Page 59 of Her Magic Light

But there was a different sound. Almost a vibration, and I turned my head to try to look through the gaps in the vent. It was dark in there but a tiny shape came into view.

What the actual fuck? How had…

My hummingbird.I could barely see her, but she was hovering on the other side of the metal grid. She came closer, the noise of her vibrations intensifying as she hung, almost still in front of me, one beady eye seeming to be trained directly on me.

My heart slammed in my chest, and a thrum filled me. Elation coursed through my veins, pushing the adrenaline aside. Tears leaked from the corners of my eyes. I wasn’t alone. I hadn’t been forgotten. Home had followed me into the darkest place I’d ever been.

Home… warmth… sunlight… I took a deep and calming breath. As I breathed out slowly, whatever had been wound tight in me uncoiled. I trembled but not from fear.

Her presence reassured me, and my eyes fluttered closed before I jerked back awake. The bird was still there, and my eyes closed again when I saw her. She was there a third time when I checked again before I gave in to the sleep trying to claim me.

twenty-two

Acrash sounded in the room, and I startled awake, bumping my forehead against the bottom of the cot. What was it with this place? I was sick of being woken by someone bursting in and throwing the nearest door against the wall.

I opened my eyes. Well, shit. The metal bed frame above me nearly touched my nose, and I still had to shimmy out from underneath. While handcuffed. They could have at least removed those when they tossed me in here. But I didn’t have time to ponder.

There’d be questions if they found me under here. I turned my head in time to watch two pairs of feet enter the room. One pair was clad in heavy boots that looked like they could kick the shit out of a lot of people and the other pair of feet wore something more akin to business attire. I recognized the color of the looser pants, too.

Both a guard and an agent had just entered my cell. And I was still trapped underneath the cot. So much for avoiding questions.

“Fuck.” One of them ground out a curse. Sounded a lot like the guard from yesterday, but I couldn’t be sure. “I thought you said she couldn’t use her powers.” He sounded accusatory. “How did she disappear?”

There was a familiar answering sigh.Coop. “She hasn’t disappeared.”

“Do you see her?”

I imagined him gesturing impatiently around the room as he took his step forward.

“Because I certainly don’t see her. I’m going to raise the alarm. If I’d known she could escape, I would have used the magical restraints. Butyousaid…” He grew more accusatory.

“Wait.” Coop issued a sharp command.

Then suddenly his bright blue eyes peered into mine as he lay flat on the floor alongside me. He held his sunglasses in his hand. “Hi,” he said softly. He beckoned for me to come out.

My thoughts were unexpectedly consumed with how dusty his clothes would be when he stood back up, and I’d never seen him with so much as a stray hair on his pristine black slacks.

I stretched my back as much as I could, working out the kinks and aches from lying on the cold floor. Damp had seeped into my limbs while I’d been asleep. I glanced at the vent. Had I imagined the hummingbird? Probably. Did I care? Not a chance. Her arrival had helped me calm the fuck down and not feel so alone. I’d been pretty damned stressed lately. Hallucinations were a side effect of stress, right?

“Meira.” Coop murmured my name. It wasn’t an instruction or a command, but it wasn’t a question, either.

I turned my head back to face him, and he held his arm part way out in invitation. I couldn’t take his hand, though. I couldn’t imagine those fingers entwined with mine. Not to mention the cuffs.

Instead, I sighed and began to shimmy awkwardly out from beneath the bed.

The guard snorted when he saw me. “What the hell were you doing under there?”

I remained silent, but Coop shrugged.

“I’ve often thought the floor looks more comfortable than the beds in this place.” He handed me some sunglasses as he spoke, and I knew the drill now.

But I shrugged. “Cuffed.”

Coop glared at the guard. “You left her cuffed?”

He shrugged, too.

Coop retrieved the key from his pocket and immediately removed the restraints. He tucked the offending shackles in his pocket.

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