Page 73 of Illusory

“And why are we usingme? I’m not a Caster.”

“Because we need a Trinity,” said Caleb like that explained anything.

“Again—why me? I’m not a freaking Caster!” I repeated because the point still stood.

“Yeah, but you’re the best thing we got right now,” he informed as I just gawked at him like he was spreading scabies all over the living room.

“How am I the best thing you got? Literally anyone would be better at this than me.” You know, like someone who coulddo more than light a candlewick and then die of exhaustion.

“Yeah? Like who?” he tested, his eyebrows raised poignantly. “Most of the people capable of doing this spell have already sided with the Order. They’re not going to go rogue and risk the repercussions. So, if you want to find out where Nikki’s at, pull up a chair and park your ass in it.”

“Oh.” Well, damn. When he put it that way… “Right.”

“The rest of you can clear out,” he went on, glancing around the room at everyone. “We’re going to need to focus our energy here. No distractions.”

I frowned at him and watched as Tessa, Jaqueline and Gabriel all filed out of the room. All except for Dominic. He crossed his arms and leaned his shoulder against the bookcase, sneering at Caleb.

“That means you—”

“Mewhat?”cut in Dominic before Caleb could finish his sentence. The look he was giving him was part dare, part annoyance, andallmurder. If Caleb had any brain cells left in that head of his, he wouldn’t finish that thought.

“Uh…you…can uh…you know, stay or whatever,” said Caleb, looking more flustered in that five seconds it took to utter those than I’d ever seen him in the entire time I’ve known him.

Dominic’s lip twitched with the hint of a smile. “How kind of you to offer.”

“Yeah. Sure thing.” Caleb dropped his head and busied himself placing items on the coffee table.

I shook my head at Dominic even though he was avoiding looking at me, and then turned back to Caleb and Carly, my gaze pausing on the latter. I could practically feel her discomfort oozing out of her pores. Anyone who knew Carly knew that she preferred doing just aboutanythingelse over practicing magic and was undoubtably already feeling way outof her element.

“I’m sorry you got dragged into this, but thank you for helping us,” I said to her, grateful that she’d agreed to help us with the spell when she really didn’t have to. Because who the heck would we have asked if she hadn’t been up to it?

“It’s nothing, really. Don’t mention it,” she said as she tucked her chestnut hair behind her ears and looked down at the coffee table, watching as her brother set everything up.

I followed her gaze, noting all the items spread out on the table that I knew hadn’t come from inside this house. Mainly a whole slew of candles, herbs I didn’t recognize and a black hairbrush that undoubtedly belonged to the incubator herself.

“I take it you had no trouble finding everything you needed?” I verified, shifting my focus to Caleb again.

He quirked his brow. “Did you doubt me?”

“I know better than that by now.”

Caleb beamed at that. He was nothing if not a total sucker for compliments and praise.

“We’re basically ready to go when you are,” he said and then motioned for me to sit down again, and this time I did, sitting crossed legged on the floor across from them while Dominic remained at his post. “I’m mostly going to use you as a conduit so all you need to do is memorize the incantation and focus on exactly what I tell you to focus on. Obviously not on my biceps or my fine ass face or—”

His playful words dropped off a cliff as Dominic made an angry rumbling sound at the back of his throat.

“Uh, yeah. You get the point,” mumbled Caleb, his gaze boomeranging from Dominic to me and then dropping to the floor.

“Is there something stuck in your throat?” I said to Dominic, shooting him a warning look. “Did you need to grab a glass of water or something before we continue?”

“That won’t be necessary, angel. I’m as fit as a fiddle,” he said and then slid his gaze to Caleb. “Jockstrap here will be too, so long as he remembers his manners.”

Caleb’s face blanched at the underlying threat as Carly threw her head back and laughed at Dominic’s nickname for her brother. I, on the other hand, was not as amused as she was.

Frankly, I wasn’t sure how I was supposed to focus on the spell with Dominic standing in the room, let alone him lording over Caleb like a sheriff.

“If you’re not going to play nice with everyone then maybe you should sit this one out,” I suggested and resisted the urge to offer him a time-out chair.

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