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Chapter Eleven
Damon
Rose came to talk to me last. I’d figured the conversation was coming, even though I hadn’t mentioned any overwhelming memories or other weirdness. When it came to protecting us, she didn’t cut any corners.
She knocked on my bedroom door rather than coming right in, as if I’d have minded. “Damon?”
I set down my phone and scooted to the edge of the bed, the uneasy anticipation I’d been trying to distract myself from expanding in my gut. “Come in.”
As she slipped inside, I got to my feet. I felt a little more in control standing at my full height, a little readier.
At least the fact that she’d talked to me last meant I could ask the question that would decide what I did next. I motioned to the hall beyond the doorway. “Are the other guys okay? Did you pick up on anything messing with them?”
Rose shook her head, the gesture sending a shock of relief through me so sharp I had to hold myself from sitting back down. Her expression still looked worried, though.
“I couldn’t detect any malicious magic on or around them,” she said. “I’m not sure—it could be some sort of natural mental phenomenon, like PTSD flashbacks. Wehavebeen through a lot. I just don’t see why it’d be hitting everyone now. Would you mind if I checked you over just in case?”
“Of course not.” I spread my arms as if offering myself up. My pulse kicked up a notch. If my newfound magic wasn’t affecting the other guys, then there was no reason to bring it up with her yet, not when I was still figuring out how to wield it properly. But if she noticed something about the scar, I wasn’t going to lie to my consort.
Rose took a step to the left and then to the right, her hands weaving through the air like butterfly wings. Seeing her work her magic through the movements of her body never failed to awe me. Whatever power I had come into, it was nothing on the same level as hers, even with her spark diminished by her battle with the demons.
The energy of her search tickled over my skin like a light breeze. As it reached my left arm, an answering sensation crept across the limb. The mark hadn’t been itching me at that moment, but now the flesh went totally numb, as if absorbing any hint of supernatural presence deep down where no one could reach it.
Rose showed no sign of noticing anything unusual. She finished the form of her casting and gave me a pleased if a bit weary smile. There was another decision made for me.
“Well,” she said, “I guess we’ll just have to wait and keep an eye on things. If you start having your memories stirred up too, let me know? Or if you see anything unusual to do with the other guys?”
I offered her a salute. “No problem.” I hadn’t seen anything with theotherguys that she didn’t already know about. I paused and then added, “You know… maybe it’s not that surprising that there’d be a gap in time before we really started absorbing the shit we faced last year. Time to process and come to terms with it. This could be the last stage of that, working through the final pieces before we can move on to better things, or whatever.”
Her smile softened in a way that made me grateful I’d found those words. “I hope you’re right about that. Thank you.”
Watching her go, the thanks brought a jab of guilt into my stomach despite my reassurance. I hadn’tdoneanything for her, not really. And maybe I hadn’t outright lied to her, but I hadn’t been totally upfront either.
It still might be my fault the guys were feeling overwhelmed by the past, if only because I’d hassled them about their supposed happiness, not because of any supernatural force. The effect had clearly struck Gabriel now too. No way had he picked today to unload his dad’s belongings out of nowhere. Knowing his history with the man, I hated to think what memories might have prompted him to take action. I’d never have deliberately thrown that horrible incident in his face.
An idea wavered up through my mind. Icoulddo something, for both her and Gabriel, and prove to myself that whatever power I’d discovered really was mine at the same time. Fixing up a patch on a car should be a hell of a lot easier than expanding an entire van. And if it worked, then I could show her both the magic I’d gained and the control I could exert over it, setting any worries she’d have to rest right from the start. No more hiding.
I checked that the hall was empty so no one would ask what I was up to and then headed down the staircase and out the front door into the deepening dusk. The Buick was parked in its usual stall where Gabriel had left it after his trip into town. I ducked into the dark space and turned on the flashlight on my phone so I could see the point of impact without lighting up the whole garage for anyone to notice.
The dent first or the scratches? I had the feeling I’d have an easier job tackling one of them at a time. I set my left hand over the dent, the warped metal cool against my palm, and focused on my mark. A hint of energy rippled through it, dispersing the numbness it’d cloaked itself with earlier.
I trained all my will on that tingling sensation, urging it larger, headier. The rippling expanded through my arm until my fingers twitched with it.
Good. Now to smooth this uneven patch out. I stared at the dent, picturing the surface rising and straightening to match the sleek side around it. The power leapt from my hand—and in the back of my mind, a crackling darkness emerged.
Part of me was seeing the car, and part a sapling crumpling over as its branches drooped, grass blackening, mold spreading. The impression of rot I’d tasted when I’d ripened the apple tree laced my mouth again.
I hadn’t seen any indication that actual rot was spreading anywhere around the estate since then. Neither Rose nor the guys nor the staff had mentioned anything like that. Ithadto be a demonic attempt to screw with my head, to try to stop me from using their power for my ends. I gritted my teeth and pushed onward.
The metal lifted and evened out beneath my fingers. A giddy shiver raced through me. I shifted my focus to the scrape marks in the paint, willing the pale blue color to extend over them again.
Gabriel probably would have enjoyed getting to repaint the entire car for Rose to show just how devoted he was, how quickly he could handle any problem. Well, he wasn’t the only one—
The edges of blue that had been seeping over the darker metal shuddered and jerked back. In an instant, the scratches stretched twice as wide as before. I bit down on a yelp and yanked my hand away as if the surface had burned me.
The scarwasburning now, searing away at my muscles the way it did each time I delved into this power. What the hell had gone wrong? It’d been working perfectly, and then…
And then I’d let that old resentment toward our ringleader rise up. I pressed the heel of my hand to my forehead before raking my fingers into my hair. For fuck’s sake. I should be better than that by now. I should have gotten over it way back when we were kids.
