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Looking up at his friend, Tanner says, “Do you mind if we do that out here?” He glances at the bright blue sky. “I need to be in the light for a while.”
“I’ll fetch the supplies.” Luther nods at Tanner. Mack offers to help, and so does Kole.
Whether it’s because they need a moment to themselves, too, or because they’ve sensed that Sam, Tanner, and I have things we need to whisper to one another, I don’t know. But I am grateful.
Alone with the two of them, I take them over to the tree bench by the water and sit with my back against it. Tanner rests his head on my chest. Sam rests his in my lap. I close my eyes and feel them both. Here with me. Safe. Together.
“No more drama for a while, please,” I whisper. “Even just a few days would be nice.”
“No more drama.” Sam hums as I stroke his face.
“Suits me just fine.” Tanner kisses my collarbone, then rests a hand on Sam’s shoulder while he slips the other around my waist.
We are asleep before the others return.
35
SAM
We stay on the beach all afternoon. It is a strange atmosphere. At first, apprehensive. As if we’re all waiting for something terrible to happen. When Luther breaks out a whiskey bottle, however, the mood lightens.
We’re all shaken, and tired—especially Tanner and I—but we’re also happy. Deliriously happy.
“Maybe this is why we needed you back,” Nova says as she paddles in the shallow of the lake. “Because it showed me how to access my power.”
“Could be,” Tanner says. He’s swimming, and it’s obvious that the water is helping ease his head. “Personally, I’d have preferred a less traumatic way for you to learn—”
“Yeah,” I agree. “If you could have figured it all out without me having to quite literally go to hell and back, that would have been swell.”
“Stop complaining.” Nova reaches down and flicks water at me. “We brought you back from the dead, what more do you want?”
“Nothing,” I reply, smiling at her. “This right here is perfect.”
As Nova announces she’s going for a swim and takes off her pants, Tanner meets my eyes. He can tell I’m thinking about my mother, and the look in his eyes makes me almost afraid to ask whether Ragnor succeeded in his plan.
I will ask. I need to ask. But not now.
Right now, I am going to watch Nova stripping off and submerging her beautiful body in the crystal-clear waters of the lake because—by some miracle—I’m alive. And even if it’s just for a few hours, I’m going to enjoy it.
As Nova takes off her bra and makes a splash jumping in after Tanner, Mack settles next to me. “You okay?” he asks, a smile twitching on his lips as Tanner tries to convince Nova to go further out and she reminds him she can’t swim.
“I will be.”
“If you’re not, you know you can talk to us.” Mack pats my back with an open fist.
“I know.” I glance at him. Quietly, I add, “Don’t ever tell her, Mack.”
He doesn’t look at me; his eyes are fixed on her.
“Don’t ever tell here there wasn’t a spell. She’ll never forgive us for lying to her.”
“I won’t,” he says. “But that will be the only thing we lie to her about. Agreed?”
I nod and push my fingers through my hair. “Agreed.”
Behind us, Kole says gruffly, “Who wants pancakes?”
“Pancakes? Out here?” I ask.
