Midnight Truth (Shifter Island #4) - Leia Stone Page 0,51
a lesson to visit me, and if you want—”
I grinned. “I’d love that.”
She pulled me in for a hug then, and I squeezed her tightly. “Tell Bonus Dad I said bye.”
She giggled. “You got it, sweetie.”
As I floated away from the Realm of the Dead, I felt lighter than I had in years, and not because I was ghost Nai. Something about seeing my mom and bonus dad had healed something broken inside of me.
Plus, portals for the win.
Chapter Nine
I got out of the pool and dried off before getting dressed as fast as possible. Between finding my soul stone, seeing my mom, and learning how to make a portal, I had so much to tell Rage, but I was legit starving.
Stopping in the kitchen for a quick snack, I found Sariah, Reyna, and Grandpa at the table, a chocolate cake set between them.
Yum.
I glanced at the clock and saw that it would be twenty minutes before Rage was in the library, which meant there was plenty of time for a slice of cake.
“Nai,” my aunt called out, pushing her chair back. “Come join us.”
She grabbed an extra place setting while I settled in a chair and pulled the cake to me.
“How did it go?” Grandpa asked, his voice warbling slightly with weakness. “Did you learn to make portals?”
I dished myself a fat slice and then shrugged. “I think so. I mean, we only practiced within the confines of the Realm of the Dead, but I got a feel for it.”
Shoveling a large bite into my mouth, I nearly groaned aloud as the thick, fudgy icing melted on my tongue.
Grandpa was silent, and I dragged my attention away from the delicious confection to see why.
He offered me a wan smile. “Making a portal can take a lot of energy, even just a practice one. That’s partly why a mage must have so much capacity for spirit to be the high mage.”
Listening to him, I continued to shovel cake into my mouth, pausing only to guzzle the glass of milk my aunt set in front of me.
“It’s why I could never become the high master,” Sariah said, sitting down again. She cut another slice of cake and set it on my now empty plate. “Not that I envy you, Nai. The responsibility is significant.”
Rather than respond, I took another bite. They continued to chatter about how much power was necessary to do certain tasks, but my focus remained on filling the black hole that now occupied my stomach.
The room grew quiet, and I glanced up.
“I had no idea,” Reyna muttered.
Sariah chuckled, and a moment later, Grandpa joined in.
“What?” I asked.
“If you spent all day practicing, that’s probably why you’ve devoured the cake. Next time, take a break for lunch,” Reyna said, her eyebrows raised as she pointed at the platter.
Oh. My. Mage.
“Did I really just eat half a cake?” My gaze bounced from Sariah, who’d been serving me, to Grandpa, and finally back to Reyna.
She nodded. “That really happened.”
Yikes.
“I guess I was more hungry than I thought.” I washed the last bite on my plate down with the rest of my milk and then turned to Gramps. “Maybe I should wait until tomorrow to practice portals in this realm?”
“Probably a good idea,” he said.
Annette stepped into the kitchen, and her eyes widened when she saw the damage to her cake.
“It’s a really good cake,” I said lamely.
Sariah laughed.
“Will you be staying for dinner?” Annette asked, clearing my plate and glass.
“No,” I replied with a shake of my head for added emphasis. “I’m going to see Rage.”
“Oh good,” Gramps said, pushing his chair back. “Make sure you chat with him about the contract he inherited, including his responsibilities within Mageville. Kian came by this morning after you left—”
“About how he tried to murder me and Reyna last night?” I snapped, balling my fists. He was on my kill list. I’d never had one before, but after last night and the scuffle with my soul stone … it was probably a good idea.
Reyna bit her lip, but she looked about as pissed as me. Kian was evil incarnate.
“No,” he said. “Kian actually apologized for the misunderstanding.”
Misunderstanding?
“He said you were trespassing, and he didn’t realize—”
“That … liar,” I shouted.
Grandpa held his hand up to stop my protests. “He said he didn’t know why you were there, or even that it was you. He asked me to pass along an additional message to your mate.”