Page 63 of Sweets and Sycamores
“Overjoyed.” Brandon slapped him across the arm in acknowledgement. “But will she be okay?”
Now Dom could take his friend’s worry and be grateful for it.
“What did she tell you?”
Dominic discovered that Allie had left out anything connected to him. He’d never kept secrets from Brandon, so he told him about the seal.
“Who the hell did that to her?”
“I don’t know.” Sizzling rage ignited inside him at the memory. “But if I ever find them…”
“I’ll help,” his friend grunted. Dominic nodded, then his eyes moved to the darkness along the driveway. “Go.” Brandon made a shooing motion.
They shook hands, and Dom made to leave but stopped abruptly where the light still reached.
“Brandon?” His friend raised his brows, putting his hands in his pockets. “Thanks.”
“Don’t go soft on me now, Ranford.”
“Not a chance, Peterson.”
Ekko fell asleep in Allie’s lap as she dragged her fingers over his purple wings. His soft snores were the only sounds she could hear, and Allie found the quiet less peaceful now in this dense darkness that clung to the car windows. She thought she should have waited for Dominic in the driveway, let him have a moment with his friend, then walk together to the car guided by the light of her fire. Now…
Shadows moved around the car, and despite trying to convince her heart and brain that it was probably just Dominic, the loud beating in her chest echoed in her ears with alarm. When the driver’s door opened, Allie jolted and woke up Ekko, who snarled in defense at her door. With his tail facing Dominic, who had just climbed inside the car.
“What’s that about?” he asked. Ekko turned and blew hot steam Dominic’s way before he curled back into Allie’s lap.
“Nothing.” She chuckled, her heartbeats slowing down. “Let’s get to work.”
“Work?”
“Yes. Didn’t we make plans to start today? I’ll help you with your task, then I can practice my power. Sorry you had to come all the way here, but I couldn’t say no to Brandon. After all, he’s the reason I’m here. And I really wanted to see more of the farm. It’s beautiful out here. When there’s light outside, at least.”
Dominic looked at her as if she’d grown another head. Allie was sure she’d rambled like this before countless times in his presence. What fazed him now?
He started the engine and drove in silence until they crossed the bridge and reached a familiar paved road with a side paththrough the forest. Dominic parked the car there and got out while Allie carefully gathered her sleeping dragon into her arms.
Her door opened, and Dominic’s extended hand came into view.
“Can I leave Ekko on your seat?” Her boss grumbled a half-hearted agreement, and Allie placed the ball that Ekko had become onto the chair.
Allie took Dominic’s hand and got out of the car. He pulled her close to him, conflict lighting up his green eyes.
“Would you have stayed?” He grimaced, like the question was causing him pain. “At Riverbend?”
“No,” Allie answered immediately. His brows knitted, and she shared a piece of the truth that she had wanted to keep to herself. “I wanted to be here, with you.”
Chapter 24
EYES ON ME
“Tell me more about your power. How do you use it, for this task specifically?” Allie started as they walked down the forested path to the secluded clearing. “I only know basic things about Mages.”
“There’s not much public knowledge about us,” Dominic sighed. They both had their hands in their pockets and walked within arm’s length of each other. “For this mission, the only power tactic I can use is to imbue the earth with my magic and search for the rupture.” Allie tried to imagine that but came up blank.
“How does that work?”
“I send waves of my magic through the earth’s magic, which is connected to the sycamores everywhere but where the spell is broken. I must check every inch and every sycamore on this land. It’s taking forever,” Dominic grumbled.
