Page 88 of Sweets and Sycamores
Dom spread his palm wide and closed his eyes. That soft vibration buzzed through Allie, like a wave of feathers caressing her magic. The sensation disappeared abruptly, making her choke on air.
Allie waited for that familiar hum to rush through her again. And waited. And waited. Ekko had plopped on her shoulder a while ago. He kept nudging her jaw and looking pointedly at Dominic, who didn’t move or speak. Dom kept still as a statue, down on one knee with his hand on the earth and his brows furrowed.
Allie placed her hand on Ekko’s belly when she felt like he was going to jump up and fly to Dom. She shook her head silently, urging the baby dragon to stay put. The magic vibration she was waiting for didn’t come anymore, and Allie found that she was rooted to the ground as much as Dominic was. They sat unmoving in a silence filled by the waterfall’s whooshing, and occasionally by Ekko’s soft chittering.
Sweat trickled down Dom’s temples as his breathing became more labored. He ground his teeth and hissed through them until a deep groan escaped his throat.
Allie couldn’t help him, but she moved to sit by his side. To be there when this was over and provide whatever comfort possible. She didn’t know how long she sat there, cross-legged, fidgeting with the edges of her purple skirt. Ekko sat up straight in her lap, waiting, his eyes never leaving Dom. She scratched the scales on his tense back, but the creature refused to relax. Allie felt just like her dragon, but she trusted Dominic and his power with her life. He would be fine, but…
What if he got sick again?
The thought sent a row of unpleasant shivers down her spine. If that happened, she would be th?—
A sharp zing ran through her, like an electric shockwave setting her nerves on fire, and Ekko jolted up like he’d been burned.
Allie raised on her knees and placed her hand on Dominic’s back, caution be damned.
“Dom?”
He exhaled loudly and slumped to the ground, gasping for air. Allie inched closer to him and rubbed his back in slow circles, hoping he felt the same comfort Allie had when he did this for her. With her free hand, she swiped the wild locks away from his face. Then she spent a long moment smoothing that frown between his eyes with her finger until Dom’s breathing balanced and he opened his eyes. He regarded her with something like awe, a shadow of a smile on his handsome, tired face.
“It’s done. It was here, the rupture,” he panted softly. “It’s fixed. Can you feel it?”
Allie allowed herself a moment to study that feeling after she was satisfied with studying Dom enough to conclude he looked fine. Exhausted, but fine.
When that forceful zing snapped through her, Allie felt her magic hum, as if in response to this hidden power. It felt different than before, fuller and stronger and richer. As if she’d gained access to another source of magic than her own. This feeling of being whole was old and new, something she had before, but not quite. Something she had been wanting to obtain forever.
“I…I think I do?”
Dom chuckled.
“This is what whole magic feels like, Allie. Sycamore Falls was a place with disrupted magic. Until now.”
“But I’ve been in places with whole magic before,” Allie argued.
“Pearls Fields is old magic, which is different. Weaker.” Dom pinned her with a look full of rage that wasn’t targeted at her. He chose to ignore her time in Green Creek and added, “And your power was still buried under the seal. You’ve been here since your power manifested fully.” Dom’s eyes moved over her with curiosity.
“Oh.” He was right. Sycamore Falls was the first place Allie had been in with full control of her power. Now that the magic was whole, Allie felt like… Like there was nothing she couldn’t do. Like her magic was pure and powerful. Like she was exactly where she was supposed to be.
“I’m so lucky to be here with you now,” Dom uttered, and Allie cocked her head. “You have the biggest, brightest smile on your face.”
Allie felt the stretch in her cheeks, the warmth under her skin. Nothing compared to this feeling of wholeness. It was not something she could name or put into words, but it was everything she’d been looking for as a Witch. To feel whole. To feel like herself.
Allie cupped Dom’s cheeks and kissed him. Slowly, unhurriedly, and for a long time, right there on the cold, leaf-covered ground.
Dom felt dizzy and drained, seconds away from crumpling to the ground in a heap. But he held the hand of the most beautiful woman in the world as they strolled back to Maple Street, and that made the exhaustion hush. He prayed not to get sick again, only because he had other plans to keep Allie in his bedroom.
The town was alive with noisy celebration. Everyone was hugging and cheering, some were crying, others were laughing.Whether they had magic or not, Dom knew everyone had felt the moment he wove the magic back together. He’d felt it, too, like a shot of adrenaline that made him want to howl or wail, to make room in his soul for that fullness.
Ekko had not left his shoulder ever since he got to his feet, which he found strange because the creature preferred Allie to him any day. As much as Dom scowled at him, the baby dragon stayed put as if he’d grown roots inside Dominic’s body.
“It’s fixed! It’s finally fixed!”
“After all this time…”
“Sycamore Falls is safe again!”
His fatigue made Dom feel more overwhelmed with everything going on around him. Their words drowned him in warm, comfortable water, but he longed for quiet air.
