“Me too. Unbeknownst to them, they are only creating a larger army.”
“The only difference is she’s telling them about you before they enter. Painting you as a tormentor. A villain.”
That’s how they would view me when I learned to cross the portal and bring war to their doorstep. “A perception that will aid us when we reach their realm.”
“That doesn’t aid us now. Persuading the newcomers to your side takes time and effort we don’t have and would be better spent training them.”
I understood his frustration. Calista and the stone were my own challenge. He would have to deal with the others. “You have it in this moment. That’s all that matters. See to it she is converted.”
Mergle gave me a knowing look before we parted ways. I knew what I had to do and was doing it. Magic pooled around me, and I reached out to connect with the wishing stone. This time, instead of feeling bereft, pure joy coursed through me. It soothed all my frustrations from the previous day. It also left me with a lot of questions, the most important one at that precise moment being who was making her so happy after I had made her miserable. It wasn’t me, and I wanted it to be. I needed the answer. Now.
I found Calista at the dining table barely clothed, tongue flattened to her plate, and moaning. I remained still, listening to her, because if I moved, I would splay her out on the table and have her for my morning meal.
Her eyes opened as she turned the plate and froze with her tongue out. She quickly dropped it onto the table with a clatter and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.
“Good morning.” It came out muffled, and she laughed.
A smile tugged at my lips. “Good morning, indeed.”
She turned away, flipping her plate right side up.
I moved to her side and squatted down next to her so she couldn’t hide from me. Calista’s gaze flicked to mine nervously, remnants of her breakfast stuck to her face. It was endearing and incredibly tempting to get a taste of what she’d enjoyed so much.
“I see Ziggy made something to your liking.”
“He did. It was delicious.”
“I regret that I wasn’t here to share it with you, Calista.”
“Ziggy is making yours now.” She started to laugh again, then whispered, “Don’t tell him, but he almost had a heart attack when he found me in the kitchen this morning.”
Her laughter turned into a giggle fit. Her smile spread wide, her teeth gleamed, and the balls of her cheeks became more pronounced as they reddened. Her sound was infectious, andI found my own face hurting from smiling. It was a strange sensation, but one that I welcomed.
I’d dreamt of her this way, I imagined lazy days in each other’s arms, talking, laughing, touching, kissing. Becoming one.
“In the kitchen?”
“Yes,” she breathed, trying to stifle her laughter. “I don’t know why I’m laughing. It’s not even that funny.”
“Why?”
“I wanted to cook breakfast for us, but his little face…” her words trailed off into another giggle fit.
I reached up and cupped her cheek, wiping a crumb away from her mouth with the pad of my thumb.
The movement startled her. “Oh!” She grabbed my wrist, then laughed a little harder. “Sorry,” she gasped between breaths.
Calista released my wrist and pulled away, severing the physical connection I ached for. The sleeve of her shirt darkened with little damp spots where she dabbed at her eyes.
“You have nothing to apologize for.” I, on the other hand, had many things for which to make amends. “You wanted to cook for me?”
That question seemed to sober her. “I just thought I’d be nice.”
Warmth bloomed in my chest. She wanted to care for me. Not out of service or duty, but because she wanted to. No one did that for me. Had we overcome an obstacle yesterday?
She focused on her hands and picked at her nails as her breathing slowed. “Did you find it?”
“Find what?”
