“We couldn’t use the pendant to siphon his magic, since it was still connected to you,” Ansel says. “I had to draw both yourmagic and his into my body, using myself as a vessel to wield them. I’m not sure what the long-term side effects ofthatare going to be. But it worked. That’s all that matters?—”
A loud banging sounds from the door.
“ANSEL!” Rosalie yells. “What in the realms are you doing in there?!”
“Do you have a change of clothes you could let me borrow?” Rowan asks, rolling his head to look at Ansel. “I can’t leave like this.”
Ansel laughs first, and then the rest of us join him. I clutch my stomach, as relieved as I am exhausted.
I think there’s an excellent chance we all just about died—but we didn’t. And Rowan is no longer an owl.
“Do you think you can walk back to the tea shop?” I ask him.
Our eyes meet, and a lazy grin spreads over his face. “As soon as I remember how.”
Chapter 24
An Empty Owl Perch
Ryder ends up driving us to the cottage in his cart. Rowan is walking now, but he’s stiff and awkward.
“Go take a shower,” I tell him when we step inside. “I’ll make you a cup of tea when you’re out.”
“Okay.” He heads for the bathroom. “Hopefully I can remember how to work the plumbing.”
I laugh, shaking my head. As soon as the door closes, I turn to Ryder, exhaling loudly.
“What a day, huh?” he says.
“I can’t believe we pulled it off.”
Not that I really did anything.
The elf grins, nonchalantly shoving his hands into his pockets. “Me either.”
The sound of running water drifts to us. Rowan must have figured out how to turn on the shower.
I frown down the hall. “Do you think he’ll be okay?”
“He’ll be fine. I imagine being a man is like riding a bike. Give him a few minutes, and he’ll remember how everything works.”
I smile. “Do you want a cup of tea?”
“No, but thank you. I’m going to go home and sleep for sixteen hours.”
“Are you okay? Is your magic…okay?”
“Yeah, I’m good—as fine as I was before we attempted this anyway.”
“I’m sorry about everything that happened to you,” I whisper softly.
“Don’t fall in love with the wrong person, Tinker Bell.” He lowers his voice to a lighthearted whisper. “It ends badly.”
“Is your broken magic the real reason you left the fae college?”
He studies one of my aunt’s embroidered pillows. “It’s hard to take finals when you keep lighting things on fire.”
I nod, unsure what to say.
