Page 54 of Discovered Magic
“You don’t believe me?”
Jonas stepped forward, inserting himself into their conversation. “I suspect she’s worried you might be embarrassed to be seen dining with her.”
“What?” Wilder looked between them, and sure enough, she flushed and ducked her head. “My god, Abbie, no. I’ll march through town, declaring my love for you every hour on the hour to any who’ll listen.”
A single tear escaped to track down her cheek. Her insecurity was understandable, but he hated that she’d ever believe him so shallow.
“I mean it,” he said, angling to peer into her face, hoping she would recognize his sincerity.
She nodded, but her hurt lingered.
Picking up her hand, he kissed her knuckles. “Abigail Monroe, would you do me the honor of dining with me tonight? In any establishment of your choosing?”
“Don’t pity me!”
Her fierce anger echoed loudly inside his mind, and he winced.
“Don’t mistake my desire to be with you as pity, because it isn’t.” He dropped her hand and stood. “You have a few scars, so damned what?”
Her expression turned wary in the face of his annoyance, and he worked to stay calm.
“I get you don’t remember me, Abbie, so you can’t know if I’m being honest. But let me state for the record, your injuries don’t make you any less of a person in my eyes.” Lifting the pen and selecting a clean sheet of paper, he drew a heart and wrote her name at its center. Then he folded it and put it in his left shirt pocket. “I’m heading out for food, and if you care to join me, I’d welcome it. But if not, I’ll flash this note and show everyone who my love belongs to.”
Pivoting on his heel, he stalked to the door.
“Wilder!”
He glanced back and held out a hand.
“Come with me, sweetheart.”
She rushed forward and placed her palm in his.
18
Abbie’s transformation gobsmacked Jonas. It was as if the moment Wilder spoke to her, she came alive. For three months after she woke from her stasis, they’d tried to bring her out of her shell and help her participate in life again. Yet she’d been resistant, muttering about curses and wanting to go home. When asked, she could never recall.
Tonight was the first time she ventured out of the house, and he’d been surprised when she tagged along behind him. If he didn’t know better, he’d believe she had anticipated her mate’s arrival. She went from curled in a corner, picking at the wood slats, to interacting with the guy. When she’d caressed his face, Jonas’s jaw hit the floor, and with unheard-of clumsiness, Draven had fumbled his cards.
Granted, Wilder had an easy charm and worked on the assumption she’d recognized him on a cellular level. And perhaps she had. Her trust wasn’t easily given, and he was the only stranger who hadn’t been tossed across the room when he touched her without permission.
The man’s brass balls were admirable, and bystanders would make his challenge legendary soon. Rarely did anyone stand up to a creature like Draven. Most sensed his underlying strength. Mortals wrote it off to a deadly gunslinger, but those in the magical community knew what he was and who he was destined to become. Only Draven refused to fall in with the Fates’ plan for him.
“I’ve been around for a long time and never heard of a Traveler until our girl,” Evie said as the door closed behind the couple. “Now we have two. Father and daughter.”
“Yes. We should reach out to Damian, or at the very least to Isis, to learn more. If there are other magical entities out there like these, I want to know.”
“It stands to reason there are.” Absently, she waved her hand, setting the room to rights as if by habit rather than intentionally. Evie loved a tidy house.
“Right,” he replied. “And I suspect the Authority has a long list of those individuals at its disposal. Makes you wonder why they’re trying so hard to get Draven to accept his responsibility as a Guardian.”
“In my experience, the Witches’ Council and Authority only assign one Guardian at a time. They wouldn’t dare grant that type of power to more in case the supercharged banded together to overthrow the establishment.”
Jonas nodded. “Makes sense. They aren’t as confident as they’d like everyone to believe. So who is the current Guardian?”
“As far as I know, they don’t have one. It’s why they’re pushing hard for Draven. Soon, they’ll take away his freedom and force him if he doesn’t conform.”
“But he refuses to guard a ‘dusty old tomb.’” He chuckled when she lifted an inquiring brow. “His words for the Enchantress’s garden. He’d rather gamble and waste his life here in The Devil’s Backbone.”
