Page 44 of Sweets and Sycamores
“I want to.” The last thing Dominic had wanted this badly was to find a cure for the sycamores.
“Then it’s settled,” Allie said and leaned back. “But how can you draw from the sycamores if they’re sick?”
“The magic is still there, I can feel it. It’s strong enough to resist this rupture for a while.” As if on cue, a chill wind swept against the warm air shield Dom had put up, bending the sycamores’ branches downward. They had been listening to him ever since he was a child, and Dom always felt like he borrowed their power at times. “The sycamores’ magic is disconnected from the earth. They cannot act to protect the land as they did before, at least not until the connection is restored. But the sycamores still have their magic.”
“Makes sense,” Allie said, her gaze wandering over the dancing auburn crowns surrounding them. “I’m sorry that happened,” Allie whispered, and before Dom could brush it off she went on. “I promise not all Witches are like that. Unfortunately, most of them are and have this wild behavior of biting anyone who tries to get close. I guess it’s because we live lonely lives unless a coven chooses to accept us. And even if they do…”
Dominic waited, but she didn’t finish her thought. It wasn’t hard for him to guess at the ending. Allie had left her coven to learn about her power because they refused to help her. Didn’t accept her. His hand flexed on the blanket.
“About the seal.” She changed the subject suddenly. “Can we do it now?”
Dom nodded. He came prepared to do it if Allie wanted to.
“Whenever you’re ready.”
“I’m ready.”
All right. He could do this. He had performed spells much more difficult than breaking a seal. He’d also broken his fair share of seals while working and learning under the Diviners' Order.
“Lie down close to the tree.” Dominic guided Allie so he could reach both her and the tree. She obeyed, that trust she’d offered him shining through her relaxed features. “Close your eyes,” he urged her, fearing he might lose focus from the spell if he met her gaze. “I’ll make it as painless as possible.”
The corners of her mouth went up, crinkling the freckles on her cheeks.
“I know you will.”
Dominic did his best not to let her words overwhelm him as he placed one hand on the tree trunk and the other on Allie’s abdomen and focused on his magic.
A warmth built inside Allie’s core that wasn’t caused only by Dominic’s touch. She was heating steadily, like a pot on the stove. It wasn’t painful, but it was uncomfortable, like he had warned her.
Allie wanted to open her eyes and watch the powerful Mage at work, but she wouldn’t move an inch until he told her so. She didn’t want to risk messing up the spell or breaking his focus, so she lay there patiently, heating up.
More and more.
Sweat beads gathered on her forehead, her palms, the back of her neck. Allie felt like she was running a high fever, one that kept rising with every breath. Her skin was scorching, from the top of her head to the tip of her toes, her muscles pulling taut under it. The pain came in waves, pulsating through her body faster than her heartbeats. She squeezed her eyes, forcing her body to sit still and to not writhe on the cool ground.
“Dom,” she whispered when the pain became unbearable.
“Don’t move,” he hissed, voice strained through uneven, loud breaths.
She wouldn’t. She would not move even if it killed her. Which it might, Allie thought as she swallowed a whimper and pressed her lips together.
“Almost done,” Dominic panted.
The heat drained from her limbs into her heart like a flowing stream. She wiggled her fingers and felt the blanket under her skin. Her lungs took in the cool air and didn’t burn anymore. Allie was left with a comfortable warmth in her chest, like a quiet light vibrating inside her.
The source of power in my body.
It was in her heart, so easy to point out, so natural, as if she had known it her entire life.
Dominic’s hand slid off her body in a gentle caress.
“You can open your eyes now,” he said through soft pants. Allie did, and she sat up on the blanket, watching her boss lean against the tree trunk, catching his breath. Sweat dripped along his temples, down to his jaw, messy strands of hair sticking to his face.
Had he burned himself?
“Are you all right?” Allie blurted, her hand going to rest on his arm.
“Me?” Dominic scoffed. “You’re askingmeif I’m all right?” She nodded, scanning him for any signs of injury, especiallyaround his hands. “You almost burned from the inside out, and you’re worried about me?”
