Charity let her head fall to the side and her eyes take in the beauty outside her opened window, with the orange haze and gold filaments slowly drifting by. A bright pink flower bloomed within the frame.
She didn’t really know how to feel. It hadn’t been her that was left, this time. This situation wasn’t like that of her mother, or her ex-boyfriend John. Romulus hadn’t even known about her. And while it really sucked that he’d walked away from her mother, she couldn’t very well begrudge a man for wanting to be with his family again. Especially as a magical person in a non-magical world. That must’ve been hard.
“Yes,” she said softly, and she did, as much as she hated to admit it for her mother’s sake.
He squeezed her hand.
She rolled her head back to look at him. “How are you keeping my magic at bay?”
“Ah. So soon you ask. That is great news for your recovery. What we do is guide it into a natural release. You see, as fae, we have a special relationship with the nature around us. When we are in harmony with it, our magic is in harmony. That harmony can be achieved in a lot of ways, but the best and most powerful way lies within our skill set. Some are healers. Some are builders. For me, it is the creation and cultivation of gardens. I construct the nature around me into a beautiful tableau and, in so doing, create harmony with my magic. I fuel my being, and give a pleasing release for any pent-up power.”
“So…I should’ve been gardening this whole time?”
He laughed softly. “No, no. Skill sets are highly individual. We have yet to find yours. Have no fear, that will come. But that would not have been enough. We are also guardians. Many magical species have a subset of people designed for the protection of their kind. For fae, it is us—custodes. Or guardians, as I said. Combat balances us in both mind and body. It is what we are, and so does us the most magical good. It is very much a way of life.”
“But…” She blinked through the oncoming headache. Something rang false in what he said. It tickled her memory of a hazy battle. Strangers beside her. Demons. Hesitation in flashing swords.
She shook her head. She couldn’t clear away the dizzy confusion to call up the memory. Hell, maybe it was a dream. Maybe another hallucination. There was no way to say.
She switched gears. “I’ve been training in martial arts most of my life. Since I met Devon, and all this started happening, I’ve been battling vampires and demons. My magic has only gotten worse.”
“You can fight?” His smile was triumphant. “Fantastic.” He sobered in the face of her blank stare. “Not worse. More powerful. None of us could have waded through the manifestation of your power level on our own. In the human lands, I believe you have the saying ‘It takes a village to raise a child.’ That encapsulates the situation perfectly. When the largest portion of power manifests, it does so in fits and starts. It rages through the body. It boils, stews, then gushes, trying to find that harmony. Those with a similar natural magic, and with enough power, can use their own balance and harmony to guide the surges into a healthy release. Your Alpha Shifter seems to have found a way to dominate your magic, forcing it into his natural harmony. Unfortunately, that could not lead you to your own harmony, but it did keep you alive, and for that, he has my eternal gratitude.”
She rubbed her temples. “So as soon as I learn the harmony, I should be fine?”
“Given the state in which we found you, the healers agree that you are on the precipice. So yes, when your magic calms, you will need to find the harmony, and then you will sigh in relief. I remember my own journey through magical adolescence…but those stories are for another day. You are tired. Come”—he stood and pulled the covers to her chin before tucking her in—“sleep. Rest. You are safe now. Take the time you need to mend. Your family will be waiting, when you are ready.”
“Devon?”
Romulus smoothed the hair back from her forehead. “We need you a little further along before we allow his magic to incite yours.” A look of confusion crossed his face. “It’s strange. It’s as though the shifter magic peels back a thick