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“I don’t have any place to be, but I’m off anyway.” Calem waved over his shoulder and slipped out the front door, leaving it open.
Kost sighed tightly. “Be back later for questioning.”
“I didn’t know we were interrogating anyone,” Calem teased, and I rolled my lips together to keep from chuckling. Kost narrowed his eyes, but he didn’t goad his brother further. Instead, he added his bag to Ozias’s and moved toward the exit.
When he got to the doorframe, he paused. A tremor worked its way down the tendon of his neck. In that moment, I was convinced he had an entire conversation with himself, and gods what Iwouldn’t have done to be privy to those thoughts. Quietly, if not a little hopefully, he spoke over his shoulder.
“I noticed the Charmers were able to salvage some books. Maybe we could do some research. See if we’re able to learn more about your powers.”
“Together?” It came out in a rush and felt blunt, but it was impossible to mask my shock.
He lifted a single shoulder. “It’s where I’ll be until everyone is ready to meet. You’re welcome to join.”
And then he stepped out into the clearing as if he hadn’t just shifted the world beneath my feet with his offer. For once, he wasn’t commanding me to train. The way his mind immediately went to the makeshift library made me wonder… How much research had he already done? Had he been trying other methods this entire time? My throat swelled with emotion, and I steadied myself with a shaky breath before following after, cautiously optimistic about what our future might hold.
SIXTEEN
CALEM
So no, I didn’t have anywhere to be, exactly, but I’d be lying if I’d said I didn’t have something, or someone, in mind. Even if I didn’t want to admit it, my feet did the work for me, guiding me toward an open canopy a short distance from our temporary home. At the far end of the tent, Kaori chatted with the group of Charmers we’d rescued from Wilheim.
Gods, she had been magnificent.She still was, but that day in Wilheim when she’d finally let go and shifted to her beast, I’d floundered for the first time in my life. Not because I’d been scared. The growing network of mercury veins along her arms had been so like the mercury hue in my eyes that I’d felt connected. The air around her had shimmered with a tangible power that made my very blood quiver. I’d wanted to see her—all of her—like I’d never wanted to see anyone before. So when she’d shifted into a winding, dragon-like beast that moved with the fluidity of water, I’d nearly fallen to my knees.
Granted, she’d shifted because she’d discovered the magic used to place the captive Charmers in slumber was the work of her parents, but she’d still been incredible. I never wanted to forget the sight of her wild and free charging through the halls of Wilheim. ButI seriously doubted she’d ever allow herself to slip into that state again.
I found myself at her side without really thinking, and I shot the group of rescued Charmers a blazing grin. “How’s everyone holding up?”
A woman stood to greet me, and I was instantly hit with a wave of recognition. It was impossible not to see Leena in the shape of Sabine’s face. Walnut-colored hair spilled over her shoulders, and she shared the same cheekbones as her daughter. She clasped her hands before her and returned my smile.
“Hi, Calem. I was wondering when you would pop up.” There was something mischievous in her stare that reminded me too much of myself, and I fumbled to find the right words to answer.
“Well, I’m here now.”
She chuckled at my lackluster response. Verlin, her husband and Leena’s father, wrapped a gentle arm around her waist. His hazel eyes, so like his daughter’s, flickered to his wife before landing on me. “We’re doing just fine. Happy to help restore our homelands.”
“And the others?” Kaori prompted, glancing past them to the small cluster of Charmers gathered around a bowl of grapes. We’d discovered twenty or so people hidden in an earthy crypt beneath Wilheim the day we battled Yazmin. Green vines with mysterious, glowing veins had crowned their heads, tethering them to the land. Fortunately, once the war was over, Kaori was able to decipher enough of her parents left behind instructions to safely remove the delicate plants. She still wasn’t convinced she’d done everything correctly, though. With her people safely and happily sitting before her, she studied their frames with the kind of intensity Kost reserved for solving puzzles.
“Everyone is fine. I promise.” Sabine’s smile softened to something warm and motherly, and a forgotten twinge of longing snakedthrough my heart. My mom had never looked at me like that. And Sabine wasn’t even Kaori’s parent.
Kaori nodded once, but the tightness never left her eyes. “Please let me know if anything changes.” Abruptly, she turned on her heels and cut through the tent in the direction of the clearing.
“She’s been tense for a while now.” Verlin brushed a hand along his jaw as he tracked Kaori’s progression. “We’re worried about her.”
There it was again. That foreign, parental concern that had eluded me for years. I didn’t know what to do with it, how to process it, but I did know Kaori—and they weren’t wrong. Something was bothering her.
“I’ll check on her. Promise.” I flashed them a grin and waved goodbye, trotting down the same path Kaori had taken. I caught up with her quickly, and when she didn’t immediately tell me to leave, I took it as a good sign. Her glossy black hair was pin straight against her back, and she loosely wrapped a strand around her pointer finger. A hint of mercury had crawled down her veins to encircle her knuckles, and my jaw clenched. For me, the strange color had settled in my eyes. No one knew why. Maybe because I was different, already full of undead magic. Every other Charmer who’d tamed the same creature as Kaori—and subsequently undergone a bestial transformation—had a network of silvery veins surrounding the puncture site. Still, I knew what would happen if that hue suddenly spread across her pale skin. I just didn’t know why her control was wavering when she excelled at managing her beast at every turn.
“What’s going on, Kaori?” I grazed the back of her arm, and she jolted before coming to a stop. Dark, oval eyes threatened to unearth every one of my thoughts, and I pulled my hand back. I didn’t—couldn’t—acknowledge how badly I wanted to resume that touch.
She sighed, her eyes downcast, and tipped her head toward one of her shoulders. All around us, the clearing was alive with Charmers erecting buildings, planting vegetables and fruits in designated plots, bustling from one location to the next. We stood in the center of it all, the quiet eye of the boisterous storm, completely enveloped in a strained anxiety I didn’t understand. But I wanted to understand. More than anything.
“I keep waiting for something to happen,” she finally said. I hung on every word, giving her the chance to sort through her thoughts. She let her hand fall away from her hair. “Why do I always find myself talking to you?”
That was unexpected. A strange tingling sensation raced over my skin, and I blinked. “What? That can’t possibly be what’s bothering you. Me? I’m bothering you?” A nervous bubble of laughter escaped my throat, and I busied my hands by tying my hair into a bun. “Listen, I annoy a lot of people. No need to get upset about it, just tell me to fuck off.”
At that, her somber expression broke and a sound I’d never thought I’d hear graced the air between us. She giggled. It was so incredibly pure and authentic that my body froze. It only lingered between us for a split second, but I wanted to relive that moment over and over again and burn that joyous trill into my mind. I was good at making people laugh. I fell back on humor whenever I got the chance. Yet in all my days, a giggle had never sounded as sweet as hers.
And it terrified me to my core.
