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More coins were plucked from Edmund’s clothes until there was a neat line on the floor, and another set was taken from slits on the couch.
“They kept searching until they found all the pieces.”
“And what happened when they found all the coins?” Edmund asked, expecting a tale where the coins could give out an address or directions of where to go.
“That shark and the cat closed their eyes and made a wish. Can you close your eyes, please?”
He did. “And?”
“And their wish was granted. Open your eyes, please.”
He opened his eyes, noting Archie pointing to the floor…then, the brightness coming from it. Belatedly, it sank in that light was coming from the coins and streaking in sporadic directions before they became more solid.
“When they opened their eyes, they saw the light and followed them. The coins led them to where they needed to go.”
Archie jerked a chin up. Seconds later, the lit coins floated in the air and danced around, swirling faster until they formed a blurry circle around them. Edmund rose to his knees, catching one instinctively, then turning it over to try to figure out where the light was coming from.
“That’s a fun story, Archie,” he said. “You are good at storytelling. How did you make these…?”
Without a word, Archie lowered his head. The coins clattered to the floor and dimmed. Archie kept moving his head. Edmund watched his surroundings and felt a punch in his gut.
A lamp, a flower vase, a few pillows…they all floated in the air, held there by a force that he comprehended came from one source. He stared at them, defying gravity and dancing freely in the air, then stared at Archie. Archie stared back, innocence written all over his face.
“You did this. You can…do this.” Edmund cleared his throat, feeling incoherent. Sounding incoherent. “You have magic, Archie?”
“I told you I can do tricks,” Archie replied. “I can do many tricks, and this is one of them.”
The boy looked the same and acted the same, save for the flying objects. Edmund tilted his head.
“What other tricks can you do?”
It was the only signal needed for the boy to shoot up, forgetting about the objects and zooming towards his bedroom. Edmund caught the vase and lamp before they could break, then watched the boy return dragging a wooden trunk. It opened to balls flying everywhere and a heavier-looking box taking its time. Archie climbed over it and sat cross-legged, then let it fly, too, until both the box and Archie were hovering over Edmund. Energy sizzled, not heavy with darkness like Edmund was used to encountering, but skimming over his senses in a way that made him shudder. Something nagged and had him waiting for the boy to meet his gaze from above.
“Does your mother know about this?”
There was a shake of head.
“I was practicing. I want it to be perfect for her and my uncle. So, I showed you first.”
“Thank you.” And Edmund meant it with every fiber of his being. “I am honored.”
“You are welcome.” Archie turned his head. Too late, it registered that the door had opened and the boy went from serene to eager, features blooming with hope. “Hello, mom. Look. I wanted to surprise you. Did it work?”
It was safe to say that the look on Alexa’s face was priceless.
Chapter 13
It took everything in Alexa’s being not to show the fear she felt at the scenario, especially when Archie was looking at her with so much hope and innocence. It touched a chord inside her, willing her to set aside the astonishment of what she had walked into: her son floating in the air on top of a heavy object, her son controlling balls as they flew around the living room before descending with him. Her baby, possessing a kind of magic that shouldn’t belong to shifters of any kind.
Outwardly, she managed a smile and went to him the moment he landed, picking him up and hugging him tightly. Inwardly, the fear lurked, making its way inside her stomach until she felt sick with it. It made it difficult to let go even when Archie tried to wriggle out of his grasp.
“Mom, you are squeezing me.”
Before she could control her emotions, hands were there to gently nudge her arms away, then pluck the boy. Eyes bored into her back, but Alexa had to gather her bearings before she faced them, but Edmund was no longer looking at her.
“I will go prepare dinner, and Archie here will watch me. Won’t you, Archie?”
Her son was quick to agree, and she watched them giggle their way to the kitchen before their voices turned muted. Instinct screamed at her to drag the boy back and keep him locked in his room, but she fought it and strode towards her bedroom instead, where she took out a bag and began organizing. It helped alleviate the buzzing in her senses, but not for long as she sensed a familiar presence enter.
