hadkeys to the same Order vehicle they’d taken into the forest that morning.
Beside her, Domenic waved Valmordion, and frost melted from the windshield. “I thought you liked driving.”
“I mean, I’d think you do, too. Doesn’t your dad own Darby Motors?”
“He sure does. It’s the family business. My two older brothers work for him.” Domenic’s voice sounded falsely cheerful, no different than when he’d mentioned his family during the press conference. “But believe it or not, they never taught me how to drive. Up until recent events, they barely remembered I exist.”
Typically, Aldrish citizens were honored to have a magician in the family. But when it came to family, Ellery refused to pry.
“Do you think things with them will be different now?” she asked.
“Shit, I hope not.” Domenic lowered his seat, then pushed it as far back as it would go, claiming the maximum amount of legroom. “What about you? Do you think your parents would be proud, if they knew you were Chosen?”
Ellery white-knuckled the wheel. The road outside seemed to narrow as snow whipped past the windows. “I seriously doubt it.”
Craving a distraction, she cranked the radio dial. A familiar melody crackled through the airwaves.
“Oh, I love this song,” she said.
“Huh. I’ve never heard it before.”
“How is that even possible? It’s the biggest hit of the year! You can’t go anywhere without hearing it.” As she spoke, she felt a painful twinge of nostalgia. This was Julian’s favorite song.
Ellery hadn’t heard from him since his parents had brought him home from the Order. She’d called, only to be told he was awake and recovering, but unavailable. She’d been trying not to think about whether he was dodging her or not. Maybe he was still angry about their fight. Or maybe he was upset that she’dconfessed to the entire country she was a Winter magician, but in the five years they’d been friends, she’d never toldhim.
“I don’t pay attention to that stuff,” Domenic said. “You know, celebrities and all.”
