Page 186 of Bitten By the Fae
“I’m concentrating,” she chastised.
I released her shoulder to grab her hips with both hands. “Okay. I’ll be right here.”
She didn’t seem to hear me, or perhaps didn’t care, because she continued to stare at the corner like she could will the bookcase to appear without a spell. Which would be a neat trick and entirely possible for an older Midnight Fae, but she wasn’t quite there yet.
After a few moments, she nodded, lifted her wand, and spoke the enchantment out loud while drawing her box. Then she added, “Badan books.”
A floor-to-ceiling shelving unit appeared, the wooden poles on the sides decorated with vines of gorgeous blue blossoms that reminded me of her eyes. And on the shelves sat all her books, including the ones from her nightstand.
“Beautiful,” I praised.
She gave a little clap and spun around to face me. “I did it.”
“You did,” I replied, smiling at her. Then I gestured with my chin to the ceramic pot in the opposite corner. “Looks like your plant is appreciative as well.”
Aflora twisted toward it, her eyes widening. “Oh! How pretty!”
Hmm, I’d have to mention to Kols later that she’d finally figured out how to access her earth magic through the collar, which implied our earlier enchantment that diminished herpower had finally worn off. We’d discuss it right after I told him how Clove delivered a stonepecker moments before the Warrior Bloods arrived.
My jaw ticked as I considered the situation. “When you’re done in here, we need to talk about your familiar.” I realized the mistake of my comment the minute I said it because Aflora froze, her excitement over the plant dying in an instant.
Fuck.
We still hadn’t discussed that day in class when Raph killed Clove. I’d been in a mood, and it seemed right at the time to teach her a lesson about familiars and etiquette.
And yeah, that hadn’t gone as planned.
She practically hated me after that.
“I mean in regard to the present she brought you,” I amended quickly. “I want to make sure she’s not enchanted or under the influence of another fae.”
Aflora frowned at me. “You think someone cast a spell on her?”
“Why else would she bring you the stonepecker?” I countered.
My little mate didn’t speak for a moment, her expression going from confused to wary. “What do you have to do to her to determine if she’s been enchanted?”
I sighed. “I’m not going to hurt her, Aflora.”
Her eyes told me she didn’t believe me. “Okay.”
Right. I’d have to prove it to her, then. “Are you done in here, or do you have other things to straighten up?”
“It’s mostly good, I guess,” she replied, noting the rumpled bedding, skewed rugs, and ripped blinds.
I called forth a third figment and told her to tidy up the mess.
Aflora’s eyebrows lifted. “Why didn’t you just show me how to do that?”
“Because the other spells provided a teaching moment.”
“Since when do you like to teach?” she asked, her gaze holding a touch of humor that lightened the atmosphere a little between us.
“Never,” I admitted. “But I don’t mind teaching you.” It was the truth, but I didn’t expect her to accept it. Rather than wait around for another of those distrusting looks, I said, “Come on. Let’s go have a chat with Clove.”
“A chat,” she repeated with notable sarcasm. “Sure.”
“I’ve been an ass and you don’t trust me. That’s fine.” I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and hugged her to me, my lips going to her ear. “But keep it up and I’ll torment you for the rest of the evening and day with my tongue.”
