Page 14 of Hopeless Magic
“You won’t like the answer.”
“Tell me,” I demand.
Quiet laughter skims over Daxdyn’s full lips and my eyes narrow on him.
“You’re too heavy,” Ryder finally says.
“Fuck you.” My arms cross at the same time as my lips curl. “You’re making excuses. You flickered Daxdyn, you can flicker me.” Considering Daxdyn probably outweighs me by more than fifty pounds, it shouldn’t be a problem.
“It’s shuddering. Flickering isn’t a thing.” He pushes his hand roughly through his blonde hair. “My fae power won’t allow me to transport you. As a human, your energy is too heavy. You’ve never seen magic; your mind and energy is flawed by the black and white understanding of reality. Your energy is weighed down by the cosmics of reality.”
Cosmics of reality.
This is the explanation I get for why we’ve been walking for days.
“Prove it.”
“Prove it?” he repeats. His brows lower as he stares hard at me.
“Prove you can’t shudder me.”
Darrio’s attention slowly drifts toward Ryder as he shifts on his feet. A long, drawn-out sigh leaves his lips; it’s as if Darrio feels his precious time is being wasted.
Then the space between Ryder and I disappears as he shudders right in front of me. A daring smile clings to his lips as his image flickers slightly until he stands whole again. The ridges of his chest brush against my breasts and I can’t think of a single snarky thing to say to him. All I can hear is my heart pounding a wild beat.
Without warning, he grabs my legs, lifting me up. His arm holds my back as he cradles my body against his. I let my palm trail up his chest, not meeting his eyes while I take my time praising the solid lines of his body to grip his shoulder.
His body is pure strength and power. I feel it held against me, but I feel it crackle around me as well. It’s as if it’s a tangible thing.
Fae magic.
Slowly his gaze drifts to my parted mouth and he rolls his tongue along his lower lip. I all but hum a pathetic moan of a response.
Then my breath catches as the world goes black. The nerves within my body snap against my flesh as if they’re uncertain where they belong. It feels like my veins are trying to separate from my body. Pain shoots through me, like needles beneath my skin.
Then it stops. My eyes open to find us lying on the ground right where we were. Darrio glares down at me while Daxdyn offers up his hand.
I’m lying on top of Ryder, my hand splayed across his chest. My ass is on the hard ground, my legs thrown over his lap as if he might still try to carry me away. He’s no longer holding me though. With amusement, he leans back on his arms, making himself comfortable here in the dusty field.
“Happy?” he asks with an annoying cock of his brow.
My stomach sinks as I realize he wasn’t lying. He can’t shudder me.
“I feel like a fat ass, thanks.”
He has the audacity to smirk that charming and exasperating little smile of his. I dust myself off and shove away from him. A groan slips from his lips even as he laughs at my poor attitude.
“I tried to tell you,” he hollers after me, a smirk lacing his words.
My boots storm across the dry field and, without looking back, I flip him a gesture with one hand. The arrogant sound of roaring laughter is their only reply.
Assholes.
Chapter Six
Saint’s Inn
The beautiful two-story home I grew up in possesses my attention the moment I step foot on the dusty streets in the middle of downtown. Divots line the path, making my steps uneven and jostled.
