Page 72 of Fade With Me

His smirk returned, effortless as ever, like he didn’t even notice the storm. “Thank you?”

I shot him a withering look as I pushed myself upright, rolling my shoulders back. “It wasn’t a compliment.”

He took a step closer, his movements as fluid as if we were standing in a peaceful meadow. He clapped me lightly on the back, the touch steady but playful. “For someone who walks everywhere, you’re awfully winded,” he teased, his grin widening.

I narrowed my eyes, swiping rain from my face. “Some of us are human—”

He cut me off with a wink, chin tilting mischievously, like I’d said something absurd. “Neither of us is human,” he quipped, the sound of laughter ringing in his words.

“Yeah, yeah, you know what I mean,” I grumbled, shaking my head. But despite the fatigue and the storm, I couldn’t stop the small laugh that slipped out.

Zeke shot me a quick, knowing glance before we continued moving, but we slowed our pace. My legs were still sore, my chest tight with each breath, but more than physical exhaustion weighed on me now. With each step, the worry for Izzy grew heavier, like a stone lodged deep within.

“Will…Izzy be okay?” I asked, fear filling my voice despite my efforts to bury it.

Zeke didn’t hesitate. “Yes,” he said, his voice firm, like he was willing it to be true. Water streamed down his face, dripping from his jaw, but he didn’t flinch, his focus sharp against the downpour.

The sinking feeling I couldn’t shake pushed me to ask more. “Can Reggie…hurt him?” My words trembled, impossible to hide.

He glanced down, swallowing as his eyes scanned the surrounding woods, his gaze steely, shutting out any trace of emotion. “Yes. But Izzy knows what he’s doing. He won’t let Reggie get close enough to land a hit.”

His words offered a fragile comfort, but unease still twisted in my stomach. Reggie wasn’t just powerful—he wasruthless. And even though I trusted Izzy’s strength, the dread trailing behind us only deepened with every step.

I shoved the thoughts aside and latched onto the first distraction I could find. “So, the weather manipulation thing…Is that a sorcerer ability, or more of a Zeke-and-Izzy thing?”

He gave a gentle, tender smile that eased some of the tension in my body. “It’s a Rykoff thing,” he said, quiet pride threading through his words. “Our bloodline’s power has always been rooted in the weather. My father, for example, can control the wind—nothing too grand, just gentle gusts and the occasional storm warning. He’s always said it’s a subtle art, like a whisper in the breeze, guiding it where it needs to go.”

He paused, eyes unfocused, like he was plucking memories from the clouds. “But Izzy and I?” His tone turned reverent, almost like he was speaking of something sacred. “We can completely bend the skies to our will. We don’t just ride the currents of the air. We shape them.”

He looked back at me, eyes shining with something darker now. A flicker of awe, or maybe something else entirely.

“It’s said that because we’re twins, our powers are amplified. There’s a connection between us, something primal, that makes the impossible possible. It’s like we’re two halves of the same storm—separate but inseparable. When we work together, there’s nothing the weather can’t do. The sky doesn’t just obey. It listens, like it’s waiting for us to speak its language.”

I absorbed his words, fascinated by the depth of the Rykoff family’s powers. It was hard to believe how much of the supernatural world I was still discovering. But for now, I was grateful for the distraction, a small reprieve from the fear gnawing at the edges of my mind.

“Do you have any other special abilities?” I asked, my interest piqued by a sudden urge to know more about him.

Zeke’s expression shifted, hesitation flickering across his face. He tilted his head slightly, lips pressed into a tight, controlled line. Then he spoke—quiet and deliberate.

“I can manipulate minds. I can show you your worst nightmares—make them feel real.”

A chill crept down my spine. Sal’s screams from the diner echoed in my mind, and suddenly, it all clicked.

“Is that what you did to Sal?” I whispered, barely managing the words.

He nodded, his face unreadable. “Yes.”

I shivered at the thought, my body recoiling, but I pushed forward with another question. “Can you give happy visions?”

Zeke’s eyes softened, though something haunted lingered in them. “No,” he murmured. “It’s not that kind of gift. It’s defensive. Meant to protect, not comfort.”

There was a shadow in his voice, a sadness I couldn’t quite place. His power, meant to shield, seemed to carry a cost he’d never been able to set down. His shouldersdropped slightly, like even the mention of it was too heavy.

“Izzy too?” I asked, curiosity pushing me forward.

He shook his head, gaze dropping. “No. Only me.”

Then, without warning, he stopped. I nearly stumbled trying to catch myself. His body tensed, eyes wide with something I hadn’t seen in him before. Maybe fear. Or something close.

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